U.S. Rep. DeGette Secures 180 New Officers to Fight Crime in First Congressional District

Press Release

U.S. Rep. DeGette Secures 180 New Officers to Fight Crime in First Congressional District

Today, Chief Deputy Whip Diana DeGette joined a bipartisan majority in Congress to put 50,000 more police officers on our nation's streets - including an estimated 180 new cops to fight crime in the First Congressional District of Colorado. The COPS Improvements Act of 2007, H.R. 1700, passed the U.S. House of Representatives amid increased concern about crime in Colorado and around the country.

"Today, I am proud to vote to reinvigorate the highly successful COPS hiring grants program," said Rep. DeGette "It will bring needed resources for our local law enforcement agencies and put more cops on the street to fight and reduce crime in our neighborhoods."

The C.O.P.S. hiring program, or the "100,000 cops program", has hired 421 additional police officers and sheriff deputies and brought in $27,771,489 in grants to the First Congressional District since its inception in 1994. It is considered one of the most successful law enforcement programs in the nation's history. According to a Government Accounting Office national study, between 1998 and 2000, C.O.P.S. grants were responsible for reducing crimes by about 200,000 to 225,000 crimes - one third of which were violent. In 1998, C.O.P.S. grants were responsible for an 8% decrease in crimes - and a 13% drop in violent crimes. While the program was funded at over $1 billion a year near the end of the Clinton administration, the hiring portion of C.O.P.S. has been zeroed out under President Bush.

"C.O.P.S. is a proven program which reduces crime. I am proud to support its reauthorization and the potential to bring $8,472,658 of needed funds to the First Congressional District to put more cops on the street, position more school resources officers in our schools, and $1,540,485 in technology grants to fight crime and assist local law enforcement," said Rep. DeGette.

This legislation has been endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities.

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