Schumer: President's Budget Includes $761 Million For Cops Office to Hire More Cops and Keep Guns Off the Streets
Press Release
SCHUMER: PRESIDENT'S BUDGET INCLUDES $761 MILLION FOR COPS OFFICE TO HIRE MORE COPS AND KEEP GUNS OFF THE STREETS
President's Budget Includes $210 Million Increase for COPS Office for COPS Program and NICS Grants
Schumer Fought for Federal Dollars in the Economic Stimulus Package to Increase Funding For COPS Program - Put More Cops on the Streets, Improve Resources and Training
Schumer: These Funds Will Help Enhance Local Crime-Fighting Efforts
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) will receive a total of $761 million from President Obama's 2010 Budget for the COPS program and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Despite the COPS program's success in providing vital funding to local law enforcement, the Bush administration nearly eliminated all funding for the program, reducing resources available to local police departments across the country. Schumer has historically pushed for increased funding for COPS Office programs. Today, Schumer announced that the budget will include a $210 million increase from 2009 funding levels for the COPS office.
"You don't need a degree in criminal justice to know that more dollars for the COPS program means more officers and safer streets. Year after year this much-needed program had been stripped of funding and I am so happy to see that President Obama has decided to put that trend to a halt and increase funding for this year," Schumer said. "This funding is vital for our local cities trying to battle crime and I applaud President Obama's efforts to invest in these critical programs."
The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is a component of the US Department of Justice. The COPS Office awards grants to state, and local law enforcement agencies to hire and train community policing professionals, acquire cutting-edge crime-fighting technologies, and develop and test innovative policing strategies. President Obama's Fiscal Year 2010 budget will include funding for the COPS Office to provide grants for the COPS and NICS programs to hire more law enforcement and prevent individuals prohibited by federal of state law from purchasing firearms.
Senator Schumer and Vice President Joe Biden were two of the original sponsors of the bill that created the COPS hiring competitive grant program. This program awards grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to hire and train police officers, acquire and deploy new, crime-fighting technologies. The program provides training and technical assistance for all levels of law enforcement. The COPS funding is distributed through a wide range of programs, including grants and cooperative agreements.
In the wake of the April 2007 shooting tragedy at Virginia Tech, Senator Schumer introduced the NICS Improvement Amendments Act, later passed into law, which authorized up to $325 million for states to compile all relevant background data, including mental health and conviction records, into the shared electronic NICS database. The Virginia Tech shooter was able to purchase firearms because information about his prohibiting mental health history was not available to the NICS and the system was therefore unable to deny the transfer of the firearms used in the shootings. The NICS program aims to better enable the system to operate as intended to keep guns out of the hands of persons prohibited by federal or state law from receiving or possessing firearms.
The COPS program has been one of the most successful federal programs, helping local law enforcement to put more cops on the street to keep New York residents safe. But despite its success, funding was nearly eliminated for the program under the Bush administration, reducing resources available to local police departments.
Schumer today announced that the President's budget will include a total of $761 million for the COPS office. This funding includes $298 million for COPS hiring competitive grants and $10 million for NICS Grants.
Schumer added, "We must do everything we can to ensure the safety of our residents and these grants are a great place to start to help us achieve that goal."
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