Fully fund the COPS program

Increased funding for COPS program under Obama

Updated: Monday, October 4th, 2010 | By Lukas Pleva

It has been nearly a year and a half since our last update on President Barack Obama's campaign pledge to fully fund the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, which helps local agencies pay for more police officers. At the time, we rated the promise In the Works, since the economic stimulus package approved by President Obama in February 2009 included $1 billion for COPS hiring grants. The House had also authorized $1.8 billion a year over the next five tears for the COPS grant program, including $1.25 billion for hiring, and the rest for prosecutors, crime-fighting technology and aid to high-crime communities.

Since then, Congress has passed the 2010 budget and the White House submitted its proposal for 2011, so we wanted to revisit the promise.

Let's start with 2010. In his budget request for the year, Obama asked for $761 million. Congress was generous, however, and appropriated $791.6 million, with $298 million specifically marked for COPS Hiring Grants to hire or retain approximately 1,400 police officers.

In his budget request for 2011, Obama asked for $690 million, about a $100 million decrease from 2010. On June 29, 2010, however, the House Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee allocated a little over $729 million. The Senate Committee on Appropriations was not as generous -- the program received only $586 million. At some point in the future, the House and the Senate leaders will have to meet and reconcile the final amount.

For some perspective, in 2007, Congress appropriated $542 million for the program. In 2008, it was $587 million, and in 2009, COPS received $551 million. That was despite President Bush's attempts to drastically reduce funding -- in 2008, he asked for a 94 percent cut, citing a General Accounting Office report that questioned the cost-effectiveness of the program in reducing crime.

On the campaign trail, Obama said that he would fully fund the COPS program. The 2009 stimulus package included $1 billion for COPS hiring grants. The 2010 budget provided $791 million for the program, a significant increase over previous years. Obama only asked for $690 million for 2011, but that is still above the 2007, 2008, and 2009 funding levels. Still, it appears as though the White House is facing a roadblock in the Senate, which has only appropriated $586 million. We'd like to see how the budget process plays out before we issue a final ruling, so for now, this promise stays In the Works.

Sources:

Justice Policy Institute, More of the Same: President Obama"s budget has too little invested in long term solutions, and is likely to contribute to rising incarceration rates, accessed Sept. 29, 2010
 
House Appropriations Committee, FY 2008 Omnibus Summary, Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee, Dec. 16, 2007

Committees on Appropriations, FY 2010 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Summary, Dec. 8, 2009

House Appropriations Committee, FY 2011 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Summary, June 29, 2010

Senate Committee on Appropriations, FY 2011 Appropriations Summary, July 21, 2010

Money in stimulus and budget for COPS

Updated: Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 | By Robert Farley

The COPS program, which helps local agencies pay for more police officers, was a pet project of Vice President Joe Biden. Back in 1994, Biden championed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act which sought — through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) — to put 100,000 additional police officers on America's streets. However, funding was drastically reduced and the the program faltered under the Bush administration, which cited a General Accounting Office report that questioned the cost-effectiveness of the program in reducing crime.

As president, Barack Obama has taken several steps to restore the COPS program.

The economic stimulus package approved by Obama in February included $1 billion for COPS hiring grants, to fund the hiring of more than 7,000 police and sheriffs deputies in 2009 and 2010. The Obama administration's proposed 2010 budget also included $298 million for COPS hiring grants, with an eye toward moving closer to the goal of hiring 50,000 police officers nationwide.

And in April, the House authorized an additional $1.8 billion a year over the next five tears for the COPS grant program, including $1.25 billion for hiring and the rest for prosecutors, crime-fighting technology and aid to high-crime communities.

That puts this promise firmly In the Works.

Sources:

Newsday, "Obama's first 100 Days," April 24, 2009

Orlando Sentinel, "House OKs 50,000 'cops on streets,'" by David Lightman, April 24, 2009

Office of Management and Budget, "President's Budget: Fact Sheets on Key Issues"