About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (January 30, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govbewx0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF. ' riE S-' $. h ,i . , Updated January 30, 2020 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program was created by Title I of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-322, the 1994 Crime Act). COPS grants are managed by the COPS Office, which was created in 1994 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to oversee the COPS program. The mission of the COPS Office is to advance the practice of community policing through information sharing and grant resources. According to the COPS Office, it awards grants to hire community policing professionals, develop and test innovative policing strategies, and provide training and technical assistance to community members, local government leaders, and all levels of law enforcement. A Brki Lei,.,tv vkoy Under the initial authorization for the COPS program, grants could be awarded for (1) hiring new police officers or rehiring police officers who have been laid off to engage in community policing, (2) hiring former members of the armed services to serve as career law enforcement officers engaged in community policing, and (3) supporting non- hiring initiatives, such as training law enforcement officers in crime prevention and community policing techniques or developing technologies that support crime prevention strategies. The 1994 Crime Act authorized funding for the COPS program through FY2000. The COPS program was reauthorized by the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-162). The act reauthorized appropriations for the COPS program from FY2006 to FY2009. Under that authorization, the COPS program changed from a multi-grant program to a single-grant program under which state or local law enforcement agencies are eligible to apply for a COPS grant. These grants can be used for a variety of purposes, including hiring or re-hiring community policing officers; procuring law enforcement equipment, technology, or support systems; or establishing school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems. Congress has continued to appropriate funding for the COPS program even though authorized appropriations for the program expired in FY2009. From FY1995 to FY1999, the annual appropriation for the COPS program averaged nearly $1.4 billion. The relatively high levels of funding during this time period were largely the result of Congress's and the Clinton Administration's efforts to place 100,000 new law enforcement officers on the street. After the initial push to fund 100,000 new law enforcement officers through COPS grants, Congress moved away from providing funding for hiring law enforcement officers and changed COPS into a conduit for providing federal assistance to support a wider range of local law enforcement needs. Starting in FY1998, an increasing portion of the annual appropriation for COPS was dedicated to programs that helped law enforcement agencies purchase new equipment, combat methamphetamine production, upgrade criminal records, and improve their forensic science capabilities. Increasing funding for non-hiring initiatives under the COPS account coincided with decreasing funding for hiring programs. By FY2005, appropriations for hiring programs were nearly nonexistent, and Congress eliminated funding for them for FY2006 and FY2007. Funding for hiring programs was revived when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) provided $1 billion for COPS. Appropriations for hiring programs from FY2009 to FY2012 were the result of Congress's efforts to help local law enforcement agencies facing budget cuts as a result of the recession either hire new law enforcement officers or retain officers they would otherwise have to lay off. Appropriations have continued to be provided for hiring programs even as the effects of the recession have waned. There has been a notable change in the total amount of funding provided for COPS since FY20 11. Prior to FY20 11, the least amount of funding provided for COPS was $472 million for FY2006. From FY2007 to FY2017, annual COPS funding ranged from a low of $199 million for FY2012 to a high of $222 million for FY2017. Although COPS funding has increased steadily since FY2017, annual funding has remained significantly lower than before FY20 11. Lower annual appropriations for COPS can be attributed to three trends: (1) a decrease in the amount of funding provided for hiring programs, (2) the congressional earmark ban, and (3) Congress restructuring of the COPS account. Congress implemented a ban on earmarks starting with appropriations for FY20 11. This ban substantially decreased funding for the Law Enforcement Technology and the Methamphetamine Clean-up programs, which were being administered by the COPS Office. By FY2012, Congress did not appropriate any funding for the Law Enforcement Technology program and the only funding remaining for the Methamphetamine Clean-up program was transferred to the Drug Enforcement Administration to assist with the clean-up of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories. Congress ceased providing funding for the Methamphetamine Clean-up program in FY2018. From FY2010 to FY2012, Congress moved appropriations for programs that were traditionally funded under the COPS .O 'T p\w -- , gn'a', goo mppm qq\ M , q 'M I 11LIANJILiM,

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most