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1 1 (February 5, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/goveccv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated February 5, 2021 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program Background Under the initial authorization for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program(Title I of the Violent Crime Controland Law Enforcement Act of 1994, P.L. 103-322, the 1994 Crime Act), 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 COPS programwas reauthorized by the Violence Against Women and Department of Jus tice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-162). The act reauthorized appropriations for the COPS programfrom FY2006 to FY2009. Under that authorization, the COPS program changed froma multi-grant programto a single-grant programunder which DOJ can make grants to state, local, and tribal governments, and other public and private entities for a variety of enumerated 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 (see 34 U.S.C. § 10381(b)). Congress has continued to appropriate funding for the COPS programeven though authorized appropriations for the programexpired in FY2009. COPS Funding From FY1995 to FY1999, the annual appropriation for the COPS programaveraged nearly $1.4 billion. The relatively high levels of funding during this time period were largely the result of efforts to place 100,000 new law enforcement officers on the streets. After the initial push to hire and fund 100,000 new law enforcement officers, Congress started to change COPS into a conduit for supporting a widerrange oflocallaw 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 his tory 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 themfor FY2006 and FY2007. Funding for hiring programs was revived when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 https ://crs repo (P.L. 111-5) provided $1 billion for COPS. Appropriations for hiring programs fromFY2009 to FY2012 were the result of Congress's efforts to help local law enforcement agencies facing budget cuts as a result of the recession eitherhire new law enforcement officers orretain officers they would otherwise have to lay off. Appropriations continuedto be provided forhiring programs even as the effects of that recession waned. There has been a notable reduction in the total amount of funding provided for COPS since FY2011. Prior to FY2011, the least amount of annual funding (in nominal dollars) provided for COPS was $472 million for FY2006. FromFY2007 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 FY2011. 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 earmarkban, and (3) Congres s's restructuring of the COPS account. Congres s implemented a ban on earmarks starting with appropriations for FY2011. 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, Congres s did not appropriate any funding for the Law Enforcement Technology programand the only funding remaining for the Methamphetamine Clean-up programwas transferred to the Drug Enforcement Administration to assistwith the clean-up ofclandestine methamphetamine laboratories. Congress ceased providing funding for the Methamphetamine Clean-up programin FY2018. FromFY2010 to FY2012, Congress moved appropriations for several programs that were funded under the COPS account-such as Project Safe Neighborhoods, DNA backlog reduction initiatives, Paul Coverdell grants, offenderreentry programs, the National Criminal History Improvement program, and the Bulletproof Vest Grant program-to the State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance (S&LLEA) account. Programs funded under this account are administeredby the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). Prior to the programs being movedto the S&LLEA, appropriations for themwere transferred fromCOPS to OJP for administration. In general, fromFY2001 to FY2011, appropriations for programs that were transferred to OJP accounted for one-third to one-half of the annual funding for the COPS account. In recent fiscalyears, a proportionof the COPS account has again beentransferred to OJP. Since FY2017, Congress has provided funding for the Regional Information Sharing System(RISS) programunder the COPS account, which is transferred to OJP.

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