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1 1 (July 5, 2018)

handle is hein.crs/govzbj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the legislative debate since 1914 0 July 5, 2018 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 Brief Legislative History 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 for FY2006-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 equipment, technology, or support systems; or establishing school- based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems. COPS Funding 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. In the early years of the COPS program, a majority of the program's enacted appropriations went to grant programs specifically aimed at hiring more law enforcement officers. Beginning in FY1998, however, enacted appropriations for the hiring programs began to decline, and by FY2005, appropriations for hiring programs were nearly nonexistent. 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 is a notable change in the total amount of funding provided for COPS since FY20 11. From FY2012 to FY2017, approximately $200 million was provided for the COPS account each fiscal year, though funding for COPS increased to $276 million for FY2018. Prior to FY2012, the least amount of funding provided for COPS was $472 million for FY2006. The drop in annual appropriations for COPS can be attributed to two trends: (1) the congressional earmark ban and (2) Congress restructuring 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 account-such as Project Safe Neighborhoods, DNA backlog reduction initiatives, Paul Coverdell grants, offender reentry 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 the https://crsreports.cong

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