U.S. House of Representative seal U.S. Representative Allyson Y. Schwartz
Representing the 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2009
 CONTACT:  Rachel Magnuson, 202-225-6111
 Congress Passes Key Bill that Could Mean Thousands of

Additional Police Officers for Pennsylvania Communities
 Schwartz: This is a Double Win – Jobs and Stronger Communities
Washington, D.C. – Today, with U.S. Rep. Schwartz’s (PA-13) strong support, the House of Representatives passed the COPS Improvement Act. Building on the tremendous past successes of the COPS program (Community Oriented Policing Service, this plan calls for putting 50,000 additional police officers in communities throughout America over the next five years. The COPS Improvement Act invests $1.25 billion a year for COPS hiring grants, $350 million a year for COPS technology grants, and $200 million a year for hiring community prosecutors.  

Since its creation in 1994, the COPS program has resulted in more than 117,000 police offices being hired nationwide, including more than 3,500 across Pennsylvania and more than 1,170 in Philadelphia and Montgomery County. Based on these historical trends, it is estimated that the COPS Improvement Act could mean approximately 1,500 new police officers for Pennsylvania and 500 officers throughout Philadelphia and Montgomery County.

“The COPS program has made a tremendous difference across our nation and here at home in southeastern Pennsylvania. Today’s vote was a double win – jobs and stronger communities. I’ve been proud to support local municipalities as they’ve applied for COPS grants, and I am confident that it will lead to future opportunities for our local police departments,” said U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz.  

For more information on which communities throughout Pennsylvania have been able to hire police officers or make needed technology upgrades because of the COPS program visit www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/Cong_Conf_Calls/Grants_by_Agency/PAga.pdf <http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/Cong_Conf_Calls/Grants_by_Agency/PAga.pdf> .

Additional background on the bill:  

Created in 1994 the COPS hiring grants program was an enormously successful, popular program – helping local law enforcement agencies to hire more than 117,000 additional police officers, in every state in the union, from 1995 to 2005.

This bill is particularly needed because of the recession – which has led to both rises in certain types of crime and cutbacks in state and local funding for law enforcement across the country.  

Indeed, a recent survey of more than 200 police departments by the Police Executive Research Forum found:

44 percent of police departments surveyed report increases in certain types of crime that they believe is a result of the economic downturn.

More than a quarter of law enforcement agencies reported implementing a hiring freeze for sworn officers and more than half have frozen civilian positions.

A third of agencies said they have discontinued, reduced in size, or delayed classes for new police recruits.
Under the COPS program, our nation experienced a significant drop in crime rates – and independent studies confirm that COPS hiring grants helped contribute to this reduced crime.

 

Unfortunately, the GOP-led Congress sharply reduced the funding for COPS hiring grants – reducing them from more than $1 billion a year in the late 1990s to $10 million in FY 2005 and zero funding in FY 2006 and FY 2007.  In a first step to restart the program, in February, the Democratic-led Congress included $1 billion in the Recovery Act.

This act has widespread support, including the National Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, National Sheriffs’ Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Narcotics Officers’ Associations Coalition, National District Attorneys Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities.

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