WASHINGTON (May 15, 2007) Congressman Ben Chandler joined a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives today to pass H.R. 1700, the COPS Improvements Act of 2007.  This measure is designed to help local law enforcement agencies hire and train additional police officers and improve community policing efforts.

The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program was originally created to provide grants to local law enforcement agencies so they could hire additional police officers.  After September 11, 2001, law enforcement agencies have been increasingly stretched thin as they are expected to combat a recent rise in violent crime while handling homeland security threats that require additional technological resources. 

“Today, I am proud to vote for this measure to reinvigorate the highly successful COPS program,” said Congressman Chandler.

Reauthorizing the COPS program will provide $1.15 billion in funds annually for the next six years, beginning in fiscal year 2008.  With this funding, local law enforcement agencies will be able to hire additional police officers, improve school-based partnerships, reduce the distribution and abuse of illegal drugs, develop new policing techniques, and implement new technologies that are vital to ensuring public safety.

“From 1995 to 2005, this program helped local law enforcement agencies hire 117,000 additional police officers,” Congressman Chandler pointed out.  “Over those 10 years, Kentucky received over $119 million in COPS hiring grants funding, which enabled our state to hire an additional 1,390 police officers.” 

Unfortunately, over the last few years, Congress sharply reduced the funding for COPS hiring grants—reducing funding from more than $1 billion a year in the late 1990s to $198 million in 2003 and $10 million in 2005.  Then, in 2006, Congress completely eliminated the program.

“Reauthorizing the COPS program is going to once again give our local law enforcement agencies the tools they need to fight crime.”

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