"If these numbers don't serve as a security wake-up call to this Administration to the importance of investing in our local law enforcement and first responders, I don't know what will," Rahall said. "It's clear to anyone who looks at the numbers that the cuts are curbing the progress we are making in establishing safer, drug-free communities. The Republican Leadership uses the word security to scare up votes. It's time they put money on the true frontlines of homeland security-our police deputies, EMS and firefighters."

            The number of violent crimes increased 2.3 percent between 2004 and 2005-murders were up 3.4 percent-according to the FBI's annual report on crime statistics, Crime in the United States, 2005, released last week.

            Under the Clinton Administration, the violent crime rate fell steadily. Between 1993 and 2000, the number of violent crimes dropped by 26 percent.

            "It's no coincidence that we are seeing the biggest increase in violent crimes since 1991," Rahall said. "The Republican Administration has proven time and time again, with budgets that slash funding for critical state and local law enforcement assistance programs, that they are more concerned with protecting foreign countries than protecting Americans at home."

            Since Bush took office, Republicans have cut funding for state and local law enforcement grants every year-about $2 billion since 2001.

            In this year's budget proposal, released in February, the Administration eliminated the $128 million for the COPS Law Enforcement Technology grants program. COPS, which stands for Community Oriented Policing Services, is a program that began during President Clinton's administration and has distributed funding to put more police officers on the street and help deploy technology. Greenbrier, Raleigh, Cabell, and Pocahontas counties, along with Beckley, Lewisburg, Bluefield, Marlinton, Milton, Princeton, Rainelle, Summersville and Huntington officers, are among those that have received COPS grants recently.

              "West Virginian parents, who are trying to protect their families, have to wonder why the COPS program, used to protect families in southern West Virginia with more police officers, was essentially killed off by this year's budget proposal," Rahall said.

            Raleigh County Sheriff Danny Moore echoed Rahall's concerns.

            "I can't stress enough how important and valuable this program is to Raleigh County and to many of our smaller communities," Moore said. "COPS is a valuable tool to help maintain manpower and hire more deputies as some are being activated by the Guard and Reserve."

            In addition to the elimination of the COPS program, the Administration also proposed the elimination of the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program at the Department of Justice, and the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP) at the Department of Homeland Security. Each of these programs helps state and local law enforcement agencies increase their effectiveness and have greatly improved anti-terrorism efforts.

            Since then, Rahall has worked, along with a number of his House colleagues, to restore funding to these programs.

            "They take it out and we fight tooth and nail to get it back in," Rahall said. "Despite this, we are still facing another $200 million cut to grants to state and local law enforcement. It's truly a disturbing trend-just as disturbing as the numbers coming out of the FBI Crime Report."