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For Immediate Release
 
May 16, 2007

50,000 more cops to protect America's streets

 
 
Washington, DC - Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) joined a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives yesterday in restoring the COPS hiring program that was eliminated last year. The COPS Reauthorization Act, H.R. 1700, is designed to help local law enforcement agencies hire 50,000 more police officers over the next six years.

 

“I’ve always supported COPS and I was disappointed when the majority eliminated it last year,” Green said. “I’m very pleased that we could bring back these hiring grants,” he added.

 

The COPS hiring grants program was created under the Clinton Administration in 1994. From 1995 to 2005 the program helped local law enforcement hire 117,000 additional police officers.

 

Law enforcement agencies in the 29th Congressional District hired 930 new officers with funds from COPS during 1994 to 2005. The reauthorization will send more than $18 million more into the 29th District in the form of federal grants which will be used to hire approximately 400 more police officers. Texas has received over $459 million through the program, which it used to hire more than 6,000 new officers.

 

“Unfortunately, the Republican-led Congress cut the program over the years until they finally got rid of it last year. But now that it’s back, Texas will get 2,500 more cops on the streets,” Green said.

Under the COPS hiring grants program, the United States experienced a significant drop in crime rates. A nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) report concluded, “COPS-funded increases in sworn officers per capita were associated with declines in rates of total index crimes, violent crimes, and property crime.” According to the report, COPS reduced overall crime by 200,000 to 225,000 incidents between the years 1998 and 2000.

 

Since COPS was eliminated last year, violent crime has spiked across the country. The Police Executive Research Forum, a prominent law enforcement association, released a report that found that violent crimes rose by double digit percentages over the last two years. Among the cities surveyed, 71 percent had more murders, 80 percent saw more robberies and 67 percent reported an increase in aggravated assaults with guns since 2005.

 

This legislation has been endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities.  

 

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