Two years ago, I joined local officials at North Brunswick Township High School to announce good news.   Through the Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, program, the federal government had offered a significant grant for new security cameras, locks, and other safety features.  All told, the township has received more than $1.2 million in COPS funding over the years.

Earlier this week, I joined many of the same officials under more troubling circumstances.  North Brunswick’s latest COPS grant expired this month, and now COPS itself is under attack.  The majority in the U.S. House of Representatives has proposed a bill to eliminate – not scale back, but completely eliminate – the COPS program.

COPS has been remarkably effective at keeping our communities safe by putting more cops on the beat in towns, placing officers to work with students to build respect for the law, and providing cameras and hardware to secure public schools.  In central New Jersey, 34 communities have received $18 million to supplement – not supplant – local efforts to safeguard communities.  These funds have put 330 new police officers and sheriff’s deputies on the streets.

If the COPS program is eliminated, these communities will never again receive a single penny to support school safety and community policing.  That must not be allowed to happen.

Celebrating Constitution Day

Every year on September 17, we celebrate Constitution Day, when 39 delegates from 12 state delegations gave this nation our greatest gift.  The Constitution is a remarkably durable document that has withstood the test of time and continues to serve as the foundation of our country.

As we commemorate the signing of the document that guides and underpins our representative democracy, I am happy to send you a free, pocket-sized copy of the Constitution. I always carry one. To receive a copy, please contact me by clicking here.

Disaster Recovery Centers Now Open

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has now opened disaster recovery centers throughout central New Jersey to help area residents recover from Hurricane Irene.  At the centers, visitors can receive information about different types of state and federal disaster assistance, get help completing disaster relief applications, inquire about the status of their applications, and more.

If you want to file a claim, you need not visit a recovery center (the website DisasterAssistance.Gov works well), but if you would like to get answers in person, you can visit any of these locations:

Mercer County Community College
1200 Old Trenton Road
West Windsor, NJ 08550

East Brunswick Division of Parks
334 Dunhams Corner Road
East Brunswick, NJ 08816

Hunterdon County Complex
Building 1, 314 Route 12
Flemington, NJ 08822

Henry Hudson Trail Activity Center
945 Highway 36
Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07737

Somerset County Human Services
27 Warren Street
Somerville, NJ 08876

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress