Washington,
D.C. – New
York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand pushed bipartisan legislation this week,
signing on to legislation that would expand grants for public safety and
community policing programs. Since the COPS program was first established in
1994, police departments across New York State have received more than $925
million to fund over 11,000 additional police officers.
“In this economy when local
resources are stretched thin, it is vital that the federal government make a
commitment to our police departments,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This
bill would not only help fight crime, but would also create new jobs in law
enforcement. Investing in our police departments is a priority to make our
communities more safe and secure.”
The COPS Improvement Act of 2009 would authorize $1.15 billion per year
over six years for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. It
would establish the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services as a
distinct office within the Department of Justice and specifically reauthorizes
the following programs:
- $600 million for Police Hiring Grants to allow police
departments to hire up to 50,000 officers for general community policing,
counter-terrorism and intelligence gathering, and school resource officers to
combat school violence. These resources could also be spent to help communities
retain officers, pay overtime costs, and reimburse officers for training costs. - $350 million for Law Enforcement Technology Grants for police departments
to acquire new technology and equipment to analyze real-time crime-data and
incident reports to anticipate trends in crime, mapping crime “hot
spots”, examining DNA evidence, and purchasing cameras for police cars. - $200
million for Community Prosecutor Grants to help local district attorneys
hire community prosecutors, who are trained to work in and around neighborhoods
to prevent crime and build relationships within the community.