Bipartisan senators introduce bill to reauthorize COPS hiring program

A bipartisan coalition of senators introduced legislation on Friday that would reauthorize the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program through fiscal year 2023 to help law enforcement agencies at all levels hire new personnel and provide training and technical assistance.

In fiscal year 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) requested $207 million for the COPS hiring program, a $20.4 million increase over the previous year. The program helps fund more than 13,000 of the 16,000 law enforcement agencies in the country hire, train and retain police officers, according to a DoJ budget request.

U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the COPS Reauthorization Act, S. 2774, on April 26 to extend the hiring and training program through fiscal year 2023.

“The Community Oriented Policing Services program has yielded significant returns on investment,” Feinstein said. “In California, COPS grant funding has been used to fund programs for at-risk youth, allowed for hiring police officers, and in certain neighborhoods, helped bring about a 50 percent reduction in violent crime and arrests. I am proud to support reauthorizing this important program that helps keep our communities safe.”

Murkowski said the program has been a “godsend” to communinites that have struggled to hire and retain police officers with limited budgets. She added that the opioid epidemic has stretched the capabilities of local law enforcement agencies and has made the need for the COPS program even greater.

“As a former prosecutor, I’ve seen firsthand the difference that the COPS program can make in reducing crime and keeping our communities safe,” Klobuchar added. “Our bipartisan legislation would ensure this program is supported so local police departments can hire and provide needed training to law enforcement officers.”