Senators call for support for COPS hiring grants in fiscal year 2019 budget

A bipartisan group of 41 senators called for at least $225.5 million in funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program in the fiscal year 2019 federal budget on Wednesday.

Hiring grants administered through the COPS program can be used by state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire new or rehire police officers to advance crime prevention efforts. These grants can be used to support up to 75 percent of entry-level salaries, or $125,000 over three years.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) led the congressional call for the same amount of funding appropriated in fiscal year 2018 in a letter to leaders of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies.

“These federal funds will help enhance public safety by putting more officers on the streets and improving collaboration between police and the community,” Reed said. “Sufficiently funding the COPS Hiring Program can help strengthen community policing efforts in Rhode Island and nationwide.”

Since it was established in 1994, the COPS program has provided assistance to more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies across the country. In total, more than $14 billion in federal funding has been used to hire approximately 129,000 police officers.

“The COPS Hiring program represents a fiscally responsible solution to ensure that our communities remain safe; the Brookings Institution found it to be ‘one of the most cost-effective options available for fighting crime,’” the letter stated. “When officers establish a presence on their patrols using community policing principles, they can develop positive relationships with the communities they serve. In turn, these relationships increase law enforcement’s ability to solve local crimes and resolve public safety problems. This proactive approach to policing prevents crime from occurring, saving taxpayers the high societal costs associated with crime, incarceration, and services for victims.”