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Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS): Current Legislative Issues
The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program was created by Title I of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-322). The mission of the COPS program is to advance community policing in all jurisdictions across the United States. The Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-162) reauthorized the COPS program through FY2009 and changed the COPS program from a multi- grant program to a single-grant program.
Legislation has been introduced in the 111th Congress that would reauthorize the program through FY2014 along with reestablishing COPS as a multi-grant program. This report provides an overview of issues Congress may consider when taking up legislation to reauthorize the COPS program.
As Congress deliberates the future of the COPS program, there are several issues it might choose to consider, including the
•Given current trends in violent crime and research findings on the ability of additional law enforcement officers and COPS grants to reduce crime, should Congress consider changing the focus of the COPS program away from providing grants to hire additional officers and toward providing grants to support law enforcement’s operations?
•Did the COPS Office meet its goal of placing 100,000 new officers on the street? What does this mean for oversight of the program?
•Are hiring grants a cost-effective way of combating crime? •Should Congress eliminate or modify the limit on the maximum amount that can
be awarded for hiring grants?
•Should Congress eliminate or modify the requirement that half of the total appropriation for hiring grants be awarded to small law enforcement agencies and the other half be awarded to large law enforcement agencies? Also, should Congress eliminate or modify the requirement that each state receive at least 0.5% of the total appropriation for hiring grants?
•Are there structural and/or programmatic overlaps between the COPS Office and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP)? If so, would it be more efficient for OJP to oversee the COPS program?
•Should funding for the COPS program be appropriated as currently authorized in statute?
This report will be updated as warranted.
Legislation has been introduced in the 111th Congress that would reauthorize the program through FY2014 along with reestablishing COPS as a multi-grant program. This report provides an overview of issues Congress may consider when taking up legislation to reauthorize the COPS program.
As Congress deliberates the future of the COPS program, there are several issues it might choose to consider, including the
•Given current trends in violent crime and research findings on the ability of additional law enforcement officers and COPS grants to reduce crime, should Congress consider changing the focus of the COPS program away from providing grants to hire additional officers and toward providing grants to support law enforcement’s operations?
•Did the COPS Office meet its goal of placing 100,000 new officers on the street? What does this mean for oversight of the program?
•Are hiring grants a cost-effective way of combating crime? •Should Congress eliminate or modify the limit on the maximum amount that can
be awarded for hiring grants?
•Should Congress eliminate or modify the requirement that half of the total appropriation for hiring grants be awarded to small law enforcement agencies and the other half be awarded to large law enforcement agencies? Also, should Congress eliminate or modify the requirement that each state receive at least 0.5% of the total appropriation for hiring grants?
•Are there structural and/or programmatic overlaps between the COPS Office and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP)? If so, would it be more efficient for OJP to oversee the COPS program?
•Should funding for the COPS program be appropriated as currently authorized in statute?
This report will be updated as warranted.
57 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2010
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