FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 22, 2002
CONTACT: LINDA MACIAS/PAUL TODD (202) 225-6161

Baca blasts funding cuts in successful COPS program

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representative Joe Baca (D-CA) today blasted the Bush Administration's budget proposal that cuts funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services program (COPS) by 45 percent from last year. The COPS program emphasizes placing more police officers on the street and establishes partnerships between the police and neighborhoods in high crime areas. The Administration's budget slashes the program from last year's level of $1.05 billion to $582 million.

"The COPS program has been extremely helpful to our local police agencies' ability to integrate their efforts into the community - it has helped place officers in schools and helped law enforcement deal with and solve quality of life issues that lead to crime within our communities," Baca said. "I can't imagine why the Administration would want to put an end to this kind of community law enforcement success."

In September 2001, both the City of Fontana and the San Bernardino Police Department received COPS grants totaling $250,000. Fontana received the grant to help train, pay, and place an officer in local schools for the purpose of protecting students from in-school crime and violence and educating students about crime and violence prevention. The City of Colton received a similar grant in March 2002. San Bernardino received its grant under the Value Based Initiative, which helps train communities to use the problem solving process to understand the causes of quality of life problems, build programs that develop tailor-made responses to these problems, and assess the impact of those responses.

The Administration's budget instead proposes giving money to states in the form of non-specified block grants for law enforcement. Democrats and national law enforcement organizations staunchly argue this would result in the money being spent on lower-priority expenses rather than increasing the number of officers on the beat. Democrats in Congress successfully fought smaller cuts in the program in last year's budget, and have vowed to do the same this year.

"The COPS program is too important to our community to see it dismantled by the Administration for the sake of pleasing states with unspecified funds," Baca said. "More officers on the street means less crime. It's as simple as that."

A comprehensive study conducted by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Southwest Texas State University, and the offices of Senator Joseph Biden (D-DL) and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NJ) supports the theory that increased police presence in communities reduces crime. The study found that the COPS program nationwide prevented 756,319 crimes, including 153,428 violent crimes. In the 42^nd Congressional District, the program has had a dramatic effect:

CITY	COPS GRANTS FROM 1994	CRIMES REDUCED
San Bernardino	$5,532,331	2,456
Rialto	$600,000	161
Ontario	$1,124,524	356

"Republicans have tried to roll back COPS funding for the last three Congresses," Baca said. "We will fight to ensure that the COPS program remains the basis for funding our local law enforcement agencies."

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