Schumer Reveals Cuts To Cops Grants And Safe Schools Program Could Cost Upstate Law Enforcement Millions

Programs Have Prevented An Estimated 35,000 Criminal Incidents;Administration's Budget Slashes Federal Funding for School Safety and Eliminates COPS Program, after Rash of Shootings at VA Tech and Public Places across the Country; Senator Announces Plan to Require New Campus Safety Assessments, Restore Cuts, and Increase Direct Resources to Keep Upstate NY Schools and Streets Safe

May 2, 2007 -- In the wake of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech and a recent rash of violence in public places, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today blasted Administration budget cuts to critical crime programs that have sent upstate New York law enforcement hundreds of millions of federal dollars.

The COPS and Secure Our Schools programs provide invaluable resources to schools and local law enforcement to put more cops on the street and keep schools safe from random acts of violence. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that for every dollar spent through the COPS program per resident, crime fell by almost 30 incidents per 100,000 residents.

"The bottom line is schools and police forces are on edge these days and are actively reviewing safety and security plans," Schumer said. "However, when they look at the bottom line, they may come up short without this funding. For schools, this could mean cut backs in vital education programs or other safety measures. The horrific violence at Virginia Tech was a painful wake-up call that we need to be doing more to make our schools safe. No student should have to fear for his or her safety while attending class. This bill will help restore our shaken confidence by taking necessary steps to improve school safety."

Schumer said that despite the success of these important programs, the current Administration budget drastically reduces funding for successful state and local law enforcement programs. An overwhelming success, COPS placed nearly 118,000 officers on the street in more than 13,000 communities across the country. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that for every dollar spent on COPS hiring per resident, crime fell by almost 30 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Today, Schumer released a new report showing that the COPS program has sent upstate New York communities $115,229,602 since 1995. Using the formula devised by the GAO, this translates to prevention of roughly 34,569 criminal incidents throughout upstate New York.

• Communities in Western New York have received $27,493,733 from the COPS program, which has prevented an estimated 8,248 crimes.

• Communities in the Southern Tier have received $4,715,720 from the COPS program, which has prevented an estimated 1,415 crimes.

• Communities in the North Country have received $4,345,207 from the COPS program, which has prevented an estimated 1,304 crimes.

• Communities in the Hudson Valley have received $32,534,754 from the COPS program, which has prevented an estimated 9,760 crimes.

• Communities in the Rochester-Finger Lakes Region have received $12,364,946 from the COPS program, which has prevented an estimated 3,709 crimes.

• Communities in Central New York have received $15,716,903 from the COPS program, which has prevented an estimated 4,715 crimes.

• Communities in the Capital Region have received $18,058,339 from the COPS program, which has prevented an estimated 5,418 crimes.

Despite this success, since 2001, the Administration has cut funding for state and local law enforcement programs by more than fifty percent, including COPS. In 1997 and 1998, approximately $1.2 billion dollars were spent each year by the federal government to hire new police officers under COPS. After steady decreases over the last five years, funding for COPS hiring has fallen to zero. This year, the Administration again has proposed eliminating the program altogether.

From a high of $180 million in 2002, the Secure Our Schools Program has also been steadily reduced until funding was completely eliminated for FY 2006, and it is zeroed out in this year's budget. The Secure Our Schools Program is a voluntary, matching grant program that affords municipalities the opportunity to apply for federal funding for school safety grants. The grants can be used for metal detectors, locks, improved lighting, other deterrent measures, school security assessments, and security training for students and personnel. The federal government pays for 50 percent of the cost of the security measures, with the state or local government covering the remainder of the cost.

The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program was created in 1994 as a part of the Crime Bill to combat a national crime crisis by revolutionizing state and local law enforcement, enabling policy officials to deploy new crime-fighting technologies, developing innovative policing methods, and hiring new officers.

To ensure that local law enforcement and upstate New York schools have the resources they need to keep out communities safe, Schumer today announced a new plan to restore these devastating cuts and expand the programs upstate New York communities depend on.

• Restore Budget Cuts - Schumer today sent a letter to the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations committee asking that cuts to the program be restored and that the entire COPS program, which includes Safe Schools, be funding at $1.15 billion for FY 2008, the full authorized level.

• Campus Safety Assessments - Schumer today announced that he, along with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have made changes to their School Safety Enhancements Act of 2007. The Senators first introduced in February to help ensure better security at America's schools. The new provisions of the bill specifically would require each college and university that receives federal student aid funding to conduct an annual campus safety assessment in consultation with local law enforcement officials. The bill would also require each college and university to develop and implement a campus emergency response plan to address law enforcement emergencies such as active shooter situations and bomb threats, as well as terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

• Expand Safe Schools - The School Safety Enhancement Act improves the Secure Our Schools program, which is currently administered by the Department of Justice through the COPS program. The bill would increase the program authorization from $30 million a year to $50 million a year and increase the federal share of covering the costs of these programs from 50% to 80%. The bill would also add surveillance equipment, tiplines/hotlines, and capital improvements to the list of approved uses of grant funds (money may already be used for metal detectors and locks) and create an inter-agency task force between the Justice Department and the Department of Education to develop and publish advisory school safety guidelines.

Source: Senator Charles E. Schumer

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