CA Gov. Schwarzenegger Urges Quick Release of ARRA Police Service Funds to Save Jobs, Protect Public Safety

05/15/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today sent the following letter to United States Attorney General Eric Holder, urging the expedited release of Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Recovery Program funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

These funds will go toward salary expenses for law enforcement officers - officers who are receiving pink slips from their city and county employers due to the global economic crisis.

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Full text of the letter:

May 15, 2009

The Honorable Eric Holder
Attorney General of the United States
U. S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Mr. Attorney General,

Law enforcement agencies all over the country are on the leading edge of the national financial crisis. As I write, hundreds of sworn officers in California are receiving pink slips due to budget cuts in their cities and counties. These brave men and women, who risk their lives to uphold the law, are finding themselves joining California’s millions of unemployed citizens. It is just this type of situation that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was designed to alleviate, and I applaud the administration’s commitment to expeditiously and transparently use funds for programs that I am confident will restore our economic strength. I write today with a focus on two programs that are aimed at restoring our public’s safety, an issue that I have made a top priority for my administration.

I urge you to expedite the release of Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Recovery Program funds to California as soon as possible. These grants will go directly toward salary expenses for officers, allowing them to keep their jobs and protect our communities. Also, please consider all Edward Byrne Memorial Grant applications with our grave circumstances in mind. Many of our cities and counties statewide are depending on these ARRA programs to maintain basic public safety operations in their communities.

Your strong support of California proposals and quick release of these funds will assist law enforcement substantially in their urgent time of need and in turn enhance the security and resilience of California’s communities.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger
/la

cc: The Honorable Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General of California

Source: California Governor