T he 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 1994 Crime Act"). The mission of the COPS program is to advance community policing in all jurisdictions across the United States. The COPS program was reauthorized by the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 ( P.L. 109-162 ). The act reauthorized appropriations for the COPS program for FY2006-FY2009 (see Table A-1 ). When Congress reauthorized the COPS program it changed from a multi-grant program to a single grant program under which state or local law enforcement agencies are eligible to apply for a "COPS grant." COPS Funding

From FY1995 to FY1999, the annual appropriation for the COPS program averaged nearly $1.4 billion. The relatively high levels of funding during this time period were largely the result of Congress's and the Clinton Administration's efforts to place 100,000 new law enforcement officers on the street. After the initial push to fund 100,000 new law enforcement officers through COPS grants, Congress moved away from providing funding for hiring law enforcement officers and changed COPS into a conduit for providing federal assistance to support local law enforcement agencies. Funding for hiring programs was revived when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ( P.L. 111-5 ) provided $1 billion for COPS. Appropriations for hiring programs in FY2009-FY2012 were the result of Congress's efforts to help local law enforcement agencies facing budget cuts as a result of the recession either hire new law enforcement officers or retain officers they would otherwise have to lay off. Congress has continued to provide appropriations for hiring programs even as the effects of the recession have waned. There are several issues policymakers might consider if they take up legislation to reauthorize the COPS program or when considering legislation to provide appropriations for the program. One potential question facing Congress is whether the federal government should continue to provide grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to hire additional officers at a time of historically low crime rates. Congress might consider whether in the future it should fund COPS as a single-grant program or if it should continue to appropriate funds for individual programs.
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 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 for FY2006-FY2009 and changed it from a multi-grant program to a single-grant program. Even though the COPS grant program is not currently authorized, Congress has continued to appropriate funding for it.
Between FY1995 and FY1999, the annual appropriation for the COPS program averaged nearly $1.4 billion. The relatively high levels of funding during this time period were largely the result of Congress's and the Clinton Administration's efforts to place 100,000 new law enforcement officers on the street. After the initial push to fund 100,000 new law enforcement officers through COPS grants, Congress moved away from providing funding for hiring new law enforcement officers and changed COPS into a conduit for providing federal assistance to support local law enforcement agencies. Decreasing appropriations for hiring programs resulted in decreased funding for the COPS program overall. Appropriations for hiring programs were almost non-existent from FY2005 to FY2008, but for FY2009 Congress provided $1 billion for hiring programs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5). Appropriations for hiring programs for FY2009-FY2012 were the result of Congress's efforts to help local law enforcement agencies facing budget shortages as a result of the recession either hire new law enforcement officers or retain officers they might have to lay off. Congress has continued to provide appropriations for hiring programs even though the effects of the recession have waned over the past few fiscal years.
There are several issues policymakers might consider if they take up legislation to reauthorize or fund the COPS program. One potential policy question is whether the federal government should continue to provide grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to hire additional officers at a time of historically low crime rates. Policymakers might also consider whether Congress should appropriate funding for the COPS program so that law enforcement agencies could take advantage of the current single grant program authorization, or if Congress should continue to appropriate funding for individual programs under the COPS account.