Casey Calls for Increase in COPS Funding in Face of House Funding Bill that Eliminates COPS Hiring Program

Johnstown PA- After the Community Oriented Policing Services Program (COPS) Hiring Program allowed Johnstown to hire two new police officers, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) called for an increase in funding for the COPS Hiring Program in the face of a House of Representatives funding bill that would eliminate the program entirely. As Johnstown and communities across Pennsylvania grapple with crime, Casey and local officials make the case for bolstering the COPS program. In addition to eliminating the COPS Hiring program, the House GOP budget would cut $325 million from state and local law enforcement funding.

“Bringing down crime rates and addressing the crisis of drug addiction in our cities and communities is a complicated problem that we will need to work from many angles to solve. But we know that adequate resources for state and local law enforcement is a critical step,” Senator Casey said. “These cuts are dangerous and short-sighted. They will make it harder for Johnstown and other cities across the Commonwealth to target and reduce crime and violence. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to reject cuts to the COPS program.”

COPS Hiring Cuts

The COPS Hiring Program has been cut by over $160 million since FY 2010. Each year Senator Casey has signed a letter to the Appropriations Committee in support of increased funding for the program. The program was flat-funded last year, and in both FY 2015 and FY 2016, the House Appropriations Committee has attempted to defund the program entirely. While authorization for the COPS program expired in FY 2009, the most recent funding authorization was for $1.05 billion. The only time funding approached that level was during the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

On June 3, 2015, the House of Representatives passed a Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill that eliminated the COPS Hiring Program entirely for FY 2016. On June 11, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a CJS bill that would fund the program at $187 million, $62.5 million less than the President’s request,