By Wellington E. Webb, Mayor of Denver, President, The U.S. Conference of Mayors; Marc H. Morial, Mayor of New Orleans, Chair, The U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Board; Paul Helmke, Mayor of Fort Wayne, Past President, The U.S. Conference of Mayors

By Wellington E. Webb, Mayor of Denver, President, The U.S. Conference of Mayors; Marc H. Morial, Mayor of New Orleans, Chair, The U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Board; Paul Helmke, Mayor of Fort Wayne, Past President, The U.S. Conference of Mayors

On June 10, the Senate Appropriations Committee very quietly did something that could dramatically impact cities and towns nationwide. They voted to eliminate the popular COPS program.

Since it was created in 1994, the COPS program has provided $6 billion in crime fighting resources to more than 11,300 cities and towns across America. COPS grants fund additional police officers, valuable technology, and innovative crime reduction strategies. The nation's mayors always cite the COPS program as a working example of what can be accomplished when red tape and bureaucracy are cut in favor of responsiveness and customer service.

Crime is at its lowest level in a quarter of a century and has declined for six and a half straight years. This significant reduction in crime results directly from innovative community policing strategies being used across the country. By funding additional officers and providing invaluable training and technology, the COPS program has played an important role in helping American law enforcement move towards community policing as their primary crime fighting strategy. The experience of big cities, small towns, and communities of all shapes and sizes prove that this partnership between local communities and the Federal government works.

In Denver, a COPS grant is being used to put a trained police officer in all 10 Denver public high schools. From patrolling the halls to counseling troubled students to building respect for law enforcement, these officers will allow teachers to focus on educating and students to focus on learning. In many cases, the officers offer another positive role model for the students. This strategy has worked because the officers are more than just a police presence, they are partners with the students, faculty, and administrators. Thanks to the COPS program, Denver schools are safer -- and better -- places to be.

Fort Wayne has used COPS funding to become a national leader in community policing. The technology and additional officers funded by the COPS program allow the police department to assign officers to work with all 200 of the city's neighborhood associations. Each of the neighborhood liaison officers regularly meets with the association president to discuss crime problems in the area. The citizens of Fort Wayne are as enthusiastic about community policing as the police -- some of Fort Wayne's most crime-ridden neighborhoods have a community participation rate of more than 90 percent. Fort Wayne has established a true partnership with its community -- a partnership that has driven down crime and improved the quality of life in Fort Wayne, a partnership that might never have been formed without COPS funding.

Not too many years ago, New Orleans was known for its violent crime almost as much as it was known for Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. At one point in time, the city was averaging a murder a day. However, with a new police chief, a committed citizenry, and a move to community policing, those days are no more. The New Orleans police department recently released statistics that showed a nearly 15 percent drop in crime in the last year. To add a human dimension to the statistics -- there were 250 fewer victims of crime in New Orleans in 1998. How much did the COPS program contribute to this success? Since 1994, New Orleans has received more than $8 million in COPS grants. This funding has given the New Orleans Police Department the flexibility to deploy their officers to the most crime-plagued corners of the city. For the first time, the police have a permanent presence in the housing projects. Residents of these projects used to hear gunshots every night. Now the sound of gunfire has been replaced by a comforting silence.

President Clinton recently proposed increasing funding for the COPS program and continuing it for another five years. The nation's mayors strongly supported this proposal, because if there is one thing we have learned in recent years it is that more cops on the beat doing community policing is the best way to fight crime.

Despite the success of the COPS program in Denver, Fort Wayne, New Orleans, and thousands of other communities, the Senate Appropriators decided to choose politics over public safety and eliminate this important program. Unfortunately, the only losers in this political game are the American people.

At The U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Conference in New Orleans two weeks ago, we heard mayors from around the country speak with pride about their success in cutting crime. We also heard the alarm in their voices when they learned of what happened in the Senate.

There is no question that American communities are safer places to live today thanks to the COPS program. And thanks to some on Capitol Hill, they may be less safe in the future.