By Ed Somers

Following House and Senate actions on July 22, both the COPS program and Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG) face the serious possibility of major cuts in FY 2000.

Prior to these actions, Conference of Mayors President Mayor Wellington E. Webb of Denver and National League of Cities President Mayor Clarence Anthony of South Bay wrote in a letter to Congress, "The COPS and LLEBG programs have played an important role in helping local law enforcement move towards more effective crime fighting strategies. The decrease in crime in large cities, small towns and communities of all sizes proves that we must continue to fund what works."

The letter added, "As we strive to maintain these successes and to address continued concerns with crime levels, especially as they relate to youth violence, we must not abandon the partnership between the federal government and local leaders on law enforcement and crime prevention."

Senate: COPS Cut 69%, LLEBG Cut 24%

The Senate Appropriations Committee had previously voted to eliminate the COPS program in FY 2000 and shut down the COPS Office. COPS was funded at $1.43 billion last year and President Clinton has proposed $1.275 billion for FY 2000 with significant improvements to the program.

Instead of funding the COPS Program, the Senate committee proposed to appropriate only $530 million for community-oriented policing activities (school safety officers and crime technology) to be managed by other agencies within the Department of Justice.

In action on the Senate floor, an amendment offered by Sen. Joe Biden (DE) was accepted to restore $495 million for the COPS program. Of this total, $118 million would be for hiring community policing officers, $180 million for hiring school resource officers, $40 million for retention grants, $90 million for Crime Identification Technology, $25 million for bullet proof vests, $25 million for the Methamphetamine program, and $17 million for management.

The $495 million still represents a 69 percent cut bellow the Administration’s request.

The Senate bill would also cut the LLEBG by 24 percent, from $523 million in FY 1999 to $400 million in FY 2000. The Administration’s budget request does not contain any funding for the LLEBG, as in previous years, making this program extremely vulnerable to funding reductions.

House: COPS Cut 79%, LLEBG Level Funded

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce-Justice-State approved its FY 2000 funding bill on July 22 on a vote of 28-0.

According to available information, the bill would fund the COPS program at $268 million, a 79 percent reduction from the Administration’s request.

The bill would also provide $167.5 million for the safe schools initiative, which includes $150 million for hiring school resource officers.

In regard to the LLEBG, the funding bill would provide $523 million, keeping the program level with FY 1999.