By Ed Somers
May 7, 2007

“We need a surge of police officers in our cities,” Conference President Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer told Congress during testimony on April 24.

Speaking before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, led by Representative Robert Scott (VA), Palmer said, “Only when our cities are safe can we focus on other priorities such as public education, job creation, and affordable housing. That’s why one of the top priorities in our new Mayor’s 10-Point Plan on Strong Cities, Strong Families for a Strong America is support for anti-crime programs.”

In recent years, cities have lost more than $2 billion annually as the COPS hiring program was eliminated, and the local block grant was merged into the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program - and then slashed.

Many cities are now seeing significant crime increases. The latest findings from the Police Executive Research Forum’s 56 city survey found that over a two year period:

• Total homicides were 10.21 percent higher;

• Robberies increased 12.27 percent;

• Aggravated assaults increased 3.12 percent; and

• Aggravated assaults with a firearm increased by almost ten percent.

Palmer told the subcommittee that, “Funding cuts are not the sole cause of the recent crime increases. But they did have a major impact.”

The mayor added, “There is also a growing culture of youth violence and disrespect on our streets - fueled by negative media and entertainment images and messages - that is contributing to the increase in crime.”

Palmer urged the House to pass H.R. 1700, sponsored by Representative Anthony Weiner (NY), which would authorize $1.15 billion annually for five year for COPS including:

• Not less than $600 million annually to hire police officers, including school resource officers and counterterrorism officers;

• No more than $350 million annually for technology grants; and

• No more than $250 million per year to help district attorneys hire community prosecutors.

Palmer also urged a number of amendments to the bill as it moves forward including: officer retention funding beyond the initial three years of the program for economically distressed cities; flexibility to pay overtime; and a significant increase in the per-officer funding limitation.

Following the hearing, the Subcommittee approved the bill on April 26 and the full Judiciary Committee approved it on May 2. A companion bill (S. 368), sponsored by Senator Joseph Biden (DE), was approved by the full Senate Judiciary Committee on March 15.

Palmer also urged that both the COPS and the JAG programs be fully funded in Fiscal Year 2008.

“This hearing is being held in the shadow of the April 16 tragedy at Virginia Tech University, where more than 30 people lost their lives, and many more are still suffering with injuries,” Palmer said.

“As our country and our people united to address the reality of terrorism after the attacks of 9/11, we must unite now to address the reality of gun violence and crime which continues to ravage our cities, suburbs and rural areas alike,” he added.

• Allow the police to do their jobs and share trace data on illegal guns by defeating the Tiahrt Amendment;

• Close the gun show loophole which allows guns to be sold without background checks;

• Prohibit the sale of military-style assault weapons and large capacity ammunition clips;

• Help make sure that records are accurate and shared regarding those who should be prohibited under current law from purchasing a firearm, such as the dangerously mentally ill; and

• Actively enforce all current gun laws, and make sure the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is provided all the resources and staff it needs.