Rep. Johnson helps prevent proposed cuts to COPS program

Congressman Johnson’s amendment fights to save federal funding to keep police on streets

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, stood by members of law enforcement organizations today by sponsoring a bipartisan amendment to oppose the proposed 60 percent cut to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office.

The proposed $110 million cut of the COPS Office was included in the FY2015 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which was marked up by the House Committee on Appropriations this week.

The bipartisan Reichert-Pascrell-Grimm-DeFazio-King-Welch-Reed-Johnson Amendment passed, restoring $110 million to the COPS Hiring Program account, bringing it up to the FY 2014 levels. Had the cut been approved, the COPS Office’s programs including the COPS Hiring Program would have resulted in the loss of 1,000 new officer jobs.

“The COPS Hiring Grant Program is a cornerstone of the federal effort to support state and local law enforcement,” said Rep. Johnson. “These grants enable cash-strapped state and local governments to hire the public safety officers needed to protect our citizens.”

Johnson said COPS grants are critical to keeping our families and communities safe. Since 1995, the COPS program has invested more than $213 million in Georgia law enforcement agencies, which was used to hire more than 2,630 officers and provide more than $26.5 million in technology upgrades.

Under the program, Fourth District law enforcement agencies have received more than $25 million since 1995. Most recently, DeKalb and Newton counties received more than $1.8 million to hire 17 additional officers under COPS.

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