[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1509 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1509
To establish a grant program to enable rural police departments to gain
access to the various crime-fighting, investigatory, and information-
sharing resources available on the Internet, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 4, 2001
Mr. Rockefeller introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a grant program to enable rural police departments to gain
access to the various crime-fighting, investigatory, and information-
sharing resources available on the Internet, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Networking Electronically To Connect
Our Police Act of 2001'' or the ``NET COP Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) Internet-based crime-fighting, investigatory, and
information-sharing technologies have proven to be extremely
useful to the law enforcement agencies that use them;
(2) the sharing of information and the dissemination of
criminal intelligence between and among Federal, State, and
local law enforcement agencies benefit the society at large by
making criminal investigations more inclusive and effective;
(3) the sharing of information between and among Federal,
State, and local law enforcement agencies allows these agencies
to find missing, neglected, abused, or abducted children, as
well as non-custodial parents seeking to evade their legal or
financial responsibilities; and
(4) police departments in rural areas of the country tend
to be underserved by these Internet-based technologies.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to authorize the Department of Justice to make grants
to rural police departments for the purchase or upgrade of
computer equipment, and to pay for Internet access for crime-
fighting, investigatory, or information-sharing purposes;
(2) to reimburse police department officials or members
who, acting on behalf of their rural police departments and
using personal funds, have purchased computer equipment or paid
for Internet access for crime-fighting, investigatory, or
information-sharing purposes; and
(3) to require annual reports to Congress on the
concentration of police departments that have Internet access,
particularly those departments serving rural areas.
SEC. 3. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.
The Attorney General is authorized to award grants to rural police
departments to--
(1) enable those departments to gain access to the various
crime-fighting, investigatory, and information sharing
resources available on the Internet; and
(2) reimburse rural police department officials and members
for the cost of computer equipment or Internet access.
SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS.
Grants awarded under this Act may be used--
(1) for the purchase of new or upgraded computer hardware
or software;
(2) to pay for Internet access; and
(3) to reimburse rural police departments that have paid
for computer equipment or Internet access out of the funds of
the department or department official or members, for some or
all of the costs associated with those purchases, as determined
by the Attorney General.
SEC. 5. APPLICATION.
Each eligible rural police department that desires a grant under
this Act shall submit an application to the Attorney General at such
time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the
Attorney General may reasonably require.
SEC. 6. GRANT PROGRAM CRITERIA.
(a) In General.--In awarding a grant under this Act, the Attorney
General shall--
(1) set criteria for determining which police departments
are currently underserved by crime-fighting, investigatory, or
information-sharing technologies available on the Internet, by
differentiating between police departments that do not have
Internet access, and those departments that have access but are
using outmoded, obsolete, or otherwise inadequate technology;
and
(2) determine what would constitute the minimum feasible
package of technologies required to enable those police
departments to use existing crime-fighting, investigatory, and
information-sharing technologies.
(b) Grant Limitations.--The Attorney General shall set limits for
maximum annual grants, based on determinations made under subsection
(a), for rural police departments that do not have Internet access, and
for those that do have access but are using inadequate technology.
SEC. 7. POLICE DEPARTMENT TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE DESK.
The Attorney General shall establish a Police Department Technology
Assistance Desk to offer advice to chiefs of police in rural police
departments regarding--
(1) the types of products to buy in order to achieve not
less than a minimum level of Internet service to access
existing crime-fighting, investigatory, and information-sharing
technologies; and
(2) technology upgrades for those police departments in
possession of outmoded or obsolete technology;
(3) preferred vendors; and
(4) any other information the Attorney General determines
to be necessary.
SEC. 8. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
The General Accounting Office, in consultation with the Attorney
General, shall annually report to Congress on the concentration of
police departments in the country that have Internet access, with
particular emphasis on the number and percentage of rural police
departments that lack Internet access, especially high-speed Internet
access.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated $500,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2002 through 2007 to carry out this Act.
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