[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 381 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 381
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
provide for grants to increase the number of law enforcement officers
on the streets by 5 to 10 percent in areas with high incidences of
violent crime.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 20, 2011
Ms. Lee of California introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
provide for grants to increase the number of law enforcement officers
on the streets by 5 to 10 percent in areas with high incidences of
violent crime.
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 ``Enhanced Violent Crime Community
Policing Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the U.S. Department of Justice, from
Fiscal Year 1995 to Fiscal Year 2000, the COPS program funded
105,000 police officers.
(2) According to the Government Accountability Office, the
COPS program has contributed to a 2.5 percent decline in the
violent crime rate between 1999 and 2000.
(3) According to University of Chicago economist Steven
Levitt, each 10 percent increase in the size of a police force
reduces violent crime by 4 percent and property crime by 5
percent.
(4) A study by University of Maryland economists William
Evans and Emily Owens suggests that a 2 percent increase in
police officers put on the streets through the COPS program led
to a 2 percent decline in violent crime.
(5) Economists David Anderson of Centre College and Mark
Cohen of Vanderbilt University suggest that the total cost of
crime in the United States is approximately $2,000,000,000,
annually, and that each additional dollar provided to the COPS
program may generate $4.00 to $8.50 in savings to the Nation by
reducing crimes committed and the overall cost of crime.
(6) According to the U.S. Department of Justice Census of
State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 20 of the Nation's 50
largest local police departments saw a decline in sworn law
enforcement personnel from 2000 to 2004.
(7) Following a 10-year decline in the violent crime rate,
Federal Bureau of Investigation's statistics indicate that
violent crime increased in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
(8) In recent months, incidences of violent crime, gang
violence, violence against police officers, and homicides have
risen in many of the metropolitan areas in the United States,
including the following:
(A) On March 21, 2009, four Oakland, California,
police officers were shot and killed during a traffic
stop and the subsequent pursuit of the suspect.
(B) On April 4, 2009, three Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, police officers were killed responding to
a domestic dispute.
(C) On April 3, 2009, a Binghamton, New York, man
killed himself and 13 others at a local civic
association building.
SEC. 3. ENHANCED VIOLENT CRIME COMMUNITY POLICY.
Section 1701 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of
1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon in
paragraph (16);
(B) by redesignating paragraph (17) as paragraph
(18), and in such paragraph, by striking ``(1) through
(16)'' and inserting ``(1) through (17)''; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (16) the following
new paragraph:
``(17) to hire and train new career law enforcement
officers for deployment in areas and communities with high
incidences of violent crime, in accordance with subsection (l);
and'';
(2) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
``(c) Preferential Consideration.--In awarding grants under this
part, the Attorney General--
``(1) may give preferential consideration to applications
for hiring and training new career law enforcement officers for
deployment in areas and communities with high incidences of
violent crime, as authorized by paragraph (17) of subsection
(b) and in accordance with subsection (l); and
``(2) may give preferential consideration, where feasible,
to applications for hiring and rehiring additional career law
enforcement officers that involve a non-Federal contribution
exceeding the 25 percent minimum under subsection (g).''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(l) Enhanced Violent Crime Community Policing Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Attorney General shall, subject to
the availability of appropriations to carry out this
subsection, make grants, as authorized under subsection (b)(17)
and in accordance with this subsection, to hire and train new
career law enforcement officers for deployment in areas and
communities with high incidences of violent crime to enhance
community policing in such areas.
``(2) Eligible entities.--Notwithstanding subsection (a),
grants awarded under this subsection shall be awarded only to
units of local government.
``(3) Grant designations.--The Attorney General shall award
grants under this subsection to--
``(A) the 5 units of local government with a
population over 350,000 residents with the highest
violent crime rate per capita, as listed by the 2007
Federal Bureau of Investigation `Crime in the United
States' report; and
``(B) 15 additional units of local government
determined by the Attorney General to have the greatest
need for such a grant, based on--
``(i) per capita violent crime rate;
``(ii) gang population;
``(iii) drug trafficking rate;
``(iv) high school drop-out rate;
``(v) unemployment rate;
``(vi) poverty rate;
``(vii) population; and
``(viii) any other criteria determined by
the Attorney General.
``(4) Grant amount.--
``(A) Maximum and minimum amount.--The grant amount
awarded to an grantee under this subsection for the
grant period shall be--
``(i) not more than is necessary to
increase the size of the grantee's sworn police
force, as of the date the grantee submitted the
application for a grant under this subsection,
by 10 percent; and
``(ii) not less than is necessary to
increase the size of the grantee's sworn police
force, as of the date the grantee submitted the
application for a grant under this subsection,
by 5 percent.
``(B) Ratable reduction.--If funds appropriated in
a fiscal year to carry out this subsection are not
sufficient to fully fund the minimum grant amount
determined under subparagraph (A) for each grantee, the
Attorney General shall reduce the amount of the grant
to each grantee by a proportionate share.
``(5) Inapplicable provisions.--The following provisions of
this part shall not apply to grants awarded under this
subsection:
``(A) Subsection (g) of this section (relating to
matching funds).
``(B) Subsection (i) of this section (relating to
termination of grants for hiring officers).
``(C) Subsection (c) of section 1704 (relating to
hiring costs).''.
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