[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20545]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
        SUPPORT FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES

  (Mr. REICHERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support this morning of 
the funding levels included in the State and local law enforcement in 
H.R. 3093. This legislation reverses a dangerous downward trend in the 
Community Oriented Policing Services program, the COPS program.
  Specifically, it increases the COPS budget to $725 million, which is 
a $183 million increase over last year. It also includes $80 million in 
additional money for the Byrne grant system.
  I was the sheriff in Seattle up until 2\1/2\ years ago for the last 8 
years of my career. I was in law enforcement 33 years. As a sheriff, I 
used the Byrne Grant funds. I used the COPS money. We worked together 
with our communities. We worked together with business. We made our 
communities safe. It is a vital program, a useful program, a necessary 
program.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot have freedom, we cannot feel safe in our 
neighborhoods until we know we are safe, until we know our law 
enforcement is there to protect us. The COPS grant does that.

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