[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12399]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    SUPPORTING COPS IMPROVEMENT ACT

  (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I rise also in strong support of the COPS 
Improvement Act.
  Since the COPS program began in 1994, it has provided for the hiring 
of 404 police officers in my congressional district. It has directed 
billions of dollars in grants to law enforcement agencies, including 
more than $20 million to benefit my constituents on the central coast 
of California.
  COPS deserves much of the credit for the major drop in crime across 
our country during the 1990s, but the Bush administration has 
repeatedly targeted the COPS hiring program for elimination. So I'm 
glad the new Democratic majority in Congress realizes the importance of 
putting cops on the beat. The COPS Improvement Act continues the good 
work we started in the 1990s. It will help law enforcement agencies in 
my district to hire another 173 police officers. That's 173 men and 
women to patrol the streets and keep their hardworking neighbors safe.
  Madam Speaker, I urge this House to pass this much-needed legislation 
today.

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