[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book II)]
[September 13, 2000]
[Pages 1809-1810]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Reauthorization of the COPS Program
September 13, 2000

    Six years ago today I signed the historic 1994 crime bill into law 
with a vision of bringing communities and local law enforcement together 
to take back our streets and win the war against crime. Since enactment 
of this vital law, crime has dropped every year to its lowest level in 
over 25 years, and America is the safest it has been in a generation. 
One of the most important factors in our success is the Community 
Oriented Policing Service (COPS) program, which has funded over 105,000 
police officers for our streets. Today Attorney General Janet Reno will release a report to Congress on the positive 
impact the COPS program has had on communities of all sizes and regions 
across America. By building partnerships and trust with residents, COPS 
officers are not only helping reduce crime but the fear of crime, as 
well, restoring hope and promise for the future in neighborhoods across 
America.
    The Attorney General will also announce over 
$55 million in community policing grants to more than 700 communities to 
hire or redeploy of over 1,600 police officers, to develop 311 non-
emergency hotline programs, and to install cameras in over 2,900 law 
enforcement vehicles to improve officer safety and promote officer 
integrity. Although the COPS program continues to make progress by 
giving communities the tools they need to fight crime, we must do more. 
I urge Congress to make the 21st century the safest yet by reauthorizing 
the COPS program for another 5 years and fully funding my $1.3 billion 
budget request to help put up to an additional 50,000 officers on the 
street and provide law enforcement and communities with more resources 
than ever to keep American families safe. Together, we can make America 
the safest big country in the world.

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