Rep. Tierney Spearheads Effort For C.O.P.S. Funding in FY 2007 Budget
Rep. Tierney Spearheads Effort For C.O.P.S. Funding in FY 2007 Budget
Over 110 Colleagues Co-Sign Bipartisan Letter to President Bush
February 3, 2006
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman John F. Tierney (D-Salem) joined U.S. Congressmen Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY) and Ric Keller (R-FL) as well as over 110 of their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives, who collectively represent hundreds of police departments located across the country, in sending a bipartisan letter to President Bush calling for full funding.
"We continue to hear from local communities that there is a great need for C.O.P.S. funding to assist local law enforcement keep our communities safe. We must honor our law enforcement officers with the resources they need to do their jobs" said Congressman Tierney.
"Our federal budget is a statement of our national values. I am pleased that so many of my colleagues have joined me in this effort urging President Bush to heed the call of police officers, fire fighters and other first responders and provide adequate funding for the C.O.P.S. program," concluded Congressman Tierney.
Below is a copy of the bipartisan letter:
January 26, 2006
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Mr. President:
We urge you to fund the C.O.P.S. program at its fully authorized level of $1 billion in FY 2007.
Earlier this month, you signed the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 into law, reauthorizing the C.O.P.S. program at $1,047,119,000 a year through 2009, and empowering the Department of Justice to award grants for state and local police departments to hire "terrorism cops."
The C.O.P.S. program has proven to be an integral part of the nationwide efforts to combat crime and prevent terrorism. To date, the program has helped local communities across the nation hire almost 120,000 additional police officers and acquire the equipment and technology they need to keep our streets safe."
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft has described C.O.P.S. as a "miraculous sort of success." And a GAO study released last year stated, "we estimated that C.O.P.S.-funded increases in sworn officers per capita were associated with declines in the rates of total index crimes, violent crimes, and property crimes."
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
REP. JOHN F. TIERNEY, REP. ANTHONY D. WEINER, REP. RIC KELLER, REP. JIM RAMSTAD, REP. TIM HOLDEN, REP. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, REP. BART STUPAK, REP. BEN CHANDLER, REP. CAROLYN MCCARTHY, REP. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, REP. PETER J. VISCLOSKY, REP. TAMMY BALDWIN, REP. LLOYD DOGGETT, REP. ELIOT L. ENGEL, REP. RICK LARSEN, REP. BRIAN HIGGINS, REP. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, REP. MIKE ROSS, REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, REP. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, REP. JAMES P. MCGOVERN, REP. ALCEE L. HASTINGS, REP. DORIS O. MATSUI, REP. JERROLD NADLER, REP. PATRICK J. KENNEDY, REP. ED CASE, REP. TOM LANTOS, REP. STEPHANIE HERSETH, REP. MAURICE D. HINCHEY, REP. HILDA L. SOLIS, REP. JOHN CONYERS JR., REP. CAROLYN B. MALONEY, REP. JIM DAVIS, REP. JAMES R. LANGEVIN, REP. JOHN D. DINGELL, REP. DALE. E. KILDEE, REP. ROBERT C. SCOTT, REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER, REP. MICHAEL F. DOYLE, REP. EDOLPHUS TOWNS, REP. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, REP. NITA M. LOWEY, REP. SANDER M. LEVIN, REP. JOHN B. LARSON, REP. SHELLEY BERKLEY, REP. MICHAEL M. HONDA, REP. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY, REP. DIANE E. WATSON, REP. WILLIAM J. JEFFERSON, REP. GARY L. ACKERMAN, REP. DIANA DEGETTE, REP. JUANITA MILLENDER-MCDONALD, REP. TOM UDALL, REP. DENNIS MOORE, REP. ROSA L. DELAURO, REP. RUSH D. HOLT, REP. JOHN W. OLVER, REP. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, REP. DENNIS A. CARDOZA, REP. MARTIN T. MEEHAN, REP. LEONARD L. BOSWELL, REP. ADAM SMITH, REP. RON KIND, REP. C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER, REP. JIM MATHESON, REP. BETTY MCCOLLUM, REP. MICHAEL R. MCNULTY, REP. IKE SKELTON, REP. BOB ETHERIDGE, REP. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, REP. JOSE E. SERRANO, REP. DONALD M. PAYNE, REP. JOE BACA, REP. BARBARA LEE, REP. ADAM SCHIFF, REP. MARION BERRY, REP. CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, REP. FRANK PALLONE, JR.., REP. SHERROD BROWN, REP. ALLYSON Y. SCHWARTZ, REP. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ, REP. AL GREEN, REP. NEIL ABERCROMBIE, REP. EARL POMEROY, REP. DAVID E. PRICE, REP. BERNARD SANDERS, REP. GWEN MOORE, REP. SUSAN A. DAVIS, REP. PAUL E. KANJORSKI, REP. TIM RYAN, REP. STEVE ISRAEL, REP. JOSEPH CROWLEY, REP. SILVESTRE REYES, REP. BILL PASCRELL, JR., REP. ROBERT WEXLER, REP. JIM MCDERMOTT, REP. ANNA G. ESHOO, REP. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, REP. GEORGE MILLER, REP. LORTTA SANCHEZ, REP. DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, REP. DAVID SCOTT, REP. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES REP. NICK J. RAHALL, II., REP. SAM FARR, REP. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, REP. LINDA SANCHEZ, REP. HOWARD L. BERMAN, REP. EARL BLUMENAUER , REP. LOIS CAPPS
http://www.house.gov/tierney/press/COPS02032006.shtml