Bill 1318

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                       1318
Type of Legislation:               Concurrent Resolution CR
Introducing Body:                  Senate
Introduced Date:                   19960402
Primary Sponsor:                   Ford 
All Sponsors:                      Ford 
Drafted Document Number:           res9974.rf
Residing Body:                     Senate
Subject:                           Cops program, additional police
                                   on nation's street

Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

Senate  19960417  Committee report: majority               11 SJ
                  favorable, minority unfavorable
Senate  19960402  Introduced, referred to Committee        11 SJ

COMMITTEE REPORT

April 17, 1996

S. 1318

S. Printed 4/17/96--S.

Read the first time April 2, 1996.

To whom was referred a Concurrent Resolution (S. 1318), to memorialize the United States Congress to provide funding for the "COPS" program, etc., respectfully

That they have duly and carefully considered the same, and recommend that the same do pass:

Majority favorable. Minority unfavorable.

JAMES E. BRYAN, JR. ADDISON G. WILSON

For Majority. For Minority.

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

TO MEMORIALIZE THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THE "COPS" PROGRAM AT LEAST AT THE LEVEL AUTHORIZED IN THE "VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1994" SO THAT THE EFFORT TO PUT 100,000 ADDITIONAL POLICE ON THE NATION'S STREETS IS REALIZED.

Whereas, President Bill Clinton, in his 1994 State of the Union Address, pledged to put 100,000 additional police officers on America's streets; and

Whereas, the United States Congress enacted the "Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Act of 1994" as a part of a comprehensive legislative enactment entitled the "Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994"; and

Whereas, one of the programs created under the "Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Act of 1994" was the "Cops on the Beat" ("COPS") program, which was created for the stated purpose of substantially increasing the number of law enforcement officers interacting directly with members of the community; and

Whereas, the United States Attorney General was authorized to make grants to states, units of local government, and other entities to increase police presence, to expand and improve cooperative efforts between law enforcement agencies and members of the community to address crime and disorder problems, and otherwise to enhance public safety; and

Whereas, the 1994 act authorized $8.8 billion over six years to fund the grant program; and

Whereas, within the first year of the program, 25,000 police officers and sheriffs' deputies were funded under the program and by March 1996, more than 33,000 officers were funded under the program; and

Whereas, a total of more than $18 million has been provided to more than one hundred fifty jurisdictions in this State under the "COPS" program; and

Whereas, Attorney General Janet Reno has cited examples from Sharon, Pennsylvania, where within one month after a new precinct opened with funds provided under the "COPS" program, the police doubled arrests, and from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, where the violent crime rate dropped sixty percent after the implementation of a community policing program implemented under the "COPS" program; and

Whereas, the "COPS" program is supported by such entities as the National Sheriffs' Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, the National Association of Police Organizations, the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors; and

Whereas, despite the noble intent of the "COPS" program and its overwhelming results, the United States Congress is considering eliminating the "COPS" program and replacing it with a block grant allocating money to localities based on the number of crimes over the previous three years; and

Whereas, the current federal budget stalemate has resulted in the "COPS" program operating without a full-year appropriation and instead operating under a series of continuing resolutions that have funded the program at approximately fifty percent of its 1996 authorization level; and

Whereas, a block grant program will not guarantee that even one additional community policing officer will hit the street. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina respectfully memorializes the United States Congress to continue the "COPS" program and provide funding for the "COPS" program at least at the level authorized in the "Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994" so that the effort to put 100,000 additional police on the nation's streets is realized.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and to each of the eight members of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation.