MAY 15, 2001

STATEMENT OF RALPH JUSTUS ACTING DIRECTOR OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES

BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

CONCERNING REAUTHORIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PART II CRIMINAL LAW COMPONENTS AT MAIN JUSTICE

Mr. Chairman, Mr. Scott and members of the Subcommittee:

I am very pleased to appear before you today on behalf of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services - or COPS. I am particularly honored to appear before this subcommittee and proud to represent the COPS Office as its Acting Director.

I came to the COPS Office in 1999 after a career in both private and public sector management, including eleven years in the Justice Department. Quite candidly, I do not have a background in law enforcement, I have a Ph.D. in economics. However, in my two years at COPS I have gained a greater appreciation for the challenges facing the men and women in law enforcement and for the commitment and dedication of these officers.

The COPS Office, created in 1994, is a product of a bipartisan effort to invest in the safety of our nation's neighborhoods. It is an embodiment of the concept that truly safe communities, schools, businesses and homes result from police and communities working together. Our Office was charged with two major responsibilities: to advance community policing and to fund additional law enforcement officers. Today I will share with you the significant results that are being achieved in the communities across America.

First and foremost, I am proud to say that to date, COPS has funded the addition of more than 110,000 officers and we expect to reach 115,000 by the end of this fiscal year. Already, more than 73,000 of those officers are on the beat, fighting crime and improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods. These grants have gone to more than 12,400 of our nation's 18,000 law enforcement agencies. The COPS office has helped create nearly 300 new law enforcement agencies, where but for COPS funding, these communities would not have a police department.

I am often asked why there is a gap between the officers funded and the officers on the street. It takes law enforcement agencies an average of 18 months to recruit, hire, and train a qualified officer. This is, however, a necessary delay, ensuring that local agencies can carefully select and train officers who will serve in our neighborhoods. With technology grants that redeploy officers to the street, our experience shows us this delay can take longer.

While COPS has partnered with many of our largest cities, we have also made an important impact in small towns. More than 82% of our grants have gone to departments serving populations of 50,000 or less. COPS recognizes that adding even one officer to a rural department can have a significant impact on both officers and community safety.

In addition to the substantial investment in funding the addition of law enforcement officers, the COPS Office is responsible for advancing community policing. In 1993 one study showed that just 15% of law enforcement agencies practiced community policing. Today, 86% of the nation is served by an agency that practices community policing. Just this year, the Bureau of Justice Statistics showed that the number of community policing officers increased by 400% between 1997 and 1999.

The COPS Office has advanced community policing not only by funding additional community policing officers but also by providing practical training and technical assistance and useful research on new strategies to reduce crime and increase public safety. To deliver this important training, COPS has created 28 Regional Community Policing Institutes (RCPIs) which are located throughout the country. To date over 147,000 officers and community members have been trained in a variety of topic areas including the prevention of racial profiling, school safety, technology implementation and basic community policing strategies. Collaborating with other federal and private agencies, the RCPIs provide an effective use of federal funds to deliver training.

COPS unique relationship with police has allowed us to respond to emerging law enforcement challenges. Regrettably, over the last several years, the safety of our nation's schools has been in doubt. After Congress made new funding available in 1998, COPS moved swiftly to fund the hiring of school resource officers and to foster police/school partnerships. By the end of this fiscal year, COPS will have funded almost 5,000 school resource officers. We are proud to say this represents an increase in the number of school resource officers nationwide by nearly 40%.

I'd like to tell you about one of these officers, Sergeant Michael Webb. Sergeant Webb is with the Springfield Township Police Department. A COPS grant made it possible for him to walk a beat in a suburban Ohio school, Mt. Healthy Junior High. Without warning last September, an 8thgrade student fired two rounds into the ceiling of a room filled with math students. Within minutes, Sergeant Webb entered the classroom with the distressed student. The handgun was still loaded and the boy had stated his intention to kill his teacher. Because of Sergeant Webb's constant presence in the school he had the opportunity to develop a relationship with the 14-year-old and had insight into his troubled background. After a discussion between Sergeant Webb and the student, the boy agreed to hand over the weapon.

Sergeant Webb and other school resource officers perform a variety of functions, including teaching crime prevention classes, monitoring troubled students, and building mutual respect between law enforcement and students. COPS provides these officers and their school administrators with team based training they need to work in partnership to protect our children. To continue this vital effort, the President seeks $180 million in his FY02 budget request to Congress to fund up to 1,500 additional school resource officers.

In addition to school safety, COPS has responded to the pressing technology needs of American law enforcement. More than $1 billion in COPS technology grants has enabled 4,000 agencies to purchase state-of-the-art technology. With this technology, law enforcement agencies can better communicate with each other, share information, and make officers more effective and efficient.

With COPS funds the Oakland County, Michigan Law Enforcement Consortium purchased a comprehensive information system that enables officers throughout the county to process reports on mobile data computers, submit reports, access fingerprint and mugshot data, and conduct a pre-booking -- all from the field. In other words, officers can spend more time on the street fighting crime and less time in the station house pushing paper.

Recognizing the importance and continued demand for law enforcement technology, the President has requested $355 million in technology funds. Of this, $100 million is dedicated for a new COPS Info Tech program, a $20 million increase over the 2001 technology program. It will differ from our earlier technology programs by eliminating the burdensome redeployment tracking component. But remains similar by continuing to provide police with the technology that is critical to officer safety and effective community policing.

Another major component of technology that COPS will fund in 2002 is the Crime Identification Technology Assistance Act (CITA). CITA is slated to receive a $21 million increase to provide assistance to states establishing or upgrading criminal justice information systems and identification technologies. CITA funding may also be used to provide support for state and local-level participation in nationally managed databases. Other technology programs that are also expected to be funded separately from CITA include the National Criminal History Improvement Program, DNA Backlog Elimination and the Crime Laboratory Improvement Program for a proposed $35 million each.

Recognizing excessive use of force and racial profiling undermines community trust, and is a barrier to community policing, the Administration proposes $17 million in FY02 to strengthen the bonds between police and community. Since 1996, the COPS Office has initiated a nationwide dialogue on police integrity, engaging law enforcement, community-based organizations, researchers, and practitioners in this critical discussion. From this dialogue, COPS has developed model problem solving and peacemaking programs, technical assistance initiatives, and police integrity training to be delivered to law enforcement and community members throughout the nation.

The COPS Office has provided significant resources to local law enforcement to fight the proliferation of methamphetamine. Already we have dedicated $153 million to this effort. In 2002, we will commit $48 million to help state and local authorities with meth lab enforcement and cleanup, of which $20 million will be grants exclusively for cleanup.

Finally, recognizing the continuing, unique needs of tribal communities the COPS Office will provide $31 million in assistance to Indian country law enforcement. These funds will be designated for a comprehensive program designed specifically to develop and enhance tribal law enforcement agencies through specialized training, the hiring of officers, as well as the funding of equipment, technology, and vehicles.

In conclusion, I am very proud of the COPS Office and the significant impact our grants have had on American law enforcement and the communities they protect and serve. To date over $7.5 billion has been invested to make our nation better, communities stronger, and our streets safer. This is an accomplishment we all can be proud of.

On behalf of the COPS Office, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to testify about this important program. We look forward to working with you in the future.

I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.