William Pryor: “last year right about this time I stood in the Senate chamber questioning why an administration that talks so much about…”

“last year right about this time I stood in the Senate chamber questioning why an administration that talks so much about the importance of homeland security and first responders would submit a budget that so drastically shortchanges their needs. I find myself 1 year later still asking the same questions but hearing no good answers. Specifically as it pertains to community policing and other law enforcement programs, this budget shortchanges smaller communities and grossly under funds programs that have put more police officers on the street, reduced crime in rural areas, curbed drug abuse and put at-risk youth back on the right track. Instead of strengthening these programs--programs that we know work-- we are pulling the rug right out from under our communities' feet. Under the budget proposal, the COPS program would see a reduction from $756 million to $44 million--a staggering 94 percent cut. Let me be clear: Taking away COPS funding will mean less police officers on our streets; it will mean less resource officers in our schools preventing violence and drug abuse; It will also mean longer response times and higher crime rates. This is tradeoff we should never even consider, yet alone go through with. Since 1994, my State received $88.4 million in COPS grants, which has funded 1,289 additional police officers and sheriff deputies, 112 school resource officers and more than $11 million in crime-fighting technologies.”