Steny Hoyer: “with the passage of the 1994 crime bill, we made a landmark commitment to provide an additional 100,000 police officers…”

“with the passage of the 1994 crime bill, we made a landmark commitment to provide an additional 100,000 police officers on the streets and sidewalks of our communities across America. When I talk to law enforcement officers and members of orange hat patrols, PTA presidents and parents in my district, they tell me that putting cops on the beat is the best way to fight crime. These officers walk the streets of our communities, get to know the people they serve, and the community members to get to know them. Their presence deters crime and instills a sense of safety in our neighborhoods. But the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill which has been adopted by the Republican majority of this House eviscerates the COPS Program and its goal. This was the primary reasons President Clinton vetoed this bill. I applaud his actions, and urge my colleagues to sustain his veto. No one can argue that the COPS Program isn't working. In the Fifth District of Maryland, the towns of Crofton, La Plata, Greenbelt, Laurel, Hyattsville, and the counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, and Prince George's have all received funds to hire additional police officers. More than half the police departments in the country have been scheduled to receive additional officers. Why are the Republicans dismantling this effective program? Why are they eliminating the funding for community officers? Why are they lumping money for COPS into a block grant that adds bureaucracy?”