Updated February 5, 2021
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program
Background
(P.L. 111-5) provided $1 billion for COPS. Appropriations
Under the initial authorization for the Community Oriented
for hiring programs from FY2009 to FY2012 were the
Policing Services (COPS) program (Title I of the Violent
result of Congress’s efforts to help local law enforcement
Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, P.L.
agencies facing budget cuts as a result of the recession
103-322, “the 1994 Crime Act”), grants could be awarded
either hire new law enforcement officers or retain officers
for (1) hiring new police officers or rehiring police officers
they would otherwise have to lay off. Appropriations
who have been laid off to engage in community policing,
continued to be provided for hiring programs even as the
(2) hiring former members of the armed services to serve as
effects of that recession waned.
career law enforcement officers engaged in community
policing, and (3) supporting non-hiring initiatives, such as
There has been a notable reduction in the total amount of
training law enforcement officers in crime prevention and
funding provided for COPS since FY2011. Prior to
community policing techniques or developing technologies
FY2011, the least amount of annual funding (in nominal
that support crime prevention strategies.
dollars) provided for COPS was $472 million for FY2006.
From FY2007 to FY2017, annual COPS funding ranged
The COPS program was reauthorized by the Violence
from a low of $199 million for FY2012 to a high of $222
Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization
million for FY2017. Although COPS funding has increased
Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-162). The act reauthorized
steadily since FY2017, annual funding has remained
appropriations for the COPS program from FY2006 to
significantly lower than before FY2011. Lower annual
FY2009. Under that authorization, the COPS program
appropriations for COPS can be attributed to three trends:
changed from a multi-grant program to a single-grant
(1) a decrease in the amount of funding provided for hiring
program under which DOJ can make grants to state, local,
programs, (2) the congressional earmark ban, and (3)
and tribal governments, and other public and private entities
Congress’s restructuring of the COPS account.
for a variety of enumerated purposes, including hiring or re-
hiring community policing officers; procuring law
Congress implemented a ban on earmarks starting with
enforcement equipment, technology, or support systems; or
appropriations for FY2011. This ban substantially
establishing school-based partnerships between local law
decreased funding for the Law Enforcement Technology
enforcement agencies and local school systems (see 34
and the Methamphetamine Clean-up programs, which were
U.S.C. §10381(b)).
being administered by the COPS Office. By FY2012,
Congress did not appropriate any funding for the Law
Congress has continued to appropriate funding for the
Enforcement Technology program and the only funding
COPS program even though authorized appropriations for
remaining for the Methamphetamine Clean-up program was
the program expired in FY2009.
transferred to the Drug Enforcement Administration to
assist with the clean-up of clandestine methamphetamine
COPS Funding
laboratories. Congress ceased providing funding for the
Methamphetamine Clean-up program in FY2018.
From FY1995 to FY1999, the annual appropriation for the
COPS program averaged nearly $1.4 billion. The relatively
From FY2010 to FY2012, Congress moved appropriations
high levels of funding during this time period were largely
for several programs that were funded under the COPS
the result of efforts to place 100,000 new law enforcement
account—such as Project Safe Neighborhoods, DNA
officers on the streets.
backlog reduction initiatives, Paul Coverdell grants,
offender reentry programs, the National Criminal History
After the initial push to hire and fund 100,000 new law
Improvement program, and the Bulletproof Vest Grant
enforcement officers, Congress started to change COPS into
program—to the State and Local Law Enforcement
a conduit for supporting a wider range of local law
Assistance (S&LLEA) account. Programs funded under this
enforcement needs. Starting in FY1998, an increasing
account are administered by the Office of Justice Programs
portion of the annual appropriation for COPS was dedicated
(OJP). Prior to the programs being moved to the S&LLEA,
to programs that helped law enforcement agencies purchase
appropriations for them were transferred from COPS to OJP
new equipment, combat methamphetamine production,
for administration. In general, from FY2001 to FY2011,
upgrade criminal history records, and improve their forensic
appropriations for programs that were transferred to OJP
science capabilities. Increasing funding for non-hiring
accounted for one-third to one-half of the annual funding
initiatives under the COPS account coincided with
for the COPS account. In recent fiscal years, a proportion of
decreasing funding for hiring programs. By FY2005,
the COPS account has again been transferred to OJP. Since
appropriations for hiring programs were nearly nonexistent,
FY2017, Congress has provided funding for the Regional
and Congress eliminated funding for them for FY2006 and
Information Sharing System (RISS) program under the
FY2007. Funding for hiring programs was revived when
COPS account, which is transferred to OJP.
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
https://crsreports.congress.gov

---

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program
Funding for COPS has increased in the last four fiscal
Total
Funding for
Proportion
years, from $276 million for FY2018 to $386 million for
Fiscal
Budget
Hiring
Transferred to
FY2021. Increased funding for the COPS account is the
Year
Authority
Programs
OJP
result of Congress increasing funding for hiring programs,
and for anti-heroin task forces, active shooter training, and
2002
1,105
385
33%
grants under the Matching Grant Program for School
Security. Also, for FY2021, funding was provided for
2003
978
199
35%
programs to promote policing reform efforts, such as
funding for de-escalation training, improving law
enforcement’s response to people with mental health
2004
748
114
36%
problems, helping law enforcement agencies gain
accreditation, and anti-bias and diversity training.
2005
598
10
38%
Recently, funding for COPS, especially the hiring program,
2006
472
—
53%
has become a flashpoint in the debate over policing reform.
Many proponents of law enforcement reform argue that law
2007
542
—
51%
enforcement agencies police communities of color in a
biased way, and more police officers means that more
2008
587
20
41%
people of color, especially Black men, could be arrested for
relatively minor offenses. Proponents argue that funding
2009
1,551
1,000
18%
should be used for programs that address social problems
(e.g., poverty, homelessness, lack of access to mental health
2010
792
298
26%
care) in order to reduce involvement with the criminal
justice system rather than increasing the number of police
2011
495
247
34%
officers. President Biden has indicated his support for the
COPS program as a way to promote law enforcement
2012
199
141
0%
reform through community policing efforts. In his plan for
criminal justice reform, President Biden states “policing
2013
210
155
0%
works best when officers are out of their cruisers and
walking the streets, engaging with and getting to know
2014
214
151
0%
members of their communities. But in order to do that,
police departments need resources to hire a sufficient
number of officers.… However, the [COPS] program has
2015
208
135
0%
never been funded to fulfill the original vision for
community policing.… As a condition of the grant, hiring
2016
212
137
0%
of police officers must mirror the racial diversity of the
community they serve.”
2017
222
137
14%
2018
276
150
13%
Table 1. COPS’ Total Budget Authority, Funding for
Hiring Programs, and Transfers to OJP, FY1995-
2019
304
153
12%
FY2021
Amounts in millions of nominal dollars
2020
343
156
11%
Total
Funding for
Proportion
Fiscal
Budget
Hiring
Transferred to
2021
386
157
10%
Year
Authority
Programs
OJP
Source: FY1995-FY2017 appropriations were provided by the U.S.
1995
$1,300
$1,057
0%
Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services; FY2018-FY2021 appropriations were taken from the
1996
1,400
1,128
0%
explanatory statement to accompany the annual Commerce, Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
1997
1,420
1,339
0%
Notes: Total budget authority includes carryover from previous
fiscal years. The FY2009 enacted amount includes $1 bil ion COPS
1998
1,633
1,338
0%
received for hiring grants for FY2009 appropriated under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5). The
1999
1,520
1,201
4%
FY2013 enacted amount includes the amount sequestered per the
Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25).
2000
913
481
21%
Nathan James, Analyst in Crime Policy
2001
1,042
408
30%
IF10922
https://crsreports.congress.gov

---

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program


Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permissio n of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10922 · VERSION 5 · UPDATED

---