ACLU Coalition Letter to the House Appropriations Committee Urging Reallocation of Byrne Grant Funding in the Stimulus
February 26, 2009
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On January 15th, the House Appropriations Committee released the draft of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In this draft, $3 billion in funding was earmarked for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, and an additional $1 billion is set aside for hiring law enforcement officers under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. The undersigned organizations applaud the Appropriations Committee for recognizing that economic stimulus can be achieved through improving public safety and justice systems. However, we believe that focusing solely on law enforcement is misguided and could be counterproductive in terms of improving the state and national economy; we urge the reallocation of this $4 billion to a broader, more comprehensive set of services and programs that not only will improve economies, but improve public safety and decrease spending on jails, prisons and law enforcement. Below are some key points for you to consider when making your spending decisions:
