PERF is pleased that the Obama Administration’s proposed federal budget for Fiscal Year 2011 continues to provide significant funding for local and state police agencies, which are undergoing significant stresses in the current economic climate.
“The Administration’s request for $600 million for COPS hiring grants and $512 million in Byrne/JAG grants will come as good news to local police departments that have been forced to lay off officers or make other cuts in their operations due to the economic crisis,” PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler said. “We also are very encouraged by the Administration’s new programs regarding ‘smart probation’ and ‘smart policing,’ which will help ensure that local funds for criminal justice are spent as wisely as possible. PERF strongly supports the Administration’s emphasis on collaborations between police, probation, parole, social service agencies, and others, as well as its focus on research, evaluation, and evidence-based approaches to fighting crime.”
PERF also expressed support for the Administration’s drug control budget, which increases funding for drug abuse prevention and treatment, but not at the expense of drug enforcement initiatives by police. “Police chiefs understand that the best approach to drug problems is a multi-faceted one, in which police, probation, and the courts work with drug treatment programs to help addicted persons get off drugs while ensuring public safety,” Wexler said.
Finally, PERF is pleased that the Administration is taking a collaborative approach to defining its positions on justice issues, and is consulting with police chiefs and other local justice officials as it develops its crime and drug control budgets.
