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The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is a branch of the United States Department of Justice that awards grants to tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to hire and train community policing professionals, acquire and deploy cutting-edge crime-fighting technologies, and develop and test innovative policing strategies. COPS Office funding provides training and technical assistance to advance community policing at all levels of law enforcement, from line officers to law enforcement executives, as well as others in the criminal justice field. Since its creation in 1995, the COPS Office has invested $12.4 billion to help law enforcement advance the practice of community policing, and has enabled more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal agencies to hire more than 117,000 police officers and deputies.

History

The COPS office was created through the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The United States Congress created the COPS offcie to oversee an authorized 8.8 billion dollars.

Mission

As a component of the Justice Department, the mission of the COPS Office is to advance the practice of community policing as an effective strategy to improve public safety.

What is Community Policing?

Moving from a reactive to proactive role, community policing represents a shift from more traditional law enforcement practices. By addressing the root causes of criminal and disorderly behavior, rather than simply responding to crimes once they have been committed, community policing concentrates on preventing both crime and the atmosphere of fear it creates. Additionally, community policing encourages the use of crime-fighting technology and operational strategies and the development of mutually beneficial relationships between law enforcement and the community. By earning the trust of the members of their communities and making those individuals stakeholders in their own safety, law enforcement can better understand and address the community’s needs, and the factors that contribute to crime.

Publications

COPS has produced many publications including DVDs, CDs, and training materials on a wide range of law enforcement concerns and community policing topics. To date, they have distributed more than 1.1 million of these knowledge resources.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated 1 billion dollars to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services(COPS) for the COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP). COPS estimates that approximately 5,500 additional sworn law enforcement officers will be added to agencies across the country through funding provided by this program. The grant program will be open to law enforcement agencies nationwide.