2/4/09

'Stimulis Bill' to Stimulate Police State?

Stimulis plan has billions for cops

Obama's huge stimulus plan includes about $4 billion to resurrect grants that put tens of thousands of police on the streets during the 1990s.
The proposal allocates $3 billion for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, a program that has funded drug task forces, after-school programs, prisoner rehabilitation and other programs.
Another $1 billion in stimulus money is set aside for the Community Oriented Policing Services program begun under President Clinton. The program, known as COPS grants, paid the salaries of many local police officers and was a "modest contributor" to the decline in crime in the 1990s, according to a 2005 government oversight report.
In New Bedford, Mass., a port city of about 92,000, Police Chief Ronald Teachman said a new round of grants would put police on the streets at a time when experts expect crime to rise with the unemployment rate.
But because Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder strongly support the grants — and Democrats control Congress — the programs will likely be resurrected even if they don't make it into the final stimulus bill.
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re: community oriented policing i.e. C.O.P.S.
Briefly, and very simply, the C.O.P.S. program is a partnership between local law enforcement and community citizen action groups. It is a progam designed to establish a system of self-policing communties. This is a mandatory component of community-based management.
As for the "Byrne Justice Assistance Grant" funding of after-school programs, prisoner re-habs, etc., once again, these grant monies will be used to lure the church groups and other community groups to take the responsibility upon themselves to provide these services within their individual communities. This is designed to bypass state governments, which will no longer be providing them.
More cops for the police state, and also to train citizen groups for self-policing communities. Be informed.

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