There was a recent inquiry regarding restrictions on COPS funding. This information was from a summary from one of the police officers associations forwarded by the Fremont police department. Hope it helps. Frances Medema Policy Analyst League of California Cities 1400 K Street Suite 400 Sacramento, CA 95814 phone: 916/658-8218 fax: 916/658-8240 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
David: Not sure if you want to pass this information along, but trying to answer the questions posed by Brad Wilkie of Gridley: 1. Yes our understanding (CPCA) is June 2002 is the date the money would have to be spent. 2. Departments could probably use the money to support DARE or Juvenile Programs, but emphasis officer readiness or providing officers more time to do proactive police work. 3. Other insights are simply the Governor wanted to give us guaranteed funding for 4 yrs. This was in response to our telling the Gov. the money being doled out to most agencies (62% have less than 25 employees) was simply not enough to hire anyone. If he truly wanted cops on the streets then a minimum of $100K per agency was needed. Brulte actually carried the bill, but because of the Gov.'s position on juvenile justice language in the same bill he blued lined out the juvenile stuff, Burton threatened legal action and everything fell apart. We ended up with 1 years funding, but Burton promised Brulte from the floor of the Senate that next year he would talk of a 3 yr. extension. CPCA feels that next year the Gov. and Brulte will ask what we spent the money on, and if we cannot say bodies then for sure we lose the potential for 3 yrs added. Would make more sense to bank the money until next year and see if there is a three year extension and then look at the GF ability to support additional people four years out, but that is the call of each individual city and county. Conventional wisdom in Sacramento says that if we hire bodies and the extension runs into problems in Sacramento, that no one, and I mean no one including Burton or Vasconcellos will want to have to tell people that cops and other police type employees were laid off because they would not vote for an extension. Hope this helps. Craig >>> Dave Millican 10/02/00 01:56PM >>> fyi
