This bill creates the "COPS Strong Communities Program" as an addition to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The Attorney General may use amounts otherwise appropriated to make competitive grants to local law enforcement agencies so officers and recruits can attend training programs at eligible entities (colleges that offer training or local agencies that run training). To use the grant benefits, officers or recruits must agree to serve as full-time officers for at least 4 years during the 8 years after they complete the training. They must serve in a local agency located within 7 miles of a home where they lived for at least 5 years, or within 20 miles if they live in a county with fewer than 150,000 people. Agencies must certify employment. If an officer or recruit does not complete the required service, they must repay the amount of the benefits they received, unless the Attorney General’s regulations excuse repayment for certain extenuating circumstances. The bill also requires the Attorney General to report at least once a year to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees on grant recipients, the number of officers and recruits the recipients plan to train, and how many trained recruits returned as employees and remain employed.
No publicly available information on total cost. The bill allows the Attorney General to use amounts otherwise appropriated for the COPS program to make competitive grants but does not set dollar amounts or an overall funding level.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.