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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ FEBRUARY 2014
Promoting the Bulletproof Vest Partnership
During the week of Jan. 13, NAPO joined
fellow stakeholders in meetings with staffers
for Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Senator Lisa
Murkowski (R-Ark.), Senator Rob Portman
Representing
America’s Finest Report
(R-Ohio) and Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to
request additional support for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant Program Reauthorization
Act of 2013 (S.933) and the National Blue Alert Act of 2013
(S.357).
On Aug. 1, 2013, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced
the BVP Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2013 to the Senate as a whole for consideration by a vote of 14 to three. NAPO
continues to work with fellow law enforcement organizations
to garner additional cosponsors to support this legislation. The
BVP Grant Program is a critical resource for state and local
jurisdictions that saves lives. NAPO plans to continue to engage
members of Congress to ensure the passage of this vital piece
of legislation, which extends the life of the BVP Grant Program
through 2018.
On Sept. 19, 2013, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed
the National Blue Alert Act of 2013 by a vote of 15 to three. This
bill would create a nationwide alert system to apprehend violent criminals who have injured or killed police officers.
NAPO will continue to expend all available efforts to advocate for the passage of both the BVP Grant Program Reauthorization Act and the National Blue Alert Act, and we will keep
our members updated on the status of these bills.
The
NAPO Attends National Criminal Justice Association Brown
Bag
NAPO attended the monthly National Criminal Justice Association Brown Bag on Jan. 13. Senior Senate Judiciary Committee staffers for Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator
Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) joined the meeting to discuss the Committee’s agenda for the year ahead, which includes: federal
prison reform, smarter sentencing and recidivism reduction.
Omnibus Spending Bill
On Jan. 16, 2014, Congress gave final approval to a $1.1 trillion
spending bill that eases sharp budget cuts known as the sequester
and guarantees that the nation will not endure another government shutdown until at least Oct. 1, 2014. The Senate voted 72
to 26 to approve the measure and the House overwhelmingly
passed the bill.
The 2014 omnibus spending bill provides total resources in the
amount of $27.7 billion for the Department of Justice to fight
crime and terrorism, protect communities and families and provide critical grant funding for law enforcement initiatives to State,
local and tribal government.
The bill continues to show strong support for State, local and
tribal partners who fight violent crime, combat violence against
women and children and support victims of crime. State and
local law enforcement need the assistance provided by Federal
resources to keep communities safe, vibrant and strong. The bill
provides $2.3 billion to help State and local law enforcement with
the tools they need to fight violent crime, gangs and terrorism.
Notably, the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program is funded at $214 million in the bill. (The COPS Program
was funded at $212 million in FY 2013).
Funding for key operational grant programs is included in the
bill, including $376 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants,
$417 million for Violence Against Women Act programs, $255 million for juvenile justice and mentoring grants and $120 million
for research and evaluation initiatives on the best prevention and
intervention strategies. This funding will provide women with
support to leave violent abusers; put away rapists, child abusers
and sex predators; break up child pornography and prostitution
rings; build the capacity of crime laboratories to process DNA evidence and thousands of untested rape kits for use as evidence in
trials; break the school to prison pipeline; and help root out and
prosecute the most violent gang members.
Additionally, the bill includes $8.2 million for the Mentally Ill
Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA), which
is a top priority for NAPO. Funding for criminal history records
and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System is
also up from $18 million in FY 2013 to $59 million in FY 2014.
NAPO Opposes parole of Joseph Comfort
On Jan. 14, NAPO sent a letter of opposition to the parole
of Joseph Comfort, who was convicted of killing New York
State Police Investigator Robert VanHall, Jr. NAPO’s letter of
opposition can be found at www.napo.org/washingtonreport/latest-news-updates/napo-opposition-parole-josephcomfort/. d