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Biden Doles Out Cash Grant to Cops
July 28, 2009 3:09 PM
ABC News' Jon Garcia reports:
It’s not quite “Beer Diplomacy,” but Biden delivers money to cops
While President Obama seeks peace and reconciliation—through “beer diplomacy”—with the Cambridge, Mass. police department in the wake of the Gates/Crowley affair, Vice President Biden today sought to engender good will with law enforcement by doling out nearly $1 billion to pay for more cops.
“One of the places that has been hardest hit – most essential for the wellbeing of our citizens and their safety – has been law enforcement. We can’t achieve though the goal of a stronger community without stronger police forces,” Biden said before an audience that included law enforcement officers in Philadelphia.
As part of the $787 stimulus package pushed through Congress earlier this year, the federally run Community Oriented Policing Services program (COPS) will be able to help state and local law enforcement by giving them enough money to pay for nearly 4700 police officers over the next three years. The $1 billion it will cost is only a fraction of the $8.3 billion that was requested by those agencies, but Biden says the grants will go a long way in making communities safe.
“I think it is the right thing to do, I think it is the necessary thing to do and I think it is a moral obligation we have. We ask you to go out and defend us – you’re entitled to be equipped to be able to defend us,” he said.
The plan isn’t without some controversy. Police departments in four of the nation’s major cities—New York, Houston, Seattle and Pittsburgh—won't get a dime of the COPS grant money because the US Justice Department determined the money was better spent elsewhere.
The Justice Department “developed a formula in which fiscal health factors accounted for fifty percent of our decision and crime rates and community policing plans accounted for the other half. This uniform system of evaluating applicants allowed us to review applicants in a neutral and detached manner,” Dave Buchanan, acting director of the federal program, said in a written statement. That system takes into account things like unemployment rates and other community statistics.
But New York Mayor Bloomberg said in a written statement, “To punish our police department because they have driven down crime with fewer resources shows the backwards incentive system that is sometimes at work in Washington.”
The Justice department was quick to point out that New York has already received nearly $30 million of other Recovery Act money to pay for 200 police jobs.
ABC News’ Jason Ryan contributed to this report.
July 28, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (28)
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"Great Obama offends police officers then he just pulls out the Taxpayer checkbook to payoff those he offended."
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All of this money was identified and targeted in the Recovery act long before the Gates incident. Try to keep up with things before you hurl false accusations.
Posted by: danita | Jul 29, 2009 1:32:20 PM
Great Obama offends police officers then he just pulls out the Taxpayer checkbook to payoff those he offended. He should use his checkbook in lieu of our childrens. We are borrowing money to purchase intangibles and when our kids get the bill, they will have nothing to show for the expenditure. Since our children are going to be the ones to pay the bill they shouldn't have to pay for anything that they will not be able to use. THis is as stupid as the idiots using credit cards to dine out and pay for that meal over time.
Posted by: Judy | Jul 29, 2009 7:22:48 AM
I like Biden doing the heavy lifting in foreign policy; he's fearless. But I admit I'm surprised that he took on stim so seriously and with good nature, and is following through nicely with ARRA. I don't think economy is his forte, but Biden has hung in there and learned and never hesitated. He's even picked up some of the slack on healthcare (although that's a whole other bucket of emotions). I'm quite proud of VP Biden. He's a big favorite of mine.
Posted by: Whoa | Jul 28, 2009 10:55:28 PM
Good on ya, Joe!
Posted by: Olson | Jul 28, 2009 10:48:13 PM
I don't know how many here were able to view the video, but Mr. Biden did a nice job explaining (again) what the stimulus package was meant to create. I believe many are still under the impression that the stimulus would fix everything wrong with our economy...not so of course. But rather as the Vice President pointed out, to stop the freefall. Thanks Joe Biden!
Posted by: Nora | Jul 28, 2009 10:46:56 PM
Are you people that naive?
These grants have allocated for months in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. You think Obama decided a couple of days ago to do this!?!
Posted by: CZAR | Jul 28, 2009 10:13:52 PM
So, NYC didn't get any COPS money?
Well, guess what... there are already a full 55,000 LEOs in NYC when you add up all the armed internal investigative and protective departments, plus City thru federal... so, you want a total police state? Move to North Korea, I mean 55,000+ is 3-5 divisions of regular army troops. C'mon.
Posted by: Chuck | Jul 28, 2009 7:29:56 PM
"Payola FOR Obama's Stupidity."
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Try to get a grip on reality - these monies for policing were in the Recovery and Reinvestment plan LONG before the Gates incident happened.
Posted by: danita | Jul 28, 2009 6:42:31 PM
Payola FOR Obama's Stupidity.
Here is how you keep support. You BUY IT and the POLICE are so corrupt they are OK with that. Their souls like most in the US is for sale. They will ignore all of Obama's Stupidly statements as long as the checks keep coming in. SAD..
Posted by: ChicagoBob | Jul 28, 2009 6:11:00 PM
LOL @ a Joe Biden Czar. Obama has had to implement a Czar to oversee Joe Biden. Lord that is hilarious!!!!!!!
Posted by: KMDay | Jul 28, 2009 5:13:19 PM
Psssst. Barry, Joe, heres a secret!!If men and women were working, at real jobs-not those created by government borrowing in which the funds have time limits, but jobs created because business isn't afraid to borrrow and invest then those people would be paying taxes to their communities and those communities could then hire policemen as they see fit.
Posted by: david | Jul 28, 2009 4:56:45 PM
Law enforcement, fire safety, construction; these are all close to Joe Biden's heart and he has always supported them as well as all middle class America. Biden, taking time from an already busy schedule, most likely totally enjoyed himself, able to give monetary support to these entities. Thank you Mr. Biden and Mr. Obama. Love you both.
Posted by: Principia | Jul 28, 2009 4:40:43 PM
Lets see, how much longer before Obama appoints yet another "czar"......
The czar of "What the Vice-President meant to say was...."
since someone is always having to play CYA for the Adminstration for him, we might as well "create" a job!!!!!!
Posted by: Mike_C | Jul 28, 2009 4:23:56 PM
Some of the president's best friends are cops.
Posted by: Walsh | Jul 28, 2009 4:15:10 PM
i'm "sure" there's a method to the madness..right?
Not if Biden is in charge. Plenty of madness or just plain old crazy.
Posted by: 25 to Life | Jul 28, 2009 4:00:11 PM
$1 Billion? Small price to pay to keep Crazy Joe home.
Posted by: ACBA | Jul 28, 2009 3:57:16 PM
it strikes me as horrifyingly ironic that two of the cities on the "will not receive biden money list" are two cities with proven terrorism histories--seattle and new york. the infamous new year's 2000 plot on seattle's space needle was narrowly averted and, of course, new york has been hit a number of times, most prominently the wtc bombings and the twin towers nightmare.
i'm "sure" there's a method to the madness..right?
Posted by: Kelli | Jul 28, 2009 3:54:19 PM
"Hopefully this smarter doling out of money is better than Bush's admin with homeland security which saw small town police departaments getting huge dollars to fight terrorists."
Money never gets wasted in big cities.
Posted by: Relieved | Jul 28, 2009 3:53:39 PM
"Police departments in four of the nation’s major cities—New York, Houston, Seattle and Pittsburgh—won't get a dime of the COPS grant money because the US Justice Department determined the money was better spent elsewhere."
Hopefully this smarter doling out of money is better than Bush's admin with homeland security which saw small town police departaments getting huge dollars to fight terrorists.
Posted by: Ryan C | Jul 28, 2009 3:48:41 PM
Careful Mr. Policeman!
They have attached your money to the (non) Stimulus package that they attached the "Shovel Ready" jobs program. This was suppose to help us (we) who are unemployed out this summer. But alas......summer is 2/3 done and no shovels.....no ready jobs. Just a lot of buffoonish hot air from the Department of Two Face Double Speak and Continuous Lies!
Posted by: American Infidel | Jul 28, 2009 3:46:45 PM
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