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Recently, there have been calls for Congress to beef up the Officeof Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). From fiscalyear 1996 to FY 1999, the COPS budget peaked at $1.4 billionannually. Since then, the COPS budget has steadily declined: For FY2008, it was $320 million.
The COPS program has an extensive track record of poor performanceand should be eliminated. Some Members of Congress propose resuscitating it with COPS 2.0. Congress should limit itself toasserting uniquely federal interests, starting with those that theConstitution clearly assigns to the national government. Effectivepolicing at the state and local levels does not require fundingfrom the federal government.