SobaViolence
08-22-2006, 12:04 PM
WASHINGTON - With murder and other violent crimes on the rise in many American cities, local law enforcement agencies and elected officials are battling to stave off $1.1 billion in federal funding cuts proposed by President Bush.
There's no question that violent crime is up sharply. Murders and non-negligent manslaughter increased 4.8 percent nationwide in 2005, the largest jump in 15 years, according to a preliminary FBI report in June. Murders were up over 2004 rates by 76 percent in Birmingham, Ala., 44.1 percent in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County, N.C., 42 percent in Kansas City, Mo., and 38 percent in Cleveland.
At the same time, the Bush administration is cutting grants for state and local crime-fighting programs on the grounds that they've outlived their usefulness or under-performed. One such program is COPS, a Clinton-era initiative originally designed to hire 100,000 police officers nationwide.
Like many local law enforcers and crime analysts, Greenville, S.C., Police Chief W. L. Williams disagrees with the Bush administration's reasoning. His department received a $4.47 million COPS grant in May to improve radio communications so that police, fire and other emergency agencies in four counties can speak to one another. That fixes a glaring weakness exposed by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
how does this prevent crime? (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0822-06.htm)
There's no question that violent crime is up sharply. Murders and non-negligent manslaughter increased 4.8 percent nationwide in 2005, the largest jump in 15 years, according to a preliminary FBI report in June. Murders were up over 2004 rates by 76 percent in Birmingham, Ala., 44.1 percent in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County, N.C., 42 percent in Kansas City, Mo., and 38 percent in Cleveland.
At the same time, the Bush administration is cutting grants for state and local crime-fighting programs on the grounds that they've outlived their usefulness or under-performed. One such program is COPS, a Clinton-era initiative originally designed to hire 100,000 police officers nationwide.
Like many local law enforcers and crime analysts, Greenville, S.C., Police Chief W. L. Williams disagrees with the Bush administration's reasoning. His department received a $4.47 million COPS grant in May to improve radio communications so that police, fire and other emergency agencies in four counties can speak to one another. That fixes a glaring weakness exposed by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
how does this prevent crime? (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0822-06.htm)