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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Julianne Fisher - 202-224-1638

Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Megan Smith - 202-224-1770

***\*\*Column for Submission\*\****

**[Safety & Security at Home Shouldn't be Ignored]{.underline}**

**By U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD)**

Rural law enforcement may not receive the same level of media attention
as the war in Iraq, but media attention should not determine funding
priorities and we cannot afford to ignore the home front. The
President's annual budget request has slashed law enforcement programs
that serve the domestic security of thousands of South Dakotans.

This shortsighted move puts us all at risk. Fortunately, the President's
budget is only a request and Congress will ultimately determine funding
levels. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I
will have a special opportunity to stand up in favor of these
initiatives. We are still early in the funding process for 2009, and I
along with several of my Senate colleagues have already been working
hard to restore this important funding.

The programs that have been cut include several anti-drug and anti-gang
efforts, an inter-jurisdictional collaboration program, and key
initiatives to reduce domestic and sexual violence in rural areas.

Perhaps most gallingly, the COPS program and the Byrne/Justice
Assistance Grants that have funded the hiring of over 118,000 local
police officers nationwide and provided critical assistance to police
and sheriffs across South Dakota saw their funding substantially cut and
redirected away from South Dakota.

Our state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies depend on these
programs, and their work fighting crime and drug trafficking could
suffer without a massive corresponding increase in state funding. Not
only would a lack of funding lead to the end of important programs, it
would also invariably lead to layoffs of some of the most talented and
experienced officers in police departments across the state.

Restoring these programs is not just a priority of mine, but a necessity
for the Congress. As we consider the funding priorities and respond to
the President's proposed cuts, I have already begun working with my
colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to protect the following law
enforcement programs in the budget for 2009:

-   Protection of the \$2.02 billion Crime Victims Fund as a separate
    account to exclusively serve victims of crime

-   Restoration of \$1.15 billion for the COPS program, reversing a 100%
    cut

-   Restoration of \$1.03 billion of programs under the *Violence
    Against Women Act*, reversing a 30% cut

-   Restoration of \$660 million for the Byrne/Justice Assistance Grant
    crime control program, reversing a 74% cut

-   Funding of \$85 million for COPS, Correctional Facilities, and
    Courts in Indian Country

-   Restoration of \$40 million for the Drug Court Discretionary Grant
    Program, reversing a 100% cut

-   Funding \$52.7 million for the Regional Information Sharing Systems
    Program to allow law enforcement to share information and help catch
    criminals

-   Funding \$5 million for the Rural Policing Institute to provide
    essential training to South Dakota's officers

Fiscal responsibility does not mean cutting the very programs that keep
us safe at home. Instead, money spent preventing crime ends up saving us
all in the long term because the societal costs of crime far exceed our
investment in prevention. These programs are good public policy and
vital for South Dakota law enforcement.

Saving money should involve cutting out the fat; eliminating these
programs cuts away the substantive meat and bone as well.

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