A bill to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide for grants to increase the number of law enforcement officers on the streets by 5 to 10 percent in areas with high incidences of violent crime.

Summary: Enhanced Violent Crime Community Policing Act of 2009 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) allow the use of public safety and community policing grants to hire and train new career law enforcement officers for deployment in communities with high incidences of violent crime; (2) direct the Attorney General to make grants to local governments to hire and train new career law enforcement officers for deployment in high crime areas to enhance community policing in such areas; and (3) authorize the Attorney General to give preference to grant applications for the hiring and training of new career law enforcement officers for deployment in high crime areas. Specifies that grant amounts shall provide for a 5 to 10% increase in the size of a grantee's sworn police force.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Enhanced Violent Crime Community 
Policing Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the U.S. Department of Justice, from 
        Fiscal Year 1995 to Fiscal Year 2000, the COPS program funded 
        105,000 police officers.
            (2) According to the Government Accountability Office, the 
        COPS program has contributed to a 2.5 percent decline in the 
        violent crime rate between 1999 and 2000.
            (3) According to University of Chicago economist Steven 
        Levitt, each 10 percent increase in the size of a police force 
        reduces violent crime by 4 percent and property crime by 5 
        percent.
            (4) A study by University of Maryland economists William 
        Evans and Emily Owens suggests that a 2 percent increase in 
        police officers put on the streets through the COPS program led 
        to a 2 percent decline in violent crime.
            (5) Economists David Anderson of Centre College and Mark 
        Cohen of Vanderbilt University suggest that the total cost of 
        crime in the United States is approximately $2,000,000,000, 
        annually, and that each additional dollar provided to the COPS 
        program may generate $4.00 to $8.50 in savings to the Nation by 
        reducing crimes committed and the overall cost of crime.
            (6) According to the U.S. Department of Justice Census of 
        State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 20 of the Nation's 50 
        largest local police departments saw a decline in sworn law 
        enforcement personnel from 2000 to 2004.
            (7) Following a 10-year decline in the violent crime rate, 
        Federal Bureau of Investigation's statistics indicate that 
        violent crime increased in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
            (8) In recent months, incidences of violent crime, gang 
        violence, violence against police officers, and homicides have 
        risen in many of the metropolitan areas in the United States, 
        including the following:
                    (A) On March 21, 2009, four Oakland, California, 
                police officers were shot and killed during a traffic 
                stop and the subsequent pursuit of the suspect.
                    (B) On April 4, 2009, three Pittsburgh, 
                Pennsylvania, police officers were killed responding to 
                a domestic dispute.
                    (C) On April 3, 2009, a Binghamton, New York, man 
                killed himself and 13 others at a local civic 
                association building.

SEC. 3. ENHANCED VIOLENT CRIME COMMUNITY POLICY.

    Section 1701 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), by inserting after paragraph (4) the 
        following new paragraph:
            ``(5) hire and train new career law enforcement officers 
        for deployment in areas and communities with high incidences of 
        violent crime, in accordance with subsection (j).''; and
            (2) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
    ``(c) Priority and Preferential Consideration.--In awarding grants 
under this part, the Attorney General--
            ``(1) may give preferential consideration to applications 
        for hiring and training new career law enforcement officers for 
        deployment in areas and communities with high incidences of 
        violent crime, as authorized by paragraph (5) of subsection (b) 
        and in accordance with subsection (j); and
            ``(2) may give preferential consideration, where feasible, 
        to applications for hiring and rehiring additional career law 
        enforcement officers that involve a non-Federal contribution 
        exceeding the 25 percent minimum under subsection (g).''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(j) Enhanced Violent Crime Community Policing Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Attorney General shall, subject to 
        the availability of appropriations to carry out this 
        subsection, make grants, as authorized under subsection (b)(5) 
        and in accordance with this subsection, to hire and train new 
        career law enforcement officers for deployment in areas and 
        communities with high incidences of violent crime to enhance 
        community policing in such areas.
            ``(2) Eligible entities.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), 
        grants awarded under this subsection shall be awarded only to 
        units of local government.
            ``(3) Grant designations.--The Attorney General shall award 
        grants under this subsection to--
                    ``(A) the 5 units of local government with a 
                population over 350,000 residents with the highest 
                violent crime rate per capita as listed by the 2007 
                Federal Bureau of Investigation `Crime in the United 
                States' report; and
                    ``(B) 15 additional units of local government 
                determined by the Attorney General to have the greatest 
                need for such a grant, based on--
                            ``(i) per capita violent crime rate;
                            ``(ii) gang population;
                            ``(iii) drug trafficking rate;
                            ``(iv) high school drop-out rate;
                            ``(v) unemployment rate;
                            ``(vi) poverty rate;
                            ``(vii) population; and
                            ``(viii) any other criteria determined by 
                        the Attorney General.
            ``(4) Grant amount.--
                    ``(A) Maximum and minimum amount.--The grant amount 
                awarded to an grantee under this subsection for the 
                grant period shall be--
                            ``(i) not more than is necessary to 
                        increase the size of the grantee's sworn police 
                        force, as of the date the grantee submitted the 
                        application for a grant under this subsection, 
                        by 10 percent; and
                            ``(ii) not less than is necessary to 
                        increase the size of the grantee's sworn police 
                        force, as of the date the grantee submitted the 
                        application for a grant under this subsection, 
                        by 5 percent.
                    ``(B) Ratable reduction.--If funds appropriated in 
                a fiscal year to carry out this subsection are not 
                sufficient to fully fund the minimum grant amount 
                determined under subparagraph (A) for each grantee, the 
                Attorney General shall reduce the amount of the grant 
                to each grantee by a proportionate share.
            ``(5) Inapplicable provisions.--The following provisions of 
        this part shall not apply to grants awarded under this 
        subsection:
                    ``(A) Subsection (g) of this section (relating to 
                matching funds).
                    ``(B) Subsection (i) of this section (relating to 
                termination of grants for hiring officers).
                    ``(C) Subsection (c) of section 1704 (relating to 
                hiring costs).''.