COPS Improvements Act of 2015

Summary: COPS Improvements Act of 2015 This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to codify the establishment of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice (DOJ). It revises and reauthorizes through FY2020 the Community Oriented and Policing Services program.  The bill expands the purpose areas of the existing program with respect to community policing and crime prevention grants. Additionally, it establishes three new programs. The bill: (1) directs DOJ to administer a troops-to-cops program to encourage the use of grants to hire and train former members of the Armed Forces as career law enforcement officers, (2) authorizes DOJ to award grants to pay for additional community prosecuting programs, and (3) authorizes DOJ to award grants to develop and use new crime-prevention technologies. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``COPS Improvements Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. COPS GRANT IMPROVEMENTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd) is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (c);
            (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);
            (3) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
    ``(a) The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.--
            ``(1) Office.--There is within the Department of Justice, 
        under the general authority of the Attorney General, a separate 
        and distinct office to be known as the Office of Community 
        Oriented Policing Services (referred to in this subsection as 
        the `COPS Office').
            ``(2) Director.--The COPS Office shall be headed by a 
        Director who shall--
                    ``(A) be appointed by the Attorney General; and
                    ``(B) have final authority over all grants, 
                cooperative agreements, and contracts awarded by the 
                COPS Office.
    ``(b) Grant Authorization.--The Attorney General shall carry out 
grant programs under which the Attorney General makes grants to States, 
units of local government, Indian tribal governments, other public and 
private entities, and multi-jurisdictional or regional consortia for 
the purposes described in subsections (c), (d), (e), and (f).'';
            (4) in subsection (c), as so redesignated--
                    (A) in the heading, by striking ``uses of grant 
                amounts.--'' and inserting ``Community Policing and 
                Crime Prevention Grants.--'';
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``, to increase 
                the number of officers deployed in community-oriented 
                policing'';
                    (C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``or train'' 
                after ``pay for'';
                    (D) by striking paragraph (13);
                    (E) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (12) as 
                paragraphs (6) through (13), respectively;
                    (F) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) award grants to hire school resource officers and to 
        establish school-based partnerships between local law 
        enforcement agencies and local school systems to combat crime, 
        gangs, drug activities, active shooter incidents, and other 
        problems in and around elementary and secondary schools;'';
                    (G) in paragraph (16), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (H) by redesignating paragraph (17) as paragraph 
                (19);
                    (I) by inserting after paragraph (16), the 
                following:
            ``(17) establish and implement innovative programs to 
        reduce and prevent illegal drug manufacturing, distribution, 
        and use, including the manufacturing, distribution, and use of 
        opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, and methamphetamine;
            ``(18) award enhancing community policing and crime 
        prevention grants that meet emerging law enforcement needs, 
        including improved communication, consultation, and 
        collaboration between police and communities, de-escalation of 
        pre-arrest conflicts and critical incidents, development and 
        adoption of less lethal and non-lethal means of apprehension 
        which do not compromise officer safety, challenges of managing 
        incidents involving mentally ill offenders, and relationships 
        with tribal communities, and improvements in rural policing as 
        warranted; and''; and
                    (J) in paragraph (19), as so redesignated, by 
                striking ``through (16)'' and inserting ``through 
                (18)'';
            (5) by striking subsections (h) and (i);
            (6) by redesignating subsections (j) and (k) as subsections 
        (k) and (l), respectively;
            (7) by redesignating subsections (d) through (g) as 
        subsections (g) through (j), respectively;
            (8) by inserting after subsection (c), as so redesignated, 
        the following:
    ``(d) Troops-to-Cops Programs.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Attorney General shall maintain a 
        program to encourage the use of grants made under subsection 
        (b) to hire and train former members of the Armed Forces to 
        serve as career law enforcement officers for deployment in 
        community-oriented policing, particularly in communities that 
        are adversely affected by a recent military base closing, 
        realignment, or significant force structure reduction.
            ``(2) Definition.--In this subsection, `former member of 
        the Armed Forces' means a member of the Armed Forces of the 
        United States who is involuntarily separated from the Armed 
        Forces within the meaning of section 1141 of title 10, United 
        States Code.
    ``(e) Community Prosecutors Program.--The Attorney General may make 
grants under subsection (b) to pay for additional community prosecuting 
programs, including programs that assign prosecutors to--
            ``(1) handle cases from specific geographic areas; and
            ``(2) address counter-terrorism problems, specific violent 
        crime problems (including intensive illegal gang, gun, and drug 
        enforcement and quality of life initiatives), and localized 
        violent and other crime problems based on needs identified by 
        local law enforcement agencies, community organizations, and 
        others.
    ``(f) Technology Grants.--The Attorney General may make grants 
under subsection (b) to develop and use new technologies (including 
interoperable communications technologies, technologies for responding 
to active shooter incidents, modernized criminal record technology, and 
forensic technology) to assist State and local law enforcement agencies 
in reorienting the emphasis of their activities from reacting to crime 
to preventing crime and to train law enforcement officers to use such 
technologies.'';
            (9) in subsection (g), as so redesignated--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``to States, 
                units of local government, Indian tribal governments, 
                and to other public and private entities,'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``define for 
                State and local governments, and other public and 
                private entities,'' and inserting ``establish''; and
                    (C) in the first sentence of paragraph (3), by 
                inserting ``(including regional community policing 
                institutes)'' after ``training centers or facilities'';
            (10) in subsection (i), as so redesignated--
                    (A) by striking ``subsection (a)'' the first place 
                that term appears and inserting ``paragraphs (1) and 
                (2) of subsection (c)''; and
                    (B) by striking ``in each fiscal year pursuant to 
                subsection (a)'' and inserting ``in each fiscal year 
                for purposes described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
                subsection (c)'';
            (11) in subsection (j), as so redesignated--
                    (A) by striking ``subsection (a)'' and inserting 
                ``subsection (b)''; and
                    (B) by striking the second sentence;
            (12) in subsection (k), as so redesignated--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``subsection (i) and''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``subsection (b)'' and 
                        inserting ``subsection (c)''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ``2015'' and 
                inserting ``2020''; and
            (13) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m) Retention of Additional Officer Positions.--For any grant 
under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (c) for hiring or rehiring 
career law enforcement officers, a grant recipient shall retain each 
additional law enforcement officer position created under that grant 
for not less than 12 months after the end of the period of that grant, 
unless the Attorney General waives, wholly or in part, the retention 
requirement of a program, project, or activity.''.
    (b) Applications.--Section 1702 of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd-1) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                inserting ``, unless waived by the Attorney General'' 
                after ``under this part shall'';
                    (B) by striking paragraph (8); and
                    (C) by redesignating paragraphs (9) through (11) as 
                paragraphs (8) through (10), respectively; and
            (2) by striking subsection (d).
    (c) Renewal of Grants.--Section 1703 of title I of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd-2) is 
amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 1703. RENEWAL OF GRANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--A grant made under this part may be renewed, 
without limitations on the duration of such renewal, to provide 
additional funds, if the Attorney General determines that the funds 
made available to the recipient were used in a manner required under an 
approved application and if the recipient can demonstrate significant 
progress in achieving the objectives of the initial application.
    ``(b) No Cost Extensions.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), the 
Attorney General may extend a grant period, without limitations as to 
the duration of such extension, to provide additional time to complete 
the objectives of the initial grant award.''.
    (d) Limitation on Use of Funds.--Section 1704 of title I of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd-3) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``that would, in the 
        absence of Federal funds received under this part, be made 
        available from State or local sources'' and inserting ``that 
        the Attorney General determines would, in the absence of 
        Federal funds received under this part, be made available for 
        the purpose of the grant under this part from State or local 
        sources''; and
            (2) by striking subsection (c).
    (e) Enforcement Actions.--Section 1706 of title I of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd-5) is 
amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by striking ``revocation or 
        suspension of funding'' and inserting ``enforcement actions''; 
        and
            (2) by striking ``revoke or suspend'' and all that follows 
        and inserting ``take any enforcement action available to the 
        Department of Justice.''.
    (f) Definitions.--Section 1709(1) of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd-8(1)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``who is authorized'' and inserting ``who 
        is a sworn law enforcement officer and is authorized''; and
            (2) by inserting ``, including officers for the Amtrak 
        Police Department'' before the period at the end.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1001(a)(11) of title 
I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
3793(a)(11)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``$1,047,119,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2006 through 2009'' and inserting 
        ``$900,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2020''; 
        and
            (2) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) in the first sentence--
                            (i) by striking ``3 percent'' and inserting 
                        ``5 percent''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``section 1701(d)'' and 
                        inserting ``section 1701(g)''; and
                    (B) by striking the second sentence and inserting 
                the following: ``Of the funds available for grants 
                under part Q, not less than $500,000,000 shall be used 
                for grants for the purposes specified in section 
                1701(c), not more than $150,000,000 shall be used for 
                grants under section 1701(e), and not more than 
                $250,000,000 shall be used for grants under section 
                1701(f).''.
    (h) Purposes.--Section 10002 of the Public Safety Partnership and 
Community Policing Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd note) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``development'' and 
        inserting ``use''; and
            (2) in the matter following paragraph (4), by striking 
        ``for a period of 6 years''.
    (i) COPS Program Improvements.--
            (1) In general.--Section 109(b) of title I of the Omnibus 
        Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3712h(b)) 
        is amended--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (1);
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 
                paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively; and
                    (C) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated, by 
                inserting ``, except for the program under part Q of 
                this title'' before the period.
            (2) Law enforcement computer systems.--Section 107 of title 
        I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 
        U.S.C. 3712f) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Exception.--This section shall not apply to any grant made 
under part Q of this title.''.
    (j) Relationship to Tribal Law and Order Act.--Nothing in this Act, 
or any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed to affect or 
impair section 247 of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 
3796dd note).