111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1139 

AN ACT 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 

Act of 1968 to enhance the COPS ON THE BEAT 

grant program, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘COPS Improvements 

3 Act of 2009’’. 

4 SEC. 2. COPS GRANT IMPROVEMENTS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1701 of the Omnibus 

6 Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 

7 3796dd) is amended— 

8 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol9 lows: 

10 ‘‘(a) GRANT AUTHORIZATION.—The Attorney Gen11 eral shall carry out grant programs under which the Attor12 ney General makes grants to States, units of local govern13 ment, Indian tribal governments, other public and private 

14 entities, multi-jurisdictional or regional consortia, and in15 dividuals for the purposes described in subsections (b), (c), 

16 (d), and (e). Grants under this subsection shall be award17 ed on a competitive basis.’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (b)— 

19 (A) by striking the subsection heading text 

20 and inserting ‘‘COMMUNITY POLICING AND

21 CRIME PREVENTION GRANTS’’; 

22 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘, to in23 crease the number of officers deployed in com24 munity-oriented policing’’; 

25 (C) by amending paragraph (4) to read as 

26 follows: 
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1 ‘‘(4) award grants to pay for or train officers 

2 hired to perform intelligence, anti-terror, or home3 land security duties;’’; 

4 (D) by inserting after paragraph (4) the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(5) award grants to hire school resource offi7 cers and to establish school-based partnerships be8 tween local law enforcement agencies and local 

9 school systems to combat crime, gangs, drug activi10 ties, and other problems in and around elementary 

11 and secondary schools;’’; 

12 (E) by striking paragraph (9); 

13 (F) by redesignating paragraphs (10) 

14 through (12) as paragraphs (9) through (11), 

15 respectively; 

16 (G) by striking paragraph (13); 

17 (H) by redesignating paragraphs (14) 

18 through (17) as paragraphs (12) through (15), 

19 respectively; 

20 (I) in paragraph (14), as so redesignated, 

21 by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

22 (J) in paragraph (15), as so redesignated, 

23 by striking the period at the end and inserting 

24 a semicolon; and 

25 (K) by adding at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘(16) establish and implement innovative pro2 grams to reduce and prevent illegal drug manufac3 turing, distribution, and use, including the manufac4 turing, distribution, and use of methamphetamine; 

5 ‘‘(17) hire and rehire civilian forensic analysts 

6 and laboratory personnel; 

7 ‘‘(18) establish criminal gang enforcement task 

8 forces, consisting of members of Federal, State, and 

9 local law enforcement authorities (including Federal, 

10 State, and local prosecutors), for the coordinated in11 vestigation, disruption, apprehension, and prosecu12 tion of criminal gangs and offenders involved in local 

13 or multi-jurisdictional gang activities; and 

14 ‘‘(19) award enhancing community policing and 

15 crime prevention grants that meet emerging law en16 forcement needs.’’; 

17 (3) by striking subsection (c); 

18 (4) by striking subsections (h) and (i); 

19 (5) by redesignating subsections (d) through (g) 

20 as subsections (f) through (i), respectively; 

21 (6) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(c) TROOPS-TO-COPS PROGRAMS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Grants made under sub25 section (a) may be used to hire former members of 
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1 the Armed Forces to serve as career law enforce2 ment officers for deployment in community-oriented 

3 policing, particularly in communities that are ad4 versely affected by a recent military base closing. 

5 ‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, ‘former 

6 member of the Armed Forces’ means a member of 

7 the Armed Forces of the United States who has 

8 been honorably discharged from the Armed Forces 

9 of the United States. 

10 ‘‘(d) COMMUNITY PROSECUTORS PROGRAM.—The 

11 Attorney General may make grants under subsection (a) 

12 to pay for additional community prosecuting programs, in13 cluding programs that assign prosecutors to— 

14 ‘‘(1) handle cases from specific geographic 

15 areas; and 

16 ‘‘(2) address counter-terrorism problems, spe17 cific violent crime problems (including intensive ille18 gal gang, gun, and drug enforcement) and quality of 

19 life initiatives, and localized violent and other crime 

20 problems based on needs identified by local law en21 forcement agencies, community organizations, and 

22 others. 

23 ‘‘(e) TECHNOLOGY GRANTS.—The Attorney General 

24 may make grants under subsection (a) to develop and use 

25 new technologies (including interoperable communications 
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1 technologies, modernized criminal record technology, and 

2 forensic technology) to assist State and local law enforce3 ment agencies in reorienting the emphasis of their activi4 ties from reacting to crime to preventing crime and to 

5 train law enforcement officers to use such technologies.’’; 

6 (7) in subsection (f), as so redesignated— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘to 

8 States, units of local government, Indian tribal 

9 governments, and to other public and private 

10 entities,’’; 

11 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘define 

12 for State and local governments, and other pub13 lic and private entities,’’ and inserting ‘‘estab14 lish’’; 

15 (C) in the first sentence of paragraph (3), 

16 by inserting ‘‘(including regional community po17 licing institutes)’’ after ‘‘training centers or fa18 cilities’’; and 

19 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(4) EXCLUSIVITY.—The Office of Community 

21 Oriented Policing Services shall be the exclusive 

22 component of the Department of Justice to perform 

23 the functions and activities specified in this part.’’; 

24 (8) in subsection (g), as so redesignated, by 

25 striking ‘‘may utilize any component’’, and all that 
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1 follows and inserting ‘‘shall use the Office of Com2 munity Oriented Policing Services of the Depart3 ment of Justice in carrying out this part.’’; 

4 (9) in subsection (h), as so redesignated— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘subsection (a)’’ the first 

6 place that term appears and inserting ‘‘para7 graphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b)’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘in each fiscal year pursu9 ant to subsection (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘in each 

10 fiscal year for purposes described in paragraph 

11 (1) and (2) of subsection (b)’’; 

12 (10) in subsection (i), as so redesignated— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘the Federal share shall 

14 decrease from year to year for up to 5 years’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘unless the Attorney General 

16 waives the non-Federal contribution require17 ment as described in the preceding sentence, 

18 the non-Federal share of the costs of hiring or 

19 rehiring such officers may be less than 25 per20 cent of such costs for any year during the grant 

21 period, provided that the non-Federal share of 

22 such costs shall not be less than 25 percent in 

23 the aggregate for the entire grant period, but 

24 the State or local government should make an 
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1 effort to increase the non-Federal share of such 

2 costs during the grant period’’; and 

3 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

4 sentence: ‘‘The preceding sentences shall not 

5 apply with respect to any program, project, or 

6 activity provided by a grant made pursuant to 

7 subsection (b)(4).’’; and 

8 (11) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(j) RETENTION OF ADDITIONAL OFFICER POSI10 TIONS.—For any grant under paragraph (1) or (2) of sub11 section (b) for hiring or rehiring career law enforcement 

12 officers, a grant recipient shall retain each additional law 

13 enforcement officer position created under that grant for 

14 not less than 12 months after the end of the period of 

15 that grant, unless the Attorney General waives, wholly or 

16 in part, the retention requirement of such grant. 

17 ‘‘(k) TREATMENT OF GRANT FOR HIRING CIVILIAN

18 FORENSIC ANALYSTS AND LABORATORY PERSONNEL.— 

19 A grant awarded under this section for hiring and rehiring 

20 of civilian forensic analysts and laboratory personnel (in 

21 accordance with paragraph (17) of subsection (b)) shall 

22 be subject to the same treatment, limitations, and renewal 

23 requirements under this part as grants awarded under this 

24 section for hiring and rehiring of career law enforcement 
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1 personnel (in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2) of 

2 subsection (b)).’’. 

3 (b) APPLICATIONS.—Section 1702 of the Omnibus 

4 Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 

5 3796dd–1) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (c)— 

7 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

8 by inserting ‘‘, unless waived by the Attorney 

9 General’’ after ‘‘under this part shall’’; and 

10 (B) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘share of 

11 the cost’’ and all that follows and inserting 

12 ‘‘share of the costs during the grant period, 

13 how the applicant will maintain the increased 

14 hiring level of the law enforcement officers, and 

15 how the applicant will eventually assume re16 sponsibility for all of the costs for such offi17 cers;’’; and 

18 (2) by striking subsection (d). 

19 (c) RENEWAL OF GRANTS.—Section 1703 of the Om20 nibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

21 U.S.C. 3796dd–2) is amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 1703. RENEWAL OF GRANTS. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

24 (b), a grant made under this part may be renewed, without 

25 limitations on the duration of such renewal, to provide ad-
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1 ditional funds if the Attorney General determines that the 

2 funds made available to the recipient were used in a man3 ner required under an approved application and if the re4 cipient can demonstrate significant progress in achieving 

5 the objectives of the initial application. 

6 ‘‘(b) GRANTS FOR HIRING.—Grants made under this 

7 part for hiring or rehiring additional career law enforce8 ment officers may be renewed for up to 5 years, except 

9 that the Attorney General may waive such 5-year limita10 tion for good cause. 

11 ‘‘(c) NO COST EXTENSIONS.—Notwithstanding sub12 sections (a) and (b), the Attorney General may extend a 

13 grant period, without limitations as to the duration of 

14 such extension, to provide additional time to complete the 

15 objectives of the initial grant award.’’. 

16 (d) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Section 1704 

17 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

18 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd–3) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘that would, in the absence 

21 of Federal funds received under this part, be 

22 made available from State or local sources’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘that the Attorney General determines 

24 would, in the absence of Federal funds received 

25 under this part, be made available for the pur-
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1 pose of the grant under this part from State or 

2 local sources’’; and 

3 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

4 sentence: ‘‘The preceding sentence shall not 

5 apply with respect to funds made available 

6 under this part by a grant made pursuant to 

7 subsection (a) for the purposes described in 

8 subsection (b)(4).’’; and 

9 (2) by striking subsection (c). 

10 (e) STUDY OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS.—Section 

11 1705 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act 

12 of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd–4) is amended by adding at 

13 the end the following new subsection: 

14 ‘‘(d) STUDY OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall 

16 provide for a scientific study of the effectiveness of 

17 the programs, projects, and activities funded under 

18 this part in reducing crime. Such study shall include 

19 identified best practices for community policing that 

20 have demonstrated results for building and strength21 ening the relationship between police departments 

22 and the communities such departments serve. 

23 ‘‘(2) STUDY.—The Attorney General shall se24 lect one or more institutions of higher education, in-
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1 cluding historically Black colleges and universities, 

2 to conduct the study described in paragraph (1). 

3 ‘‘(3) REPORTS.—Not later than 4 years after 

4 the date of the enactment of the COPS Improve5 ments Act of 2009, the institution or institutions se6 lected under paragraph (2) shall report the findings 

7 of the study described in paragraph (1) to the Attor8 ney General. Not later than 30 days after the receipt 

9 of such report, the Attorney General shall report 

10 such findings to the appropriate committees of Con11 gress, along with any recommendations the Attorney 

12 General may have relating to the effectiveness of the 

13 programs, projects, and activities funded under this 

14 part in reducing crime.’’. 

15 (f) ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS.—Section 1706 of the 

16 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

17 U.S.C. 3796dd–5) is amended— 

18 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘REV19 OCATION OR SUSPENSION OF FUNDING’’ and in20 serting ‘‘ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS’’; and 

21 (2) by striking ‘‘revoke or suspend’’ and all that 

22 follows and inserting ‘‘take any enforcement action 

23 available to the Department of Justice.’’. 

24 (g) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1709(1) of the Omnibus 

25 Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
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1 3796dd–8(1)) is amended by inserting ‘‘who is a sworn 

2 law enforcement officer’’ after ‘‘permanent basis’’. 

3 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

4 1001(a)(11) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

5 Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3793(a)(11)) is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

8 ‘‘1,047,119,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 

9 through 2009’’ and inserting ‘‘1,800,000,000 for 

10 each of fiscal years 2009 through 2014’’; and 

11 (2) in subparagraph (B)— 

12 (A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘3 

13 percent may be used for technical assistance 

14 under section 1701(d)’’ and inserting ‘‘5 per15 cent may be used for technical assistance under 

16 section 1701(f)’’; and 

17 (B) by striking the second sentence and in18 serting the following: ‘‘Of the funds available 

19 for grants under part Q, not less than 

20 $1,250,000,000 shall be used for grants for the 

21 purposes specified in section 1701(b), not more 

22 than $200,000,000 shall be used for grants 

23 under section 1701(d), and not more than 

24 $350,000,000 shall be used for grants under 

25 section 1701(e).’’. 
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1 (i) PURPOSES.—Section 10002 of the Public Safety 

2 Partnership and Community Policing Act of 1994 (42 

3 U.S.C. 3796dd note) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘development’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘use’’; and 

6 (2) in the matter following paragraph (4), by 

7 striking ‘‘for a period of 6 years’’. 

8 (j) COPS PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 109(b) of the Omni10 bus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

11 U.S.C. 3712h(b)) is amended— 

12 (A) by striking paragraph (1); 

13 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

14 (3) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively; and 

15 (C) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated, 

16 by inserting ‘‘, except for the program under 

17 part Q of this title’’ before the period. 

18 (2) LAW ENFORCEMENT COMPUTER SYS19 TEMS.—Section 107 of the Omnibus Crime Control 

20 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3712f) is 

21 amended by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(c) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply to any 

23 grant made under part Q of this title.’’. 

24 (k) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend25 ments made by this section shall apply with respect to 
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1 grants awarded under part Q of the Omnibus Crime Con2 trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd et 

3 seq.) on or after the date of enactment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 3. REPORT BY INSPECTOR GENERAL REQUIRED. 

5 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

6 of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the 

7 Department of Justice shall submit to Congress a report 

8 on the Public Safety and Community Policing (‘‘COPS 

9 ON THE BEAT’’) grant program authorized by part Q 

10 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 

11 Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd et seq.), including the ele12 ments described in subsection (b). 

13 (b) ELEMENTS OF REPORT.—The report submitted 

14 under subsection (a) shall include information on the fol15 lowing, with respect to the grant program described in 

16 such subsection: 

17 (1) The effect of the program on the rate of 

18 violent crime, drug offenses, and other crimes. 

19 (2) The degree to which State and local govern20 ments awarded a grant under the program con21 tribute State and local funds, respectively, for law 

22 enforcement programs and activities. 

23 (3) Any waste, fraud, or abuse within the pro24 gram. 
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1 (c) RANDOM SAMPLING REQUIRED.—For purposes of 

2 subsection (a), the Inspector General of the Department 

3 of Justice shall audit and review a random sampling of 

4 State and local law enforcement agencies. Such sampling 

5 shall include— 

6 (1) law enforcement agencies of various sizes; 

7 (2) law enforcement agencies that serve various 

8 populations; and 

9 (3) law enforcement agencies that serve areas 

10 of various crime rates. 

Passed the House of Representatives April 23, 2009. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1139 

AN ACT 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

poses. THE BEAT grant program, and for other purStreets Act of 1968 to enhance the COPS ON