COPS Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2015

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. Short title This Act may be cited as the COPS Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2015 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 (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), and (e). ; (4) in subsection (c), as so redesignated— (A) in the heading, by striking uses of grant amounts.— 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)— (i) by striking pay for offices pay for or train officers (ii) by inserting , and to provide for the initial hiring of such officers duties (D) by striking paragraph (9); (E) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (8) as paragraphs (6) through (9), 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 enhance school safety and to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems in and around elementary and secondary schools, including assisting schools with emergency preparedness and preventative measures plans for natural disasters and acts of violence and terrorism. ; (G) by striking paragraph (13); (H) by redesignating paragraphs (14), (15), and (16) as paragraphs (13), (14), and (15), respectively; (I) in paragraph (15), as so redesignated, by striking and (J) by redesignating paragraph (17) as paragraph (18); (K) by inserting after paragraph (15), as so redesignated, the following: (16) establish and implement innovative programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug manufacturing, distribution, and use, including the manufacturing, distribution, and use of methamphetamine; and (17) award enhancing community policing and crime prevention grants that meet emerging law enforcement needs, as warranted. ; and (L) in paragraph (18), as so redesignated, by striking through (16) through (17) (5) by striking subsections (h) and (i); (6) by redesignating subsections (d) through (g) as subsections (f) through (i), respectively; (7) by inserting after subsection (c), as so redesignated, the following: (d) Troops-to-Cops programs (1) In general Grants made under subsection (b) may be used to hire 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. (2) Definition In this subsection, former member of the Armed Forces (e) Technology grants The Attorney General may make grants under subsection (b) to develop and use new technologies (including interoperable communications technologies, 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. ; (8) in subsection (f), 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, establish (C) in the first sentence of paragraph (3), by inserting (including regional community policing institutes) training centers or facilities (9) in subsection (h), as so redesignated— (A) by striking subsection (a) paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (c) (B) by striking in each fiscal year pursuant to subsection (a) in each fiscal year for purposes described in paragraph (1) and (2) of subsection (c) (10) in subsection (i), as so redesignated, by striking subsection (a) subsection (b) (11) in subsection (j)(1), by striking subsection (b) subsection (c) (b) Applications Section 1702(c) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 3796dd–1(c) (1) by redesignating paragraphs (8) through (11) as paragraphs (9) through (12), respectively; and (2) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following: (8) if the application is for a grant for officers performing homeland security duties, explain how the applicant intends to coordinate with Federal law enforcement in support of the applicant's homeland security mission; . (c) Limitation on use of funds Section 1704(c) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 3796dd–3(c) $75,000 $125,000 (d) 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) who is authorized who is a sworn law enforcement officer and is authorized (e) 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) (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking fiscal years 2006 through 2009 fiscal years 2015 through 2019 (2) in subparagraph (B)— (A) in the first sentence— (i) by striking 3 percent 5 percent (ii) by striking section 1701(d) section 1701(f) (B) by striking the second sentence and inserting the following: Of the funds available for grants under part Q, not less than $600,000,000 shall be used for grants for the purposes specified in section 1701(c), and not more than $250,000,000 shall be used for grants under section 1701(e).

Summary: COPS Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2015 Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to modify the public safety and community policing grant program (COPS ON THE BEAT grant program) to: (1) establish within the Department of Justice, under the general authority of the Attorney General, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to be headed by a Director; and (2) authorize the Attorney General to carry out more than one such program. Repeals provisions authorizing: (1) the Attorney General to give preferential consideration to applications for hiring and rehiring additional career law enforcement officers that involve a non-federal contribution exceeding a 25% minimum; and (2) the use of such grants to develop and implement either innovative programs to permit members of the community to assist state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in the prevention of crime in the community or new administrative and managerial systems to facilitate the adoption of community-oriented policing as an organization-wide philosophy. Authorizes the use of such grants to: (1) hire school resource officers and establish local partnerships to enhance school safety and to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems in elementary and secondary schools; (2) establish and implement innovative programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug manufacturing, distribution, and use; (3) meet emerging law enforcement needs; (4) hire former members of the Armed Forces to serve as career law enforcement officers for deployment in community-oriented policing; and (5) develop new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention and training. Requires an application for a grant for officers performing homeland security duties to explain how the applicant intends to coordinate with federal law enforcement in support of the applicant's homeland security mission. Increases the limit on grant funding provided for hiring or rehiring a career law enforcement officer, unless the Attorney General grants a waiver, from $75,000 to $125,000. Extends the authorization of appropriations for the program for FY2015-FY2019.