Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-679
Sponsor: Sen. Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2003-03-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Alcohol and youth
Arrest
Authorization
Churches
Community organization
Community policing
Computer software
Computers
Crime prevention
Crimes against the elderly
Criminal statistics
DNA
Data banks
Drug abuse
Drug law enforcement
Drug traffic
Drugs and youth
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Educational statistics
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Emergency Management
Equipment and supplies
Ethics
Explosives
Families
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to law enforcement
Firearms
Forensic medicine
Gangs
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Health
Higher education
Hours of labor
Identification of criminals
Labor and Employment
Maps
Photography
Police
Police communication systems
Police corruption
Police training
Police-community relations
Prosecution
Public prosecutors
Recruiting of employees
Religion
School administration
School discipline
School security
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Social Welfare
Student aid
Students
Technological innovations
Urban affairs
Video tape recording
Voiceprints
Weapons
Wireless communication
Youth violence

Summary:
action_date: 2003-03-20
text: Providing Reliable Officers, Technology, Education, Community Prosecutors, and Training In Our Neighborhoods Act of 2003 or PROTECTION Act - Modifies provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 regarding public safety and community policing ("cops on the beat" program, COPS) to authorize the Attorney General to use COPS grants to: (1) increase prosecutor presence and to enhance law enforcement access to new technologies; (2) pay overtime to existing career law enforcement officers to the extent that such overtime is devoted to community policing; and (3) promote higher education among in-service State and local law enforcement officers by reimbursing them for certain educational costs.
Includes among permitted additional grant projects: (1) specialized integrity and ethics training; and (2) innovative proactive crime control and prevention programs involving school officials and religiously-affiliated organizations.
Authorizes the Attorney General to use up to five percent of appropriated funds for technical assistance and training to States, local governments, Indian tribal governments, and other entities.
Repeals provisions of the Act regarding termination of grants for hiring officers.
Allows grants to be used to assist: (1) police departments in employing specified professional, scientific, and technological advancements; and (2) State, local, or tribal prosecutors' offices in implementation of community-based prosecution programs that build on local community policing efforts. Reserves specified funds for local governmental units with a population of less than 50,000.
Authorizes the Attorney General to use no more than 50 percent of grant renewal funds to award grants targeted for police officer retention.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-03-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2003-03-20
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4177-4178)
action_date: 2003-03-20
text: Introduced in Senate