Sorry, no money for American police

[Bluebear]

BILLINGS, Mont. - Federal funding for the grant program that has helped hire thousands of community police officers across the country may be drying up. After several years of declining financial support, the Bush administration proposed no funding for that hiring program and others like it for the next fiscal year.

Detective Sgt. Mark Mulcahy hit the streets one recent Saturday, checking on convicted sex offenders in Kalispell. It's a duty he believes makes the northwest Montana community safer, but it probably would not exist if a federal program hadn't helped put another cop on the street to free up Mulcahy.

"In the past, we didn't have the opportunity to do this," Mulcahy said in a telephone interview. "It's such a large job, it kind of requires at least one person designated to it."

Administration officials say the Clinton-era effort met its goal of helping put more than 100,000 officers on the streets and in schools across the country, and that there were no guarantees for long-term funding levels.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=8&u=/ap/20040927/ap_on_re_us/community_cops

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In a related story, Bush has budgeted $60 million to "buy off" Iraqi police who are unfit to serve in that police force in hopes that they won't take arms against the "coalition".

[JSJ]

1. and this is bad news, how? nt

[Bluebear]

2. You prefer US policemen lose their jobs while we subsidize fired Iraqis?

Okie dokie.

[JSJ]

3. yep, don't care too much for american cops nt

[warriorjason]

4. National Police Union supports Bush

I don't care about those racist cops. They support Bush...they go down like Bush.

[Bluebear]

5. International Brotherhood of Police Officers endorsed Kerry

[realisticphish]

6. god damn this pisses me off

i may have some small beef with individual cops, but fuck, its the
POLICE, its pretty damn important. how can you not fund the actual homeland security, while claiming to be its proponents?

:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[sandnsea]

7. This was a Kerry plan

Clinton has said so numerous times, Kerry fought for this program. I personally think some small towns could divert their cops to law enforcement instead of sitting at speed traps, but for cities this was absolutely critical. I just don't get how they could cut this program, unless their employment plan is to just lock people up for the cheap labor, plus it reduces the unemployment numbers. It's a twofer. Gads I hate these people, I hate these people.