CONGRESS THREATENS TO ELIMINATE COPS

A congressional plan to eliminate the Community Oriented Policing Services program is a mistake, says Cape Girardeau Police Chief Howard "Butch" Boyd Jr.

A congressional conference committee agreed Wednesday to seek elimination of the COPS program as part of a Justice Department spending bill, Attorney General Janet Reno said Thursday.

President Clinton plans to veto the bill because it would kill COPS and his initiative to put 100,000 new police officers on the streets, Reno said.

"For once, I agree with the president," Boyd said.

He said COPS is one of the few federal programs that positively affects the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Now that the program is in place and two of his officers have 75 percent of their salary coming from the federal government, he doesn't want the program eliminated.

"The program is efficient and it isn't wasteful," Boyd said. "The quality of life in this community has been affected because of the program. We benefit form the president's program."

The COPS program was a major part of the anti-crime law enacted last year and already has placed 25,000 new police officers on city streets, garnering praise from major law enforcement groups.

The Republican-controlled Congress wants to replace the $12.7 billion program and the law's crime-prevention efforts with block grants instead, allowing communities more control of how they spend the money. The block grants would total about $10 billion.

Rep. Bill Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, said in a statement that under the Clinton plan, his congressional district was shortchanged $18.1 million by not subscribing to the block grant program.

Under COPS, Emerson said $1.9 million comes to the district. With block grants, each district would get $20 million. "What we've done with block granting federal funds is added flexibility to states and local communities in fighter crime," he said.

Emerson spokesman Pete Jeffries said the program should be eliminated to cut out the middle man in the federal government. He said not every community needs another cop on the streets. They need communication equipment or other law enforcement needs, he said, not just community police officers.

"The federal program is a one-size-fits-all program that's a straight jacket," he said. "The communities can best decide how to use that money."

But Reno said local politicians would be tempted to use the money to fund regular police services instead of putting more officers on the streets.

"These community police officers are making a difference," she said. "We can't turn back from that now."

And Boyd said the Cape Girardeau Police Department Thursday completed another application to receive federal money to hire three additional officers.

Laura Myers with the Associated Press contributed information to this story.