May 6, 2015

With Republican Budget Threatening Body Camera Funding for Police Departments, Brown Calls for Full Funding Of Vital Byrne JAG Program

Ohio Law Enforcement Agencies have Received More than $15 Million Last Fiscal Year through Program; Republican Budget Agreement Could Reduce Funding for Critical Police Department Grant Program by $24 Million. The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program Has Helped More than 600 Police Departments Nationwide Utilize Body Cameras, Which Have Been Found to Reduce Citizen Complaints by as Much as 88 Percent

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With a Republican budget proposal that could slash a critical grant program that has provided more than $15 million to help Ohio police departments utilize body cameras and other innovative technologies, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is urging the full funding of the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program. The budget agreement submitted by Republicans could cut funding for Byrne JAG by $24 million.

“We need to give police departments the resources they need to rebuild trust with their communities,” Brown said. “Instead of slashing funding at time when departments are struggling, we should be investing in expanded law enforcement training, resources for department reform, and new technology like body cameras. Now is not the time to cut funding that our local police departments use to serve their communities. Local municipalities and departments use Byrne JAG grants to test new approaches to community policing efforts, and to incorporate innovative tools like body cameras.”

Brown was joined on a news conference call today by Ohio Fraternal Order of Police President Jay McDonald. McDonald discussed how the Byrne JAG program helps Ohio law enforcement agencies secure critical tools and equipment to keep communities safe. Brown also released a county-by-county report detailing the more than $15 million in Byrne JAG Program funding Ohio police departments have received in the last fiscal year.

"Now is not the time to reduce investment in law enforcement," McDonald said. "Too many Ohio police departments have been devastated by the economy and are forced to deal with increasingly stretched local budgets. That's why these grants are so important. By providing cities and local law enforcement agencies with the resources to secure the latest technology and the best equipment, we'll improve service to our communities and ensure the safety of law enforcement officials."

More than 600 JAG recipients nationwide have used federal funding for police camera technology. This technology has been found to reduce the use of force by officers by as much as 60 percent, reduce citizen complaints by as much as 88 percent, assist in resolving complaints against the police, and reduce the likelihood of false complaints against the police.

Brown led a group of 17 senators in writing to Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran, to request full funding for the President’s proposal for a three-year, $263 million investment in body-worn cameras, expanded law enforcement training, and additional resources for police department reform.

In addition to Brown, the letter was signed by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Al Franken (D-MN), Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-OR), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

A copy of the letter can be found below.

May 5, 2015

The Honorable Thad Cochran

Chairman

Senate Committee on Appropriations

Room S 128, The Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Cochran,

We write to strongly urge you to reverse the drastic funding cuts to police training and body cameras in the Republican Budget Conference report. Unfortunately, the sequestration cuts in the FY 2016 Budget Conference Agreement could reduce funding by $24 million for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program, a key funding program that municipalities and police departments rely on to fund innovative tools like body cameras.

The dramatic cuts to federal law enforcement funding in the Republican budget are out of step with the needs of community policing efforts on the ground across America. Many state and local governments use these federal funding programs to test emerging approaches to public safety challenges, such as the use of body cameras by state and local police officers to document police interactions. In 2012 and 2013, over 600 JAG recipients nationwide used federal funding for police camera technology.[1]

Recent events in Cleveland, Ohio; Baltimore, Maryland; Ferguson, Missouri; and elsewhere across the nation make funding that supports investment in body-worn camera technology by state and local law enforcement all the more critical. According to the Department of Justice, “body-worn camera technology is a valuable tool for improving police-citizen relationships.”[2] In some instances, body worn cameras have been found to reduce the use of force by officers by as much as 60 percent, reduce citizen complaints by as much as 88 percent, assist in resolving complaints against the police, and reduce the likelihood of false complaints against the police.[3]

In addition to our request that you reverse the drastic cuts made to the Byrne JAG program, we also request that you fully fund the President’s proposal for a three-year $263 million investment in body-worn cameras, expanded law enforcement training, and additional resources for police department reform. These funds would not only provide important additional resources for overburdened state and local law enforcement agencies, they could also go a long way towards restoring relationships between law enforcement and the communities that they serve and protect. As Attorney General Loretta Lynch highlighted in a press release announcing the DOJ’s body-worn camera pilot program, “[b]ody-worn cameras hold tremendous promise for enhancing transparency, promoting accountability, and advancing public safety for law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.”[4]

Trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve is necessary not only for the stability and safety of our communities, but also for the integrity of our criminal justice system. We strongly urge you to fully fund these vital law enforcement grant programs.

Sincerely,

Sherrod Brown Kirsten E. Gillibrand