Kuster Pushes to Renew Federal Funding for New Hampshire Police Departments

Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) cosponsored H.R. 6375, the COPS on the Beat Grant Program Reauthorization and Parity Act. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes and updates the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to ensure local police departments have the necessary resources to keep Granite Staters safe. The legislation will help to promote training programs and foster community policing programs to improve relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

"Granite State law enforcement officers put themselves in harm's way to keep our communities safe every single day," said Rep. Kuster. "I am proud to help advance the COPS on the Beat Grant Program Reauthorization and Parity Act to reauthorize and update the COPS program and ensure police departments across New Hampshire can continue to effectively serve our rural communities. I look forward to working with my colleagues from across the aisle to get this critical legislation signed into law to keep our nation's police officers safe on the job."

The COPS program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, provides law enforcement agencies with financial assistance to hire law enforcement officers, provide training, and advance community policing efforts. The COPS on the Beat Grant Program Reauthorization and Parity Act reauthorizes the COPS program through 2031, ensuring this important funding stream continues to be available to law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire. Additionally, the bill updates the COPS program to better meet the needs of agencies in rural and low-income communities. The bill allows COPS hiring grant funding to be used by rural departments to increase law enforcement wages, while also reducing barriers that have historically prevented smaller departments from accessing these funds, such as excessive cost-sharing burdens or limitations on the availability of resources.

Source