Mayor COPS Out 

June 15, 2005

 

When Congressman Anthony Weiner criticized Mayor Bloomberg for not fighting harder to preserve a Federal grant program that could pay for the hiring of 2,000 cops over the next six years, a Bloomberg spokesman responded that it was Mr. Weiner who was failing to do his job of securing more aid for the city from Washington.

That glib comeback conveniently overlooks the fact that with Republicans controlling the White House and both houses of Congress, a Republican Mayor often has a better chance of securing Federal aid than a Democratic Congressman.

When the Community Oriented Policing Services bill was first approved by Congress in 1994, President Bill Clinton benefited from the advocacy for its passage by Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The program funded police hirings across the country and has helped drive down crime nationally. 

Now President Bush, with the Federal budget gushing red ink from his massive tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy and his costly but misguided war with Iraq, would like to slap a “Mission Accomplished” sticker on the COPS program to save $148 million.

 

If Mr. Bloomberg believes the city can manage without the money to pay for the additional 2,000 cops, let him say so. If not, however, he is the one who has to step up to the plate and argue the city’s cause.