Study finds additional police resources can be an effective way to reduce crime

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, during the Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Director Ronald L. Davis of the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) announced the release of the report, The Effects of COPS Office Funding on Sworn Force Levels, Crime, and Arrests, by researchers from the University of Chicago, Duke University, and Cornell University. This report identifies the measurable effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5 (the Recovery Act) on police staffing levels and crime in America.

As part of the Recovery Act, the COPS Office was awarded $1 billion through the COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) to create or preserve 4,699 sworn law enforcement positions for a three-year period. According to the study, CHRP funding not only increased officers per capita in 2009, it also led to declines in reported UCR Part 1 crimes of approximately five percent in subsequent years. Additionally, a similar estimated decline in arrests was found in 2010.

“This study not only validate the overall effectiveness of the COPS Office hiring program, it reinforces the value of community policing and underscores that crime decreases are possible without producing subsequent rises in arrests,” said COPS Office Director Davis.

The full study, The Effects of COPS Office Funding on Sworn Force Levels, Crime, and Arrests: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design is available here: http://ric-zai-inc.com/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-W0827.

The summary document, Executive Summary: The Effects of COPS Office Funding on Sworn Force Levels, Crime, and Arrests - Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design is available here: http://ric-zai-inc.com/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-W0828.

The COPS Office, headed by Director Ronald Davis, is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 129,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance.

For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.