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U.S.
Senator Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees |
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For Immediate
Release October 10, 2006 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852 |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar, who was Attorney General of Colorado during the Columbine tragedy in 1999, led several colleagues today in sending a letter to President Bush requesting that past cuts in the President’s budget for the COPS in Schools (CIS) and Secure our Schools (SOS) programs not be repeated in the President’s 2008 budget. CIS was created in response to the 1999 tragedy in Columbine, Colorado and has funded more than 6,000 law enforcement officials trained to engage in community police work in and around schools. SOS provides funding to law enforcement agencies to partner with schools for the acquisition of crime prevention equipment, staff, and training. For example, SOS grants have covered the cost of metal detectors and other hardware, security assessments, and security training for students and school personnel. In the letter to President Bush, Senator Salazar and his colleagues write, “Despite the fact that CIS and SOS enjoy the strong support of both law enforcement and school officials, you have proposed zero funding for both programs in each of your previous five budget requests…As experts will likely reiterate at the White House conference on school violence…America’s children spend more time in school than anywhere outside the home. This places enormous responsibility on teachers, administrators, security staff, and law enforcement officials to keep them safe, and the federal government must do everything possible to support this complex effort.” The Senators request that the President’s FY 2008 budget include $200 million for the CIS program and at least $15 million to the SOS program. The complete letter can be accessed by clicking here. # # #
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