President George W. Bush’s proposed $2.5 trillion budget for fiscal year 2006 has called for the virtual elimination of a federal grant program for police funding.

The Community Oriented Policing Services Program, or COPS, would see its budget reduced from $499 million to $22 million.

The program began in 1994 and provides police departments with grants for purposes such as hiring officers and buying needed equipment.

The president’s budget message stated the program exceeded the Clinton administration’s goal of hiring 100,000 officers by providing for over 118,000 new officers.

It also called into question the effectiveness of the program, citing a failure to demonstrate significant results and a 30-year-low crime rate as reasons to phase out the funding.

The proposal has received mixed responses from police officials.

The budget cuts will force many departments to use outdated or obsolete equipment and prevent them from hiring or holding onto needed officers, said Joseph Estey, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

“This administration talks about homeland security, but then guts funding for the very programs that help secure our homeland,” Estey said.

DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen said the program had been a significant help to the department. It has provided for a computer-aided dispatch system, in-car laptops, and the hiring of three additional officers last year, Feithen said. The last officer was hired earlier this month.

“The community has benefited greatly from the COPS program,” Feithen said.

Feithen also expressed concern over the president’s proposed elimination of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.

It would have a serious impact on local drug enforcement efforts such as the North Central Narcotics Task Force, Feithen said.

The task force, which currently has two DeKalb officers on its roster, has proved extremely successful in shutting down reported drug activity, Feithen said.

Although University Police have received four officers in the past two years under COPS, the cuts would have a minimal effect on the department, said UP Lt. Matt Kiederlen.

The department is fully staffed and not currently looking to expand, Kiederlen said. He also said expansion is where COPS is designed to provide aid.

Kiederlen said the university has also committed funds to ensure security is maintained on campus.

DeKalb County Sheriff’s police hired three officers under COPS in the past few years and is expected to receive a $20,000 technology grant to upgrade in-car video cameras, said Sheriff Roger Scott.

The officers are now supported by local funding, Scott said.

Scott said although he understood the need to shut down COPS due to a lack of funding, the program served its purpose well.

“It was one of the easiest and most direct ways to get federal funding without bureaucracy,” Scott said.