Fla. agencies counting on stimulus aid

By Vanessa Blum and Rafael Olmeda
Sun-Sentinel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A new heliport. A hospital prison ward. Crime lab enhancements.

Those are some of the projects South Florida law enforcement officials hope to get off the ground with grant money from the federal stimulus package.

The bill sets aside $4 billion to help police agencies nationwide -- money the U.S. Department of Justice intends to award by late summer. Officials estimate close to $300 million will come to Florida.

Although it would represent a sliver of the overall $787 billion in spending, the cash infusion could be a lifeline for local police officials facing massive budget cuts in the current economic crisis.

"Clearly, there's an important connection between safety and security of our communities and economic recovery," said Matt Nosanchuk, a legislative aide to Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. "If people don't feel that their streets and communities are safe, they're not going to go out as much or open businesses."

Of the stimulus funding, $2 billion will go to support state and local law enforcement projects related to crime fighting, prosecution, witness protection, corrections and other expenses.

An additional $1 billion is set aside to assist tribal and rural law enforcement, aid crime victims, prevent violence against women and fight child sex predators.

Broward County officials said they plan to request $6.5 million for law enforcement-related projects, including $3.5 million to build a corrections ward at Broward General Medical Center and $300,000 for a heliport for the Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Everglades station.

Other items on the county's wish list: funds for counseling sexual assault victims, gang prevention, alternatives to juvenile detention, and enhancements for the Broward Sheriff's Office crime lab.

Law enforcement officials have another important reason for eyeing the federal stimulus dollars: hiring.

As budget crunches threaten mass layoffs, the funds could breathe new life into COPS, a popular hiring initiative of the Clinton administration. The Community Oriented Policing Services program helps local agencies boost their manpower by supporting a starting officer's salary for three years.

The stimulus bill provides $1 billion in grants to employ more than 5,000 new officers across the country. That's compared to just $20 million for hiring distributed in 2008.

The money in the stimulus package signals that President Barack Obama and the Democratic-led Congress stand ready to renew the high-profile program, which was cut severely under the Bush administration.

Speaking this month to the Miami Police Department, Vice President Joe Biden said COPS grants would save and create police jobs and strengthen the economy.

Opponents of including COPS funding in the stimulus bill have complained it would do little to help the economy and said the program had no measurable effects on crime rates.

Corey Ray, a COPS spokesman, said the Justice Department wants to get the new money out quickly. Agencies can begin applying for the grants today, Ray said.

There are no earmarks for particular regions or police agencies in the stimulus bill, Ray said. Typically, some funds go to each state and are split between metropolitan and rural areas.

"It's open to all and it's a competitive program," he said.

Since 1994, Broward County agencies have used COPS funds to hire almost 900 new police officers. In Palm Beach County, grants funded more than 350 new positions. Most of the gains came between 1994 and 1999.

The biggest winners locally have been the Miami Police Department, Broward Sheriff's Office and the Palm Beach County School District, which received nearly $6 million in 2001 to hire 47 school police officers.

Broward Sheriff's spokesman Jim Leljedal said the agency has not made firm plans to request federal grant money, but would look into it.

"If there's money available and we are able to put more deputies on the streets, then we'll be looking at that," Leljedal said. "We would be remiss if we didn't."

In Boca Raton, budget shortfalls forced the police department to lay off four commanding officers, two captains, an assistant chief and a commander during the 2007-08 budget year. The department, which employs almost 200 sworn police officers, also has cut community relations efforts, such as sending officers into area schools.

"We're really concentrating on keeping our officers out there patrolling," said Assistant Chief Edgar Morley. "Like everyone else, we're concerned with the economic times and the increase in crime."

During the 1990s, COPS grants paid for 10 new hires in Boca Raton. But city officials have not decided whether they will pursue the new funding, Morley said.

One factor is whether the police department can assume the long-term cost of additional officers, who must be kept on after federal funds run dry, he said.

George Forman, chief financial officer for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, cited the same concern: "We have to be sure we can retain those deputies when the funding is up."

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