President Bush's budget proposal could affect law enforcement officers and first responders here at home. Senator Kent Conrad convened a special field hearing of the U.S. Senate budget committee today in Fargo.
Valley News Live's Steve Poitras has more from the hearing. The president's budget proposal would slash funding one and a half billion dollars, or sixty-five percent, for all state and local law enforcement programs in the department of justice.
Sen. Kent Conrad, North Dakota. "It's breathtaking! We're not just talking about 10% cuts. We're talking about 100% cuts! A hundred percent cut to the cops program. A hundred percent cut to the Byrne and justice assistance grant."
Unsurprisingly, the panel at the hearing was uniformly opposed to the proposed cuts. Arland Rasmussen, West Fargo chief of police,” It’s pay now or pay later. And I think that these programs being cut will significantly reduce our ability to serve our citizens and eventually what it will do is increase crime."
Keith Ternes, Fargo chief of police, "I think it would be an incredible mistake. Matter of fact, to some extent I think it's already been a mistake in terms of the cuts that have already happened."
The bush administration budget proposal would also include a four hundred million dollar cut in firefighter assistance grants, which provide direct assistance to local fire departments. Senator Conrad wants to derail the president's proposals. Conrad, "The senate-passed budget resolution that I authored as chairman of the budget committee rejects those proposed cuts. In total, we provide 3.3 billion dollars more than the president's budget for law enforcement and for our first responders." Similar legislation is moving forward in the house.
