Reno, Police Oppose Cuts In Crime Law

Attorney General Janet Reno and representatives of six police organizations attacked Republican proposals Friday to cut spending authorized by last year’s crime law.

“Proposals to scale back our fight against violent crime shouldn’t have even been on the table,” Reno told a news conference at the Justice Department. “These cuts could mean fewer cells to house violent criminals and fewer police on America’s streets to fight them. When we make promises, we ought to keep them.”

The crime law provided a $30 billion trust fund to pay for anticrime efforts, including money to help add 100,000 police officers over six years in community policing programs designed to put them in closer touch with citizens. The savings from eliminating 272,000 federal employes were pledged to the trust fund.

On Thursday, the House Budget Committee voted to cut discretionary spending by $100 billion over five years. Committee Chairman John Kasich, R-Ohio, who voted for the crime bill last year, issued a list of proposed cuts to meet the target and included a plan to eliminate $5 billion from the crime control trust fund.

“The police of this country are outraged,” said Chris Sullivan, legislative director of the International Brotherhood of Police Organizations.

Bud Meeks, executive director of National Sheriffs Association, said 1,800 sheriffs applied for money to hire deputies under the crime law and 1,300 got assistance. “It’s illadvised to cut back now, especially when we see a ray of hope. Community policing is working.”