On March 28, President Joe Biden submitted to Congress his proposed $5.8 trillion budget plan for fiscal year (FY) 2023. In it, he calls for an increase of $1.7 billion in spending for federal law enforcement. LAAPOA, through its partnership with the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), has been calling for bipartisan congressional action to increase funding for law enforcement, and we applaud the president for keeping his commitment to do just that in his State of the Union address in March.

LAAPOA joins PORAC and law enforcement nationwide in urging Congress to include these funding increases in the final budget. The request lays out the administration’s funding priorities for the coming year and includes key investments in federal grant programs for the law enforcement community.

According to PORAC, the budget proposal for FY 2023 would devote more than $37 billion in discretionary resources for the Department of Justice — an increase of $2.63 billion over the previous year’s enacted level. It also includes key resources for several public safety initiatives, including:

• $6.24 billion for the Office of Justice Programs to support critical longstanding Justice Department grant programs, including Byrne JAG grants, Project Safe Neighborhoods and programs that serve victims of crime, among others.
• $2.83 billion for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to support the hiring of police and sworn law enforcement personnel nationwide and the implementation of community-based strategies to combat violent crime.
• $1 billion to support Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs, including those that provide critical resources to all states and territories to fund police, prosecutors, courts and victim services, as well as resources to provide legal assistance for victims, transitional housing, and homicide and domestic violence reduction initiatives.
• $30 billion in new mandatory resources to support law enforcement, crime prevention, community violence intervention and justice system reform. The administration will be providing additional details on this mandatory funding in the coming weeks.

“LAAPOA commends President Biden’s call for Congress to increase the budget for funding federal programs that provide invaluable resources to state and local law enforcement agencies,” LAAPOA President Marshall McClain says. “This move clearly shows that the pendulum is swinging back in support of public safety and law and order. It’s high time we refund the police so our peace officers have the much-needed resources to safely and effectively protect our communities and address the uptick in violent crime nationwide. This funding will also enable law enforcement to establish and maintain vital programs that advance community policing efforts and help build and restore trust between police and those they serve — something that’s needed now more than ever.”

LAAPOA will keep members apprised of updates regarding the president’s budget request, as well as police reform and public safety legislation.