DENVER (KDVR) — Violent crime has been on the rise for the past decade in Colorado, and law enforcement agencies across the state are struggling with recruitment, retention and the resources needed to keep up.
While the governor and state lawmakers have a plan to increase funding and grants for local agencies, the issue isn’t exclusive to Colorado as the White House hopes to support law enforcement across the country.
“The budget provides $3 billion in resources for state and local grants for helping local police officers keep on the beat,” Jared Bernstein on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers said during an interview on FOX31 NOW. You can watch the full interview in the post on digital-staging.kdvr.com.
The president’s budget also includes $30 billion in resources to support law enforcement, crime prevention and community violence prevention, according to the White House. That money also goes to creating more community policing jobs.
There’s $1.7 billion in the budget for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to expand gun trafficking strike forces to tackle gun violence and illegal sales.
“It also strengthens civil rights enforcement, which I have to say is such an important part of this aspect of American policing right now,” Bernstein said.
Specifically, the budget sets aside $367 million to support police reform, hate crime prosecution and $100 million for criminal justice system reform to include more workforce training in the federal prison system.
“So people who are leaving the prison system have a fair chance to get back, get on with their lives, with the kind of training they need to get ahead,” Bernstein said.