The Jobs For Main Street Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this week would include more than $1 billion to hire 5,000 more local police officers. The bill was passed by only five votes, and its prospects in the Senate are uncertain.
An economic stimulus bill enacted earlier this year by Congress included $1 billion for police officers. There is no question about the demand for such funding. The U.S. Justice Department received applications from states and localities for more than $8 billion, far more than it could fund.