Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco Delivers Remarks on the 30th Anniversary of the COPS Office

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Director Clements, for that generous introduction and for your leadership. I’m grateful for the work you and your team do every day.

And I’m honored to welcome everyone here as we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services — or, as it’s been known for a long time by its many partners and fans — simply, the COPS Office.

It’s here in the Great Hall where we mark the Department’s biggest accomplishments — and today is one of those. 

I’m thrilled to be able to welcome so many law enforcement and community partners, and champions of the COPs office and its mission to the Department today.

To leaders from more than half a dozen national law enforcement associations: thank you for joining us and for your ongoing partnership.

And a special thanks to the former Directors of the COPS Office who are here today for this celebration. Welcome back.

Your contributions and collaboration have been the engine behind COPS’ success for 30 years.

And because of that work – history will show that the investments made by the COPS Office since 1994 have been a game changer for the communities we serve.

After all, that’s the model the COPS Office has pursued for decades.

It’s the season for anniversaries of transformational public safety legislation.

Last week, we marked the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act — a landmark law addressing sexual assault and domestic violence, passed in 1994 as part of the same anti-crime legislation that contained the original COPS grants.

I’m fortunate to have had a front-row seat to both of these groundbreaking, bipartisan achievements in public safety as a young staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

That’s where I first met so many of the folks who made the COPS Office possible – leaders who have been steadfast partners ever since.

That early experience led me to a career in law and public service — and to my first job in the Justice Department a few years later as Counsel to Janet Reno. 

She was a huge champion of community policing and the COPS Office.

In fact, I recall attending one of her last speeches as Attorney General to the International Association of Chiefs of Police when she said the following:

“Policing is one of the most difficult and complex professions I know of. It is one of the most important all over the world. For police are the human face, the very essence of government that its citizens see.”

Her words then captured why community policing is so necessary today in our mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our communities safe, and protect civil rights.

Because for police to protect our communities — they need to know and have the trust of the communities they serve.

And so, for the past three decades, day and night, year after year, that’s what the COPS Office has helped its partners do.

The Office started big — putting 100,000 new police officers on our streets.  

Since then, it’s invested $20 billion in more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies across the country.  

Those investments have meant:

• More sworn officers in our communities thanks to the COPS Hiring Program;
• More training for officers to build robust partnerships where they work;
• More resources to keep schools safe, combat the spread of deadly drugs, and improve officer safety and wellbeing; and
• More resources to respond to mass violence incidents and identify lessons learned to prevent future tragedies — like the comprehensive review of the tragedy in Uvalde.

Investments like these are more important now than ever.

For the past three years, the Justice Department has been executing a comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime — one rooted in local communities.

And we’re seeing promising trends in the form of crimes prevented and lives saved.

According to available data from 2023 — murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault show considerable declines from 2022.

And in nearly 90 major cities across the country today, violent crime has continued to drop during the first six months of this year compared to the same time period last year, including a 17% decrease in homicides.

When I meet with federal, state, local, and Tribal partners across this country, I hear a common refrain: that the COPS Office is crucial in the effort to keep our communities safe.

So, over the years, the COPS Office has expanded its expertise and support.

From putting more cops on the beat to advancing school safety;

• To stopping deadly drugs like fentanyl from devastating our communities;
• To promoting officer safety and wellness;
• To providing training and best practices on de-escalation and responding to active shooters and other critical incidents.

But through it all, COPS’ purpose has remained constant: to help communities build public safety capacity — and as importantly: to help law enforcement professionals build resilience. 

Because being a law enforcement professional is more challenging than ever — and those who step up to protect us face more and more demands.

So, in that vein, I’m pleased to announce investments this year by the Department to support the wellbeing of officers.

Including:

• $9.1 million for the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act Program to support access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement officers.
• And later this fall, the COPS Office will award more than $17 million for Safer Outcomes: Enhancing De-Escalation and Crisis Response Training for Law Enforcement – dollars to train officers and mental health workers to de-escalate volatile situations.

We still have much to do to ensure every person feels safe in their community.

But I am inspired by how far we’ve come and hopeful about where we’re going.

Here’s to 30 more years.

Thank you.