Biden urges cities to spend earlier Covid relief money on police, crime prevention

Biden urges cities to spend Covid relief money on police, crime prevention President Joe Biden urged states and cities to use unspent money from the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package to fund crime prevention programs and hire police. YahooNews

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday urged states and cities to use unspent money from last year’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief package to fund crime prevention programs and hire police officers.

The president stressed the need for more funding of public safety programs at a White House event with mayors and law enforcement officials.

“To every governor, every mayor, every county official, the need is clear, my message is clear: Spend this money now; use these funds we made available to you; prioritize public safety,” Biden said. “Do it quickly before the summer, when crime rates typically surge.”

A number of major cities have reported surges in crime rates since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The White House said it is pushing local governments to spend the money before the summer months, when there has historically been more violent crime compared to winter months.

At least $10 billion from the American Rescue Plan, which Congress passed in March 2021, has already been committed to public safety programs, including domestic violence prevention efforts, drug abuse and mental health services, and bonuses for hiring and retaining police officers, the White House said.

About $6.5 billion was allocated in 2021 by 300 localities and more than half of states, including $2 billion for crime prevention programs to ease the burden on police and $1 billion for bonuses to help recruit and retain public safety workers, the White House said.

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