Sponsors (3)
The bill channels federal grants to expand local capacity to investigate and prevent auto theft—especially in high-theft areas—improving recoveries and easing local budgets, but it increases federal spending and surveillance risks, may favor better-resourced jurisdictions, and could shift funds away from non‑policing solutions.
Drivers, victims of auto theft, and communities in high-theft areas will see more funded investigators, patrols, equipment, and joint task forces to increase arrests and vehicle recoveries, reducing auto-theft rates.
Local governments in communities with recent high auto-theft levels will be prioritized for competitive subgrants so resources go first to areas with the greatest need.
Local governments and police departments will face less direct budget pressure because federal grants fund personnel, equipment, overtime, and task forces that they might otherwise pay for locally.
Taxpayers nationwide will fund the program (about $30M/year through FY2026–2030 and potential reallocations), increasing federal spending that could crowd out other priorities or lead to reallocation of existing COPS funds.
Drivers and community members may face increased surveillance and data collection (e.g., license-plate readers and expanded law-enforcement databases), raising privacy and civil‑liberties concerns if governance and limits are weak.
Small, rural, or lower-capacity jurisdictions may be left underfunded because competitive grants and State-administered distribution favor agencies with grant-writing capacity and administrative resources.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Creates a COPS-run grant program authorizing $30M/year (FY2026–2030) for state and local efforts to prevent and investigate auto theft, and adds auto-theft prevention to COPS allowable uses.
Creates a federal Auto Theft Prevention Grant Program within the DOJ COPS Office to fund state and local law enforcement efforts to prevent, investigate, and disrupt auto theft and stolen vehicle trafficking. It authorizes $30 million per year for FY2026–2030, requires states to distribute at least half of each grant as competitive local subgrants (prioritizing high-auto-theft localities), and explicitly adds auto-theft prevention and related data/research to allowable uses of COPS grants. The bill defines key terms (State, locality, state and local law enforcement), sets eligible grant uses (equipment, hiring, overtime, training, task forces, data collection, and up to 5% admin), and directs the COPS Director to create the program within 60 days of enactment with allocation formulas tied to each State’s recent auto theft levels.
Official title: To provide funding to State and local law enforcement agencies to combat auto theft and stolen automobile trafficking, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 20, 2025 by Mikie Sherrill · Last progress January 20, 2025