A bill to support law enforcement officers seeking mental health services was signed into law today. The Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support (COPS) Counseling Act was co-authored by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).
“Law enforcement officers across the country sacrifice so much to keep our communities safe, and they often endure challenging and traumatic situations in the process. Confidential peer counseling programs provide an important mental health outlet for these officers to share their experiences, decompress and receive guidance. This law ensures officers have an opportunity to participate in peer counseling with the confidence that their privacy will be protected. I am grateful that it has been signed into law to support our law enforcement officers,” Grassley said.
“Our law enforcement officers serve and sacrifice for our communities every day, and this law will help ensure they get the mental health support they need. My husband was in federal law enforcement, and I spent eight years working closely with our brave police officers as Nevada’s Attorney General, so I know these men and women face extreme challenges and trauma on the job. I wrote this bill to make a difference for law enforcement in Nevada and across the country, and was proud to stand with President Biden as he signed it into law today,” said Senator Cortez Masto.
The Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support (COPS) Counseling Act will encourage the adoption of law enforcement peer counseling programs across the country and ensure that the information disclosed during peer support counseling sessions by federal law enforcement officers is kept confidential.
Modeled after state confidentiality laws, the COPS Counseling Act will provide confidentiality to federal law enforcement officers who use peer counseling services, excepting admissions of criminal conduct or threats of serious physical harm. The bill will also encourage first responder agencies to adopt peer counseling programs by requiring the Department of Justice to make best practices publicly available on its website and to provide a list of training programs for individuals to become peer support mentors.
Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, alongside Cortez Masto earlier this year also called for full funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program that is the leading source of criminal justice funding for state, local, and tribal governments.
Grassley has authored or helped lead a slate of pro-law enforcement measures this Congress.
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