On Monday, January 24, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) visited the Wolfeboro Police Department to meet with department leadership and discuss new legislation he recently helped introduce to provide resources for local law enforcement and first responders. The Invest to Protect Act is bipartisan legislation that will secure funding for small police departments to improve training and standards, recruit and retain officers, acquire body camera data storage, and provide mental health resources for officers.
Pappas recently announced his "New Hampshire Safe Communities Agenda," a package of legislation and priorities that he will advocate for to improve safety in communities in every corner of the First District by supporting first responders, frontline workers, and law enforcement.
Pappas was joined Monday by Wolfeboro Police Chief Dean Rondeau, Fire Chief Thomas J. Zotti, and Police Captain Mark Livie for a tour of the department and a roundtable conversation about the efforts Pappas is supporting to provide additional resources to departments like Wolfeboro.
Following the meeting at the Wolfeboro Police Department, Pappas joined Chief Rondeau on his regular radio appearance on WASR in Wolfeboro to talk about the Invest to Protect Act and other initiatives aimed at keeping New Hampshire communities safe.
"I was honored to meet with Chief Rondeau and Wolfeboro Police and Fire leadership to hear directly from them about the important issues a community like Wolfeboro experiences," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "It is so important to understand the reality on the ground for law enforcement and first responders and to bring that experience to Washington. I've introduced legislation that will provide crucial funding for accreditation, officer recruitment and retention, training, and implementing new technologies like body-worn cameras. I will continue to make public safety a top priority and believe more must be done in Washington to support law enforcement at the community level."
Chief Dean Rondeau said, "This new bipartisan legislation goes a long way in helping to fill in some of the gaps we are experiencing now on the ground as we move into a new era in law Enforcement while addressing Community concerns. I am very pleased to see our Congressman Chris Pappas on the front lines of this issue. Clearly, rule of law is most important, and to that end, we owe it to our communities to be proactive on investments in new policing methodologies. Providing safe, clean, and family friendly cities and towns should be a major priority for everyone in governance-and this legislation does just that."
Pappas's New Hampshire Safe Communities Agenda legislative priorities authored by Pappas include:
The Establishing Accreditation Grants for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Act would authorize $10 million in funding for small and mid-sized police departments to earn or renew accreditation from state, regional, tribal or national police accreditation organizations, such as the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). This legislation would help police departments update their standards and best practices to strengthen accountability, enhance community trust, and improve operational effectiveness.
The Federal Initiative to Guarantee Health by Targeting (FIGHT) Fentanyl Act will keep deadly synthetic drugs off the streets by placing fentanyl-related substances permanently on the Schedule I list. Fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death in American adults ages 18 to 45, with 100,000 Americans dying from an overdose annually - the first time we have reached this tragic milestone.
The National ACERT Grant Program Authorization Act would establish a federal grant program to provide resources for law enforcement and first responders to connect with local child specialists and professionals to intervene and mitigate the impacts of childhood trauma. ACEs, or Adverse Childhood Experiences, are events in a child's life which have a heavy impact on their future wellbeing, success in life, and risk of violence. This legislation would allow for the creation of ACE Response Teams (ACERTs) which would deploy as soon as the scene has been cleared to provide services and care to children who have experienced trauma.
The NH Safe Communities Agenda legislative priorities that Pappas has helped introduce include:
The Invest to Protect Act, bipartisan legislation that will secure funding for small police departments to improve training and standards, recruit and retain officers, acquire body camera data storage, and provide mental health resources for officers.
The Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act establishes a grant program to provide resources to local law enforcement agencies to help increase clearance rates for homicides and non-fatal shootings. These DOJ grants would allow PDs to hire and retain detectives and analysts to investigate homicide and non-fatal shootings, acquire resources for evidence processing, and ensure agencies investigating these violent crimes are adequately staffed and funded.
The Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder (HELPER) Act establishes a program to provide mortgage assistance to law enforcement officers, elementary and secondary school teachers, firefighters, or other first responders. Specifically, these individuals may be eligible for a one-time mortgage on a primary family residence with no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance premium.
Original source can be found here.
