Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), led their colleagues in a call for House leadership to bring legislation to the floor that would improve recruitment and retention efforts by police departments while making necessary reforms and improvements.
"We write to urge you to bring legislation to the floor that would bolster the recruitment and retention efforts of police departments while honoring the officers who serve. Our law enforcement professionals show up every day with a steadfast commitment to serving their communities and standing up for equal justice under the law, yet many agencies are understaffed, underfunded, and lack the vital resources and training they need to do their jobs," wrote the lawmakers.
They continued to say, "These practical pieces of bipartisan legislation are necessary to reform, improve, and assist our law enforcement officers and agencies. The bills cover a broad range of issues. They include grants for programs such as hiring mental health professionals, supporting small police departments, and maintaining adequate staffing levels. Passing this legislation will provide departments with the tools they need to strengthen partnerships, build trust, and keep our communities safe."
The full text of the letter can be found below and a PDF is available here.
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy,
We write to urge you to bring legislation to the floor that would bolster the recruitment and retention efforts of police departments while honoring the officers who serve. Our law enforcement professionals show up every day with a steadfast commitment to serving their communities and standing up for equal justice under the law, yet many agencies are understaffed, underfunded, and lack the vital resources and training they need to do their jobs.
These practical pieces of bipartisan legislation are necessary to reform, improve, and assist our law enforcement officers and agencies. The bills cover a broad range of issues. They include grants for programs such as hiring mental health professionals, supporting small police departments, and maintaining adequate staffing levels. Passing this legislation will provide departments with the tools they need to strengthen partnerships, build trust, and keep our communities safe.
Police officers provide critical services to our community. They have faced increasing pressure from an increase in crime rates, the ongoing addiction crisis, and more. These challenges have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our constituents are consistently concerned about the rising levels of crime, and they believe we should immediately provide officers with the resources needed to succeed.
Officers need our support. A 2019 study found that 25% of police departments have been forced to reduce their services due to staffing difficulties. This is unsafe and unsustainable. These bills will help recruit and retain stronger staff to our local police departments and recognize the important work they do.
We ask leadership to individually consider each of these bills when Congress returns from the July 4 district work period. Instead of packaging police funding bills into the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations package, voting on these bills as standalone legislation will increase the likelihood of receiving bipartisan support and better allow members to voice their support for law enforcement.
By taking action now, we can adequately fund law enforcement to ensure public safety and take policing into the 21st century. This will give members the opportunity to show our constituents how we are working to address crime and support police departments and their officers. We respectfully ask that the following bipartisan bills be referred for consideration on the House Floor:
- H.R. 3535 – EAGLE Act of 2021
- H.R. 3923 – Remembering Our Local Heroes Act
- H.R. 5382 – POWER Act
- H.R. 6375 – COPS on the Beat Grant Program Reauthorization and Parity Act of 2022
- H.R. 6448 – Invest to Protect Act of 2022
- H.R. 3172 – HELPER Act of 2021
- H.R. 7300 – Dark Web Interdiction Act of 2022
- H.R. 962 – Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act
- H.R. 7250 – Retain COPS Act of 2022
- H.R. 5788 – SERVICE Act of 2021
- H.R. 6132 – Public Safety Enhancement Act of 2021
- H.R. 7826 – Pathways to Policing Act
- H.R. 7203 – HELPS Retirees Improvement Act of 2022
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Original source can be found here.
