Post from September 22, 2022
Invest to Protect Act will make critical investments in police departments in San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties
WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Josh Harder voted to pass the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act which will make critical, targeted investments in local police departments across the Central Valley. Rep. Harder has been pushing to pass this bill since early this year. The legislation will send additional resources to police departments with fewer than 125 officers.
• In San Joaquin County: Tracy, Lodi, Manteca, Lathrop, Ripon, and Escalon Police Departments will qualify.
• In Stanislaus County: Turlock, Oakdale, Ceres, Riverbank, and Patterson Police Departments will quality.
“Our police departments work every day to keep our community safe, and I’m determined to bring them home the funding they deserve,” said Rep. Harder. “Today, I was proud to vote for the Invest to Protect Act to open up a brand new stream of federal funds for police departments across the Central Valley.”
The Invest to Protect Act will provide the following federal investment to small police departments:
1. Investment for small departments to recruit new officers — helping expand departments and bringing in new, good officers. This investment can also be used by departments to provide retention bonuses to help keep their existing officers and provide investment for officers pursuing graduate degrees in public health, social work, and mental health.
2. Investment for departments to provide mental health resources for their officers.
3. Investments in officer safety, de-escalation, and domestic violence response training, allowing officers to receive critical training that will make them more effective at their jobs, all without putting a strain on department budgets or reducing the number of officers on duty while others are at training by allowing investment to be used to offset overtime pay.
The bipartisan legislation is endorsed by the National Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, National Sheriffs’ Association, and National Troopers Coalition.
Original source can be found here.
