House lawmakers will vote on a series of law enforcement-centered bills this week as police from around the country gather in Washington.
The Republican majority will bring a bill to the floor that will express support for local law enforcement officers and condemn efforts to “defund or dismantle local law enforcement agencies.”
It is just one of the bills that will test Democratic lawmakers’ support for police. The issue has vexed the Democratic Party since the rise of the defund-the-police movement in 2020, though most Democrats disavow the movement.
The legislation by Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado has three GOP co-sponsors and declares: “Congress recognizes and appreciates the dedication and devotion demonstrated by the men and women of local law enforcement who keep our communities safe; and condemns calls to defund, disband, dismantle, or abolish the police.”
Law enforcement officers are descending on Washington for National Police Week, which traces its roots to 1962 when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the following week as Police Week.
Tens of thousands from across the U.S. and around the globe will be in Washington for events honoring officers killed in the line of duty. Events include the National Peace Officers Memorial Service, the Candlelight Vigil and seminars sponsored by the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the Concerns of Police Survivors.
In the House, lawmakers kicked off Police Week with a resolution that memorializes each of the 556 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2022.
The resolution recognized National Police Week and stated:
“Law enforcement officers across the United States in the pursuit of preserving safe and secure communities; the need to ensure that such officers have the equipment, training, and resources necessary to protect their health and safety while protecting the public; and the law enforcement community for acts of sacrifice and heroism.”
The bill, authored by Rep. Michael Guest, Mississippi Republican, has 94 GOP and 8 Democratic co-sponsors.
A law enforcement-focused bill that makes assaulting an officer a “deportable crime” among illegal immigrants will be brought to the House floor on Tuesday.
Another bill lawmakers will consider this week is the Protect Our Law Enforcement with Immigration Control and Enforcement Act of 2023 or the POLICE Act of 2023. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Andrew Garbarino, New York Republican. It has 11 GOP co-sponsors.
“As the Biden Border Crisis rages on, I have serious concerns about the ramifications for law enforcement officers who are on the front lines dealing with migrants,” Mr. Garbarino said. “Whether on Long Island or at the southern border, there should be no ambiguity that assaulting a police officer is a deportable offense for non-citizens.”
GOP lawmakers also want to give federal law enforcement officers the ability to purchase “retired service handguns.”
Legislation introduced by Rep. Russell Fry, South Carolina Republican, would enable those officers to buy a retired handgun from the Federal agency that issued the pistol at the fair market value for such a handgun, taking into account the age and condition of the firearm.
A “retired handgun” is defined as any handgun that is declared surplus by the applicable agency.
Policing remains a charged issue almost three years after riots and calls to defund police swept across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police.
Some police departments saw their police budgets cut by tens of millions of dollars amid the COVID-19 pandemic. States such as New York, New Jersey, California and Illinois also changed their bail laws, banning criminal courts from setting cash bail for most misdemeanor cases and some non-violent felony cases.
