NAPO joined with multiple law enforcement associations to release model principles to support clear, enforceable policies governing law enforcement’s use of automated license plate recognition (ALPR) technology. For over 20 years, ALPR technology and data have been critical tools for protecting the public. With recent concerns from communities and policymakers about law enforcement’s use of ALPR, we believe those concerns deserve clear answers and strong safeguards.
In a victory for NAPO, Congress passed the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act (S. 307), which was sent to the President to be signed into law. This bill will address the increasingly pervasive issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault of federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staff by federal inmates. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report titled Evaluation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Efforts to Address Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Committed by Inmates Toward Staff in 2023, in which 40 percent of the 7,000 BOP employees surveyed stated they had been sexually harassed or assaulted by an inmate.
In another win for NAPO, the House passed the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act (H.R. 1266) by voice vote. Xylazine, a drug that is meant for sedation and anesthesia in horses and cows, is increasingly contributing to the opioid crisis in our nation.
The Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP) released the Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) for several NAPO-priority grant programs: FY 2026 Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program to Support Law Enforcement Agencies and FY 2026 Public Safety and Mental Health Initiative both have deadlines of 11:59 p.m. EST Sept. 25, 2026 for Grants.gov and 08:59 p.m. EST Oct. 2, 2026 for JustGrants. The deadline for FY 2026 Crisis Response Training Program is 11:59 p.m. EST Oct. 5, 2026 and 08:59 p.m. EST Oct. 13, 2026 for JustGrants.
NAPO supports the Emergency Responders Mental Health Training (EMT) Act (H.R. 10349), which will help ensure officers have access to culturally competent mental health and wellness services by creating a post-graduate fellowship pilot program to increase the number and quality of mental health professionals trained to address mental health and substance use disorders for emergency responders.
By a vote of 414-7, the House passed the NAPO-backed Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception (GUARD) Act (H.R. 2978) which addresses sophisticated financial fraud, in which criminals build false trust with victims — often retirees — before convincing them to invest in fraudulent schemes.
On Sept. 16, the House adjourned after only three days in session to allow lawmakers to campaign through the November elections. The Senate is scheduled to remain in session through Oct. 2 to confirm as many of the President’s nominees as possible. NAPO urged House leadership to take up the Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro PSOB Expansion Act, which passed the Senate by voice vote in August. The bill would show that Congress recognizes how 9/11 is still impacting the lives of the officers who responded to the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville that day. House leadership would not move the bill without the support of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), who did not support quick passage of the bill.
The Blue Alert Advisory Committee, of which NAPO is an original member, and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, met Sept. 10 to discuss work to establish Blue Alert systems in all 50 states. Eleven states and Washington, D.C. do not have Blue Alert networks. As of Sept. 10, 227 officers have been shot in the line of duty this year, 22 of whom were killed. 41 of the officers who were shot were ambushed. Officers continue to face an increasingly dangerous environment, making the National Blue Alert Network a vital officer safety tool.
Join NAPO’s 38th Annual Police, Fire, EMS, & Municipal Employee Pension & Benefits Seminar, Feb. 7 – 9, 2027, at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For more information about these and other legislative issues, click here for the Sept. 18, 2026 Washington Report.
