Posted by: jgomori Posted date: May 21, 2021

NAPO President Mick McHale issued a statement on behalf of the organization marking National Police Week on May 11 and called on all our nation’s elected leaders to show the political courage to honor those 394 officers whose names were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. this year; In a victory for NAPO, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved two of our priority bills during National Police Week: the Protecting America’s First Responders Act (S. 1511) and the COPS Counseling Act (S. 1502). It also approved the Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act (S. 921), which NAPO also supports; NAPO sent a letter to the co-chairs of NYC Pride to express our disappointment in their decision to ban the New York City Police Department (NYPD) from both exhibiting and participating at NYC Pride events through 2025; Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Lindsay Graham (R-SC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Representatives Karen Bass (D-CA), John Rutherford (R-FL) and Pete Stauber (R-MN) continue to hold conversations about coming to a compromise on police reform legislation. While they discuss issues including qualified immunity and criminal civil rights prosecutions, they seem to be making progress on no-knock warrants, changes to the 1033 program and chokeholds. NAPO is working closely with Senator Scott’s staff and those involved to provide our input; In honor of National Police Week, Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced the Back the Blue Act, Representative John Rutherford (R-FL) reintroduced the Protect and Serve Act, and Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) reintroduced the Thin Blue Line Act; Congressman Pete Stauber, (R-MN) reintroduced the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (H.R. 3225), which would guarantee that law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical service workers in all 50 states have the right to discuss workplace issues with their employers; NAPO has once again pledged it support for the Lifesaving Gear for Police Act (S. 1597), which would prevent future presidents from implementing restrictions on state and local law enforcement’s access to surplus military equipment, like then-President Obama did in 2015 with his Executive Order; On May 10, the Treasury Department announced the launch of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to distribute the $350 billion in state and local aid that was provided as part of the American Rescue Plan.

For more on these and other legislative issues, please click on the May 21, 2021 Washington Report below.

 May 21, 2021 Washington Report