May 14, 2024

During National Police Week, Gallego Announces Efforts to Recruit, Train, Retain More Law Enforcement Officers

WASHINGTON – During National Police Week, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03), a Marine Corps combat veteran and member of the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, announced his efforts to address the ongoing law enforcement shortage and recruit, train, and retain officers.

“As communities across Arizona face a growing officer shortage, we must step up to keep Arizonans safe and help departments with training and hiring,” said Rep. Gallego. “I’m proud to have delivered more federal dollars in this year’s budget for local law enforcement across Arizona, and I’m continuing to push to ensure these grants meet departments’ needs.”

This week, Rep. Gallego:

  • Backed the Strong Communities Act, bipartisan legislation that would build stronger relationships between police and the communities they serve by incentivizing law enforcement officers to work in the communities where they live.
  • Backed the bipartisan Recruit and Retain Act to increase the recruitment of new and qualified officers by reducing application and recruiting costs associated with finding new talent.
  • Announced that – thanks to critical funding he helped secure – the COPS Hiring Program (CHP) is currently accepting new applications for funding. Arizona departments seeking application support from Rep. Gallego should fill out this form.
  • Signed on to the bipartisan resolution memorializing law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

During National Police Week 2023, Rep. Gallego announced his support for the Invest to Protect Act, bipartisan legislation to help small and midsized police departments, including Tribal police departments, recruit and provide safety training, de-escalation training, and mental health support for their officers. Earlier in 2023, he introduced the Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act, a bipartisan bill that strengthens Tribal law enforcement and increases public safety in Indian Country.