Gallego Backs Slate of Bipartisan Bills to Bring More Law Enforcement Funding to Arizona
PHOENIX – Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) announced his support for a slate of bipartisan bills to increase law enforcement funding for Arizona communities.
“Keeping Arizona families safe and secure is one of my top priorities, and that means investing in our local law enforcement,” said Rep. Gallego. “We must boost recruitment, fill vacancies, and ensure law enforcement officers have the training and resources they need. I am proud to support these bills, which will provide much-needed support for Arizona law enforcement agencies large and small.”
Rep. Gallego is backing:
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the Filling Public Safety Vacancies Act to provide an emergency boost to the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program, doubling the amount of federal grant funding available for local departments this fiscal year.
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the Enhancing COPS Hiring Program Grants for Local Law Enforcement Act to expand the COPS Hiring Program to allow local law enforcement agencies to utilize program grants for recruitment and retention bonuses and to allow grant applications to be valid for five years, instead of the current one year.
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the Establishing Accreditation Grants for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Act to authorize $10 million in funding for small and mid-sized police departments to earn or renew accreditation from state, regional, tribal or national police accreditation organizations.
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the Supporting the Health and Safety of Law Enforcement Act to create a new grant program to increase coordination between community mental health centers and law enforcement officers on mental health issues, including homelessness and public safety.
Background on Rep. Gallego’s Additional Work to Support Local Law Enforcement
During his time in Congress, Rep. Gallego has voted for over $168 billion in law enforcement funding, including over $2.2 billion for the COPS.
In May, in honor of National Police week, Rep. Gallego announced his efforts to address the ongoing law enforcement shortage and recruit, train, and retain officers. These include:
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Backing 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.
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Backing 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.
Also in May, Rep. Gallego was joined by Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn and Buckeye Police Chief Bob Sanders to celebrate increased federal funding for local law enforcement secured by Rep. Gallego.
During National Police Week 2023, Rep. Gallego announced his support for the Invest to Protect Act, bipartisan legislation to help small and mid-sized 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.