Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a legislative agenda Wednesday to hire 100,000 new police officers across the U.S. by rolling out a list of bills that would benefit police.
Hawley’s office sent out a release outlining nine bills that would increase the penalties for assaulting federal officers, grant local communities the support to hire an additional 100,000 additional law enforcement officers, increase penalties for damage to federal courthouses and much more. The legislative agenda would try to help officers’ morale as Police departments are struggling with budget cuts over recruitment.
“American families aren’t safe, but they deserve to be. And they can be if we will act. This is not the time to defund the police or vilify them, but to support the brave men and women in blue – and put more of them on the streets. Immediately,” Hawley said in a statement. (RELATED: Police Departments Say Budget Cuts Are The Reason They’ve Been Unable To Hire New Officers)
Here Are The Topics Hawley Plans On Covering:
- 100,000 New Law Enforcement Officers: a bill to provide grants to local communities to support hiring an additional 100,000 additional law enforcement officers to protect American families.
- Protecting Law Enforcement in the Line of Duty: a bill to increase maximum penalties for assaulting federal officers by 50%.
- Protecting Federal Judges, Prosecutors, and Law Enforcement Officers from Violence and Doxing: a bill that directs DOJ, together with DHS, to develop programs to protect the privacy and personal information of judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials.
- Protecting Federal Law Enforcement Officers from Doxing: a bill to double the penalty for doxing federal law enforcement officials and other federal officials.
- Protecting Federal Courthouses and Judges: a bill to increase penalties for damage to federal courthouses and unauthorized access to areas where federal judges work, reside, or visit.
- Promoting Concealed Carry Rights for Law Enforcement Officers: a bill to amend the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) to extend concealed carry rights to federal judges and prosecutors.
- Further Expanding Support for Police Officers: a bill to expand Senator Hawley’s previously passed “Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act of 2019,” by increasing funding for family services, stress reduction, suicide prevention, and other programs for federal officers.
- Protecting Law Enforcement from Targeting: a bill to create a separate criminal offense for targeting someone based on their status as a law enforcement officer.
- Protecting Law Enforcement from Ambush: a bill to increase criminal penalties for ambushing enforcement officers.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki blamed the country’s rising crime on gun violence Monday before President Joe Biden’s speech about his “crime prevention strategy.” (RELATED: Biden Feels Rise In Crime Is A Result Of Gun Violence, Psaki Says)
Crime, including mass shootings and gun violence, has continued to spike across the U.S. and has continued into Biden’s presidency,