Proposed Law Enforcement Act supports community involvement and officer safety

Washington, D.C. — Uifa’atali Amata has cosponsored the bipartisan National Law Enforcement Remembrance, Support, and Community Outreach Act to increase public input and awareness into law enforcement, strengthen data, support safety, and honor heroic service by law enforcement professionals.

Congresswoman Amata said, “This bill honors and remembers the sacrifice of all those who have serviced in law enforcement, which includes my father, the late Governor Coleman, who served as a Capitol Hill Police officer early in his career after the Army. But it does more than that: It establishes a new program in the DOJ to support outreach into the community and public education awareness programs, which would include helping people identify and report problems such as waste, fraud, and abuse of federal program funds.”

“The nation spent a lot of money during the COVID pandemic and some of it was not used responsibly or appropriately in many instances. This can be another step to help identify and account for wasteful and improper spending of the valuable federal assistance that each state and territory receives, along with other initiatives that support the public service of law enforcement.”

The bill has the support of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s board member organizations, including COPS, DuPont, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police, Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary, International Brotherhood of Police Officers, International Union of Police Associations/AFL-CIO, Motorola Solutions, National Association of Police Organizations, National Black Police Association, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Policing Institute, National Sheriffs’ Association, National Troopers Coalition, Police Executive Research Forum, Police Unity Tour, United Federation of Police Officers, and Verizon.

This additional effort would be funded within the Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative as appropriated yearly by Congress.