In House floor remarks last week, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) spoke out in support of the Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00is recognized thank you mr speaker i actually rise in support of the improving law enforcement
00:06officer safety and wellness through data act the law enforcement officers serve as our lifeline
00:13of defense against danger with this bill we will have an opportunity to equip the department of
00:20justice and congress with very crucial information to better understand and enhance officer safety
00:27law enforcement officers deserve to return home safely to their families knowing their well-being
00:33is truly a priority federal state local and tribal officers face very long hours immense pressure and
00:43unpredictable dangers every day and over time the constant strain of the job can take a significant
00:50toll on their bodies and their minds while these are some mental health while there are some mental
00:57health resources currently available to our officers there's still so much more that we can and we
01:04should be doing to ensure their wellness and most definitely their safety by prioritizing data driven
01:12approaches to officer safety and wellness we can address systemic risks reduce preventable tragedies
01:19and build a stronger more resilient law enforcement system the goal is that the required report
01:28will provide us with the insight into the challenges our officers face and help us to understand
01:35the additional support that they need to remain physically and mentally safe federal law enforcement
01:43officers dedicate themselves to protecting our nation to protecting our communities and it is our
01:50responsibility in this body to ensure that they receive the protection that they deserve law enforcement
01:58officers to face unparalleled risks every day from physical violence to psychological traumas
02:07according to the fbi assaults against officers remain very very high with tens of thousands of them
02:15that are injured annually beyond the line of duty officers experience higher rates of ptsd
02:23depression and suicide compared to the general population yet for too long this body congress has not done as
02:34much as we should to tackle these issues that they face this bill requires the collection and analysis
02:43of critical data on attacks on officers injuries that they suffer their mental health challenges
02:52challenges and wellness program effectiveness without accurate data we're fighting blind
03:01by identifying trends such as the frequency of attacks on officers or gaps in mental health support we can
03:08implement targeted solutions to keep our officers safe and to keep them healthy many officer fatalities and
03:18important injuries are preventable with better training better equipment and better policies for example
03:26if data reveals that a significant number of injuries occurred during traffic stops agencies can adopt
03:35safer tactics tactics or deploy new technologies if certain regions report higher rates of firearm related fatalities
03:44we can prioritize resources there officer suicide rates outpace line of duty deaths and i want to say this again
03:56officer suicide rates outpace line of duty deaths yet stigma and inadequate resources prevent many of them from seeking help
04:08this bill will help us track mental health trends evaluate the effectiveness of peer support programs and expand access to
04:18counseling healthy officers are better officers they're more effective officers both for their own well-being
04:27and for the communities that they serve when officers are safer and they're healthier and they're better supported
04:35they're better equipped to serve with professionalism and with empathy our communities benefit when law enforcement
04:44agencies are operating using data to improve practices rather than reacting to crises but the improving law
04:54enforcement officer safety and wellness through data act isn't just about gathering data and reporting statistics
05:02it's about lives and it's about public safety it's about the officer who returns home safely to their family
05:10at night the rookie who gets life-saving training or the veteran who receives mental health care instead of
05:18suffering in silence but if we are to realize any of these benefits this bill must be the first step that we take and
05:28definitely not the last we must be prepared to act on the information that we get from these reports
05:35that come from this bill much of which is already collected by the doj and other agencies we must be
05:44prepared to provide tangible resources to our law enforcement which i'm sure the reports will suggest that
05:53they need as we observe national police week and talk about officer safety and wellness
06:01i would be remiss if i did not call for the immediate restoration of hundreds of millions of dollars
06:10affecting nearly 40 40 states in public safety grant funding that the department of justice chose to
06:18abruptly terminate some of that canceled funding went to law enforcement training support and other
06:27critical resources and more specifically to addressing the health the safety and wellness of law enforcement
06:35and as i have here president trump's 2026 budget would have would have devastating impact on public policy
06:45one billion dollars across 40 department of justice grant programs which support police departments and
06:51reduce violent crime hate crime and crime against women that's been cut 646 million from the federal
06:58emergency management agency fema for violence and terrorism and i could go on and on and on but i won't
07:05these terminations include a grant totaled over eight million dollars to the national policing institute
07:12which assisted rural police departments and district attorney's offices to pay for violent crime
07:20investigators and programs to combat child sex abuse i also feel that it's necessary to mention once again
07:31as the ranking member has the plaque that we voted to hang in the capitol more than three years ago
07:39to honor the countless officers who fought and they died to protect the lives of members of congress
07:46all of us in this body not only members of congress but staffers and other personnel and to save our democracy
07:55on january 6 2021 hanging this plaque is the least that we could do to honor those that have fought and
08:05died and given their lives for us this body hanging this plaque is required by law a law that was passed we
08:15passed the law over three years ago why is this plaque not up that's a simple question why is this law being
08:24defied that's a simple question many of those officers who have been left feeling ignored and betrayed by the
08:33very members of congress they stand outside every single day and they protect and they watch over us and
08:39they have feel they feel betrayed many times they can't even look at us as we walk out the door because
08:46they feel betrayed they fought to protect us on that day january 6 and yes we still betray them
08:58former u.s capitol police sergeant acolino gunnell recently told our staff and i quote trump is treating
09:07the rioters like they were the ones defending the capitol end quote he went on to say of trump calling january
09:16six a day of love end quote he says that if that was a day of love they almost loved me to death
09:28end quote if we really intend to support our officers they should not be feeling this level of betrayal
09:36and disappointment in the government that they swore to defend and protect officers who put their lives on
09:43the line for us they deserve better let me take a point of privilege to say when i lost my son jordan
09:50in jacksonville florida november 23rd 2012 at a convenient door convenience store gas station
09:57by a man who never should have had a gun that convenience store family the owners at least had a
10:04had the decency to put a plaque up in remembrance of my slain son
10:12who was simply stopping to get some chewing gum as he was going from one
10:17mall to the next with his friends they at least had the decency and my son wasn't doing anything to
10:25protect the nation or protect members of congress but yet and still out of dignity and respect for
10:32someone that was slain unnecessarily they at least had the decency to put a plaque up in remembrance of
10:39my son we should no less do that for these folks that stand here every single day they take they would
10:47take bullets for us let's do the right thing why would we not honor them we can't say one thing that we
10:57want to serve and that we want to protect them and we want to make their lives better american people
11:04are watching us we can't say one thing and do another they're depending on us let's do the right
11:11thing simply just put this plaque out for all of us for their service to us and to this nation
11:20while i urge my colleagues to support this legislation i also urge them to do more than
11:29just collect data and request reports from other officials thank you and i reserve the balance of my
11:37the balance of my time gentlelady from georgia reserves
11:48you