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119th CONGRESS
1st Session |
Expressing support for America’s law enforcement professionals.
Mr. Ezell (for himself, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Nehls, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Moore of Alabama, Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Huizenga, Mr. Rogers of Alabama, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mrs. Radewagen, Mr. Collins, and Mr. Riley of New York) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
Expressing support for America’s law enforcement professionals.
Whereas more than 800,000 law enforcement officers in the United States risk their lives daily to serve and protect their communities;
Whereas the law enforcement officers of the United States perform their difficult and dangerous job honorably and professionally, with the overwhelming majority of Americans having a positive opinion of their interactions with police;
Whereas innovative and dedicated efforts by law enforcement officers successfully brought down crime rates over the past three decades from the historic highs experienced in the 1990s;
Whereas there are now over 24,000 names of America’s fallen law enforcement heroes listed on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial dating back to the first death in the line of duty in 1786;
Whereas the environment for officers has become increasingly more hostile and their safety having become more precarious, with over 79,000 law enforcement officers having been assaulted by criminals in 2023, the highest officer assault rate in the past 10 years, and 1,055 officers having been shot during the past three years, 172 killed in the line of duty;
Whereas more than 2,500 law enforcement officers in the United States have died in the line of duty during the past decade;
Whereas law enforcement officers typically encounter between 400 and 600 traumatic events during their careers, compared with three or four for the average citizen;
Whereas the unusually high number of traumatic events experienced by law enforcement officers has contributed to a 54-percent higher suicide rate among officers than among other American workers;
Whereas the number of full-time State and local officers dropped by 5.3 percent between 2019 and 2021, the equivalent of nearly 37,000 fewer officers, leaving behind a dangerously low level of sworn officers to serve and protect our communities; and
Whereas supporting law enforcement officers with the equipment, training, and funding needed to protect American communities from criminal violence has long received overwhelming public support from across the political spectrum: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress—
(1) highly respects and values our Nation’s law enforcement professionals;
(2) greatly appreciates all that they do to protect and serve our communities;
(3) remembers and honors those officers and families who have experienced a death or injury in the line of duty;
(4) calls for increased measures to be taken to maximize the safety and well-being of our officers, including more policing personnel, improved training and equipment, tough penalties for assaulting or killing a law enforcement professional, and increased mental health resources for officers; and
(5) calls on all levels of government to ensure that our law enforcement professionals receive the support and resources needed to keep America safe.