[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 81 (Thursday, May 12, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2479-S2480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          National Police Week

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, this week, America commemorates National 
Police Week--a time to pay tribute to the men and women of law 
enforcement and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to 
protect and defend our communities.
  One of the most emblematic reminders of that sacrifice is the 
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which, of course, is here 
in Washington, DC. It is a beautiful tribute to the Federal, State, and 
local law enforcement officials who have died in the line of duty and 
features marble walls engraved with more than 23,000 names. Each of 
those names represents a hero to their community, to their State, and 
to our Nation. Sadly, the names of 90 Texans were added to that 
memorial this year. These officers gave their lives in service to their 
communities and to our country, and we thank them, and we thank their 
families for that service.

  As we mourn the loss of so many of these heroes, this week is also a 
time to honor and thank those who continue to serve and protect our 
neighborhoods, our schools, and our places of work.
  I am grateful for the dedicated police officers who work in Texas 
communities, from Brownsville to Amarillo, from Beaumont to El Paso, 
and everywhere in between. That includes not only the municipal police 
officers but also the sheriffs, the constables, the Border Patrol 
agents, and law enforcement officials of all types who keep Texans 
safe.
  Like all of my colleagues here in Congress, I am also grateful to the 
men and women of the Capitol Police, who safeguard this building and 
the Members, the staff, the journalists, and many visitors who come 
here every day.
  A career in law enforcement is never easy, but the past few years 
have really shown a light on the challenges America's law enforcement 
officers face.
  First came the pandemic. While millions of Americans hunkered down at 
home to slow the spread of the virus, law enforcement couldn't do that. 
They had to be out and about in the community. They had to lace up 
their boots and go to work every day. The risk of the virus meant that 
even friendly interactions with the public could carry grave risks.
  More than half of 619 heroes added to the wall of the National Law 
Enforcement Officers Memorial this year died of COVID-related causes. 
More than half of the 619 who died, died of COVID-related causes. It is 
a deep reminder of the losses our country has experienced over the last 
2 years.
  The stresses of the pandemic also led to a surge in drug overdose 
deaths and an increase in family violence, putting an even tighter 
strain on officers serving and protecting our communities. At the same 
time, we have seen a shocking increase in violent crime and homicide 
rates across the country.
  In addition to these challenges, conversations about racial justice 
and police brutality have put all of the law enforcement community 
under a bright spotlight. Sadly, this debate has, in part, perhaps 
inadvertently, contributed to a hostile environment for many of these 
officers--people painting with a broad brush, claiming that all law 
enforcement officers were somehow racist or that the system was rotten 
to the core with systemic racism. Well, that kind of rhetoric and those 
kinds of ideas undermine the morale and are a disservice, in my 
opinion, to the men and women who do not share any of those prejudices, 
thankfully.
  Well, law enforcement has been the victim of violent attacks during 
this last year. According to the FBI, intentional killings of law 
enforcement officers have reached a 20-year high.
  Now, don't get me wrong, there is no doubt we need to continue to 
work together to improve transparency and accountability within police 
forces, and we need to strengthen the relationship between the police 
and the communities in which they serve. I think those are things that 
all of us can agree on. But as a country, we need to remember that the 
actions of a few do not define the rest. The vast majority of our law 
enforcement officers are honorable, dedicated public servants who go 
above and beyond the call of duty to keep our families and our 
communities safe and are committed to improving accountability and 
trust in law enforcement.
  We need to do more to support those brave men and women who are doing 
the right thing, who are serving honorably at great sacrifice to 
themselves and their family, and work with them to help rebuild public 
trust.
  Here in the Senate, I have introduced a range of bills to ensure that 
our officers have the training, the resources, and the support they 
need to do their jobs.
  Given the undeserved hostility many officers are facing, Congress 
should pass the Back the Blue Act, which makes clear our support for 
the public servants who have dedicated their lives to protecting our 
communities. This legislation adds mandatory penalties and makes it a 
Federal crime to kill or attempt to kill a law enforcement officer but 
also a Federal judge or a federally funded public safety officer, and 
it makes it a Federal crime to assault a law enforcement officer.
  As I said, these men and women put themselves in harm's way every day 
to keep our communities safe, and we need to do more to make it clear 
that violence committed against a law enforcement officer will not be 
tolerated, period. The Back the Blue Act sends a strong message to the 
more than 800,000 law enforcement officers in America that they are 
supported, that they are appreciated, and that violence against them 
will not stand.

[[Page S2480]]

  I am proud that last year, another bill to affirm our support for law 
enforcement was signed into law--the Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila 
Federal Officers and Employees Protection Act, which carries the names 
of two ICE agents who were viciously ambushed by a drug cartel while on 
duty in Mexico.
  Special Agent Avila suffered serious, life-threatening injuries, and, 
unfortunately, Special Agent Zapata tragically lost his life.
  Their attackers were convicted of murder and attempted murder in a 
U.S. court, but an appellate court reversed those convictions because 
of a jurisdictional loophole in the law.
  I introduced legislation to close that loophole and ensure that 
justice does not hinge on where that attack occurred. This law now 
ensures that those who harm or attempt to harm a Federal law 
enforcement officer serving abroad, outside the boundaries of the 
continental United States, can be prosecuted in the U.S. court system.
  Again, we have to send a clear message of zero tolerance to those who 
would attack our law enforcement officers. We need to send the message 
that we have their backs and that any attack on them will not be 
tolerated.

  The last 2 years have also taught us that we need to do more to 
supply our law enforcement officials with the resources and the 
training and the support they need to do their jobs effectively.
  Senator Whitehouse and I introduced the bipartisan Law Enforcement 
De-escalation Training Act, which created a dedicated funding stream 
for de-escalation training. I think we all would agree that force 
should only be used when absolutely necessary when law enforcement 
officials answer an emergency call and that those officers should have 
the training and ready knowledge of how to use alternatives to de-
escalate that confrontation, both for their protection as well as the 
protection of the individual who is acting out. This will help train 
officers in these de-escalation tactics as well as the most effective 
and safest ways to interact with people experiencing a mental health or 
suicidal crisis.
  Another bill Senator Whitehouse and I have introduced is the 
Residential Substance Use Disorder Treatment Act which expands access 
to treatment in jails and prisons across the country. This program 
already provides incarcerated individuals with access to treatment for 
substance use disorders. It is coupled with programs to prepare these 
men and women for reentry into civic society and to provide community-
based treatment once they are released. The changes included in this 
legislation will give incarcerated men and women the best possible shot 
at living a healthier and more productive life once they are released. 
This bill passed the Senate unanimously last year, and I hope that the 
House will move it soon.
  There are a range of other bipartisan bills to better support law 
enforcement so they can do their jobs and we can demonstrate our 
support and commitment to them. I introduced the Public Safety Officers 
Support Act with Senator Duckworth to provide better mental health 
resources for our law enforcement officers. This bill would also ensure 
that families of law enforcement officers who die by suicide that is 
work-related will receive the benefits they are entitled to.
  Senator Klobuchar and I have introduced the Justice and Mental Health 
Collaboration Reauthorization Act to continue grants for mental health 
courts, crisis intervention teams, and other programs that promote 
public safety, as well as improve mental health outcomes and reduce 
recidivism.
  Finally, I am working on a reauthorization of the Project Safe 
Neighborhoods Act. This has been a proven national partnership between 
Federal, State, and local law enforcement to use data-driven, evidence-
based and trauma-informed practices to reduce violent crime.
  It is inspired by a successful program initiated when I was Texas 
attorney general. We called it Texas Exile, but it actually originated 
in a U.S. attorney's office in Richmond, VA, known as Project Exile. It 
is basically going after people who cannot legally use or carry a 
firearm because of a prior felony conviction, and targeting those 
particular individuals has had a very important positive impact on gun 
violence in our communities. It is due for reauthorization at the end 
of September and I am committed to making it better, stronger, and more 
effective.
  So today and every day, I am grateful for the brave men and women who 
answered the call to serve and to protect our communities. There is 
nothing we can do to adequately thank them and their families for that 
sacrifice, but we can take positive action to demonstrate our support 
for our brothers and sisters in blue.
  I hope we can advance these bills to provide them with the support, 
the funding, and the resources they need to do their jobs. And on 
behalf of the great State of Texas, I want to say thank you to all of 
the law enforcement officers, men and women alike, as well as their 
families, who continue to put their lives on the line to keep us safe 
every day.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Cortez Masto). The clerk will call the 
roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.