[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 17, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H5091]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2130
               CRIME INCREASES AS POLICE MORALE DECREASES

  (Mr. ROSE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address an issue on the 
minds of many Americans and middle Tennesseans: Rising crime.
  Twelve major cities broke homicide records in 2021. The Council on 
Criminal Justice says murders nationwide went up 5 percent from 2020 
and up a whopping 44 percent from 2019. Aggravated assaults are up. 
Robberies are up.
  There has been one decrease under President Biden's watch: a drop in 
the morale among the men and women in uniform.
  In fact, the retirement rate for police departments across the 
country has jumped by 45 percent since 2019. The blame can be squarely 
placed on the left's antipolice rhetoric, including calls to defund the 
police.
  When the left chooses to demonize and demoralize the thin blue line, 
officers' jobs become even tougher, as if they are not already tough 
enough. However, I remind them that they have our support, and we stand 
ready to defend and honor them as they protect and serve our 
communities.
  Thank you to all our Nation's police officers.

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