[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 87 (Monday, May 20, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3767-S3768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Recruit and Retain Act

  Mrs. FISCHER. Madam President, in 1969, the city of Montreal, Canada, 
discovered what it is like to live in a world without police. For 16 
hours on October 7, the city's full police force went on strike. What 
ensued is now called Montreal's ``Night of Terror.'' The city rang out 
with gunshots, glass shattering, and flames erupting.
  Just 3 hours after the strike began, the first bank was robbed. 
Robbers stormed nine more before the police returned. Thefts, 
vandalism, and mob violence took the city by storm. There were 450 
break-ins and over 30 armed holdups. A crowd 800 strong overturned a 
bus and sent vehicles ablaze.
  The government sent Provincial police and army officers into the 
city. But by then, the chaos was already in full force. A sniper shot 
one officer, killing him. The result of Montreal's ``Night of Terror'' 
was two dead men, dozens of injuries, over 100 arrests, and close to $3 
million in property damage.
  Less than a day without police was a nightmare for Montreal.
  Here in America, we often take our strong police force for granted. 
We enjoy the safety and protection of law enforcement, sometimes 
without even realizing it. But if trends continue, we will inch closer 
to living the nightmare of a world without police.
  In 2022, almost 50 percent more officers resigned than in 2019. 
Almost 20 percent more officers retired. The number of police officers 
nationwide decreased by 4,000 between 2020 and 2023.
  A study in 2023 found that over the prior 2 years, at least 12 
American towns completely dissolved their police departments.
  I have been speaking with law enforcement in Nebraska and around the 
country about growing staffing challenges for years. I greatly respect 
the State and local control of law enforcement agencies so I always ask 
them how I can make existing Federal tools more supportive of their 
work. Based on those conversations, I introduced the Recruit and Retain 
Act, which the House passed last week.
  I am thankful to the Nebraska officers and sheriffs who collaborated 
with me to craft legislation with bipartisan appeal. As retirements 
increase and new applications decline, departments are shrinking, 
burdening the officers who are trying to keep them afloat. Understaffed 
departments are doing their best to keep up, but they don't always have 
the resources to hire all the officers that they need.
  The Recruit and Retain Act offers them better access to resources to 
reverse this trend. My legislation improved the Department of Justice's 
community-oriented policing services, or COPS, a hiring grant program. 
The bill expands COPS grants for specific onboarding expenses like 
background checks and psychological evaluations.
  It also provides clear guidance to the understaffed agencies applying 
for this funding, and it alleviates administrative burdens that come 
with those applications. These changes will allow departments to 
consider more applicants and hire more officers.
  Recruit and Retain also establishes the Pipeline Partnership Program 
to promote student interest in law enforcement careers. Departments and 
local schools will work together to launch mentorship opportunities 
that give young people an inside look at law enforcement work. This 
will not only create a hiring pipeline for police departments, but it 
will also strengthen community relationships with law enforcement.
  Finally, my bill directs the Government Accountability Office to 
investigate the causes of recent recruitment challenges and those 
effects on public safety. We see some of these causes and effects 
already: Anti-police movements like far-left ``defund the police'' that 
has demonized our law enforcement. We have seen rising crime levels in 
places like Portland, in Minneapolis, in

[[Page S3768]]

New York City after they cut funding for their police departments. 
Nonetheless, we haven't seen comprehensive studies that evaluate all 
levels of law enforcement in agencies of all sizes across the country. 
To address staffing issues, we need to have the data on exactly what is 
causing these problems and how they are compromising the safety of our 
communities.
  These are practical changes that take our law enforcement a step 
forward in rebuilding their departments, a goal that will serve 
officers, will serve local communities, and it will serve our Nation as 
a whole. Our police and other law enforcement officers do the essential 
work to keep us safe and secure. Choosing not to support them is to 
choose chaos, lawlessness--a nightmare.
  But by passing my bill, the House and the Senate have both chosen to 
support our police as they face these staffing challenges. I urge 
President Biden to do the same by signing the Recruit and Retain Act 
into law.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Texas.