Community Outpost Outreach and Engagement Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7245 To direct the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to carry out a pilot program to establish community outpost houses, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 18, 2020 Mr. EMMER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To direct the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to carry out a pilot program to estab- lish community outpost houses, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community Outpost 4 Outreach and Engagement Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. COP HOUSE PILOT PROGRAM. 6 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Attorney General, acting 7 through the Director of the Office of Community Oriented 8 Policing Services to carry out a pilot program to make 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:36 Jul 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7245.IH H7245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7245 IH grants to eligible applicant to establish and operate com- 1 munity outpost houses (referred to in this section as 2 ‘‘COP houses’’). 3 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the pilot program is 4 to provide long-term stabilization in the relationship of law 5 enforcement and the community by— 6 (1) building relationships, awareness, and trust 7 with members of the community; 8 (2) uniting members of the community and law 9 enforcement; 10 (3) improving the quality of life in the neigh- 11 borhood; and 12 (4) reducing crime. 13 (c) USES OF FUNDS.—A COP house funded under 14 this section may provide services, including— 15 (1) connecting with residents and involvement 16 in community outreach programs; 17 (2) providing government benefit program con- 18 sultations; 19 (3) nursing services and coordination with med- 20 ical services in the community; 21 (4) emergency medical services; 22 (5) space for use by community groups; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:36 Jul 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7245.IH H7245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7245 IH (6) holding events with community partners, in- 1 cluding public health services, educational classes or 2 seminars, tutoring services for youth. 3 (d) OFFICER QUALIFICATIONS.—A recipient of a 4 grant under this section shall certify to the Director that 5 any officer stationed at the COP house— 6 (1) has demonstrated their communication and 7 problem-solving skills; 8 (2) does not have a history of verified instances 9 of excessive force; and 10 (3) has completed necessary training to under- 11 stand the cultural sensitivities of the obligations of 12 a position at the COP house. 13 (e) REPORT.—The Director shall submit to Congress 14 on an annual basis information related to the operation 15 of the pilot program under this section, including the im- 16 pact that COP houses have had on the relationships be- 17 tween law enforcement officers and the community and 18 any changes in the rates of crime in the communities in 19 which COP houses have been established pursuant to this 20 section. 21 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 22 (1) The term ‘‘eligible applicant’’ means a non- 23 profit organization, or a law enforcement organiza- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:36 Jul 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7245.IH H7245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7245 IH tion applying jointly with at least one non-profit or- 1 ganization. 2 (2) The term ‘‘community outpost house’’ 3 means a location in the jurisdiction served by a law 4 enforcement agency that is operated by the law en- 5 forcement agency in a collaborative manner with 6 nonprofit organizations and other service providers. 7 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:36 Jul 09, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H7245.IH H7245 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS