A resolution expressing support for the law enforcement officers of the United States.

III 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 218 Expressing support for the law enforcement officers of the United States. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 18, 2023 Mr. VANCE (for himself and Mr. CASSIDY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Expressing support for the law enforcement officers of the United States. Whereas more than 800,000 law enforcement officers in the United States risk their lives daily to serve and protect their communities; Whereas there are more than 23,000 fallen law enforcement officers honored on the walls of the National Law En- forcement Officers Memorial, dating back to 1786, when the first law enforcement officer in the United States died in the line of duty; Whereas, during the 2 years preceding the date of adoption of this resolution, more than 800 law enforcement offi- cers died in the United States in the line of duty, the highest number of such deaths over a 2-year period in the history of the United States; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 May 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR218.IS SR218 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 218 IS Whereas some politicians and interest groups have responded to the risks faced by law enforcement officers with calls to ‘‘defund’’ or even ‘‘abolish’’ law enforcement agencies across the United States; Whereas defunding law enforcement agencies or otherwise de- moralizing law enforcement officers will make it more dif- ficult for officers to intervene in dangerous situations and high-risk neighborhoods; Whereas a law enforcement officer will typically encounter be- tween 400 and 600 traumatic events during the career of the officer, compared with 3 or 4 traumatic events en- countered by the average citizen; Whereas the unusually high number of traumatic events ex- perienced by law enforcement officers has contributed to a 54 percent higher suicide rate among officers than among individuals in other jobs; Whereas the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the Department of Justice has confirmed that there is no statistically sig- nificant difference between the rates at which major ra- cial and ethnic groups are stopped in police-initiated interactions; Whereas the innovative and dedicated efforts of law enforce- ment officers have successfully brought down crime rates from historic highs; Whereas the ‘‘defund and defame the police’’ movement that began in 2020 has— (1) coincided with a dramatic rise in homicides and other violent crimes in cities and towns across the United States; and (2) caused the retention and recruitment of sworn law enforcement officers to drop to a dangerously low VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 May 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR218.IS SR218 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 218 IS level, with current numbers showing fewer law enforce- ment officers per resident than at any other time during the 25-year period preceding the date of adoption of this resolution; Whereas, in 2020— (1) 60,105 law enforcement officers were assaulted by criminals, resulting in 18,633 injuries; and (2) the number of arrests made by law enforcement officers throughout the United States dropped to 7,630,000, a 24 percent reduction from 2019 and the fewest number of such arrests in 25 years; Whereas 72 percent of law enforcement officers surveyed are less willing to stop and question suspicious individuals than they were before 2020; Whereas the rhetoric associated with the ‘‘defund and defame the police’’ movement has created an increasingly dan- gerous environment for law enforcement officers in which, in 2022 alone, 331 officers were shot, 62 of whom were shot fatally; and Whereas supporting law enforcement officers with the equip- ment, training, and funding needed to protect commu- nities in the United States from criminal violence has long received overwhelming public support from across the political spectrum: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) highly respects and values the law enforce- 2 ment officers of the United States and greatly ap- 3 preciates all that those officers do to protect and 4 serve their communities; 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 May 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR218.IS SR218 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 218 IS (2) remembers and honors law enforcement offi- 1 cers who have experienced a death or injury in the 2 line of duty and the families of those officers; 3 (3) calls for increased measures to be taken to 4 maximize the safety and well-being of law enforce- 5 ment officers, including improvements relating to the 6 retention and recruitment of officers, improved 7 training and equipment for officers, tougher pen- 8 alties for assaulting or killing an officer, and in- 9 creased mental health resources for officers; 10 (4) strongly condemns the misguided and disas- 11 trous movement to ‘‘defund and defame the police’’; 12 and 13 (5) calls on all levels of government to ensure 14 that law enforcement officers receive the support 15 and resources needed to keep all communities in the 16 United States safe. 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 May 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR218.IS SR218 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS