Lehigh Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Susan Wild recognized National Police Week by voting to pass legislation supporting law enforcement, introducing a bipartisan and bicameral bill to promote safer interactions between police and vulnerable community members, and giving a floor speech recognizing the valuable role law enforcement plays in our communities. 

“I’m proud to support local law enforcement, not just with words, but with actions last week. I helped pass legislation supporting law enforcement, introduced bills to improve interactions between officers and vulnerable community members and to support small police departments, and spoke on the floor in recognition of local police departments,” said Rep. Wild. “I look forward to continuing to partner with the law enforcement community in my district to make our communities safer.”

Last week, Rep. Wild voted to pass two pieces of legislation, H. Res. 363 and H.R. 2494 the Protect Our Law enforcement with Immigration Control and Enforcement (POLICE) Act.

Wild re-introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Safe Interactions Act alongside Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL-06), and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to improve interactions between law enforcement officers and people with disabilities and mental health needs. This bill provides grant funding to create partnerships between non-profit disability organizations and law enforcement agencies to administer enhanced training programs for law enforcement officers about interactions with people with disabilities, so we can create safer communities for everyone.

Additionally, Wild is a co-sponsor of the re-introduced Invest to Protect Act, bipartisan legislation that will make critical investments in small and midsized police departments with fewer than 200 to support recruitment, training, retention, and mental health—a crucial step to meeting the needs of departments across Pennsylvania’s 7th district.

Wild also signed on to a letter calling on the House Appropriations committee to reject dangerous Republican leadership cuts to public safety programs. These cuts include a 23% reduction in local law enforcement agencies receiving federal support, a 21-27% reduction in the number of federally funded law enforcement positions, a decrease of 11,000 staff at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a hiring freeze at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. In stark contrast to these cuts, Rep. Wild is instead pushing for additional investment in federal law enforcement initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels for public safety programs to keep communities in PA-07 and across the country safe.

Lastly, Wild gave a floor speech acknowledging National Police Week, thanking local law enforcement, and expressing her support for legislation that will provide departments with the resources they need to keep our communities, and themselves, safe. A recording of the floor speech is available here.

Original source can be found here.