Rep. Schrier Joins Bipartisan Push for House to Vote on Invest to Protect Act, Funding for Smaller Police Departments

Press Release

This week, in honor of National Police Week, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) joined her colleagues from both sides of the aisle to push leadership for a vote on the bipartisan, bicameral Invest to Protect Act. The Invest to Protect Act will help ensure that police departments in small towns and communities with fewer than 200 officers have the resources and training they need to keep themselves and families across their communities safe.

"I have been meeting with police chiefs and police officers across the 8th District to learn about what resources they need to keep themselves and our communities safe. I'm proud to be a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act that will make sure smaller police departments, like most of those in the 8th district, can access grants to purchase body cameras and to hire and retain good police officers who know their community," said Rep. Schrier. "I will keep working with my colleagues in both parties to get this important legislation passed and ensure our police have the resources they need."

The Invest to Protect Act will provide targeted, critical federal investment to local law enforcement to:

* Make investments in officer safety, de-escalation, and domestic violence response training
* Increase access to body worn cameras, while also investing in cloud storage and security
* Provide grants to recruit new officers, offer retention bonuses to help communities keep existing officers
* Offer mental health services for officers

More than 95% of the nation's local police departments have 200 officers or fewer.

Since being elected, Rep. Schrier has held a series of roundtables with local police departments. And in the last 18 months she has gone on seven ridealongs with police officers.

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