Slotkin Votes to Fund Local Police, Fight Violent Crime

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) voted today to pass a suite of bipartisan police funding and public safety legislation. The four bills will provide support to law enforcement through funding for training, recruitment, and mental health services, while also creating grant programs to fight violent crime and recruit, train and dispatch mental health professionals.

Included in the package is the Invest to Protect Act, which Slotkin co-led with a bipartisan group of colleagues earlier this year. The bill provides support and funding to local police departments with less than 125 officers for officer recruitment, training, equipment, and mental health services.

"This package of bills provides options for strapped police forces -- particularly in more rural communities and counties -- to increase officer recruitment and improve public safety," said Slotkin. Everywhere I go, from small communities in Livingston County to those in Eaton County, police forces are stretched too thin and can't provide the coverage both they and their communities would like. I am especially pleased with the passage of the Invest to Protect Act, a bipartisan bill I co-sponsored earlier this year that provides critical resources to small police departments under 125 officers, like many of those across Michigan's 8th District. As elected leaders, we have a fundamental responsibility to help ensure the safety of the communities we represent, and I am proud to have voted to do just that."

Numerous police departments in Michigan's 8th District fall beneath this threshold and therefore would qualify for grants, including those in Oxford, Brighton, and Williamston. 

"Local police departments are critical to keeping Michigan families safe, and this bill represents a much-needed investment that will make an enormous difference for departments like ours,"said Meridian Township Chief of Police Ken Plaga. "Whether by covering new recruitment efforts, specialized training, or mental health services, this funding would be a huge win for our individual officers and police departments across Michigan. We're grateful for Congresswoman Slotkin's leadership on this issue and urge other members of the Michigan delegation to support her bill."

"This kind of funding is exactly the right way to ensure that smaller police departments like Oxford's have sufficient resources so our officers are prepared for all kinds of situations,"said Oxford Village Police Chief Michael Solwold."We've worked closely with Representative Slotkin's office, especially in recent weeks after the tragedy at Oxford High School, to make sure our first responders have the resources and support they need. This bill would be an important investment to help us ensure our officers are set up for success as they work to keep our community safe, and we appreciate the Congresswoman's support and her dedication to getting it passed." 

The other bills passed include:

VICTIM Act

Establishes a Department of Justice (DOJ) grant program to help law enforcement agencies solve and prosecute cases of violent crime, including rape, murder, and other aggravated felonies, as well as assist victims of violence and their families. 

Break the Cycle of Violence Act

Establishes federal grants for violence intervention and prevention programs for communities facing cycles of violence.
Creates an Office of Community Violence Intervention at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement these programs.

Mental Health Justice Act

Develops a grant program to support the hiring, training, and dispatching of mental health professionals to alleviate strain on law enforcement and expand community options for responding to mental health emergencies. 

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