Issue Position: Public Safety and Law Enforcement

Issue Position

Issue Position: Public Safety and Law Enforcement

Assisting Law Enforcement Officials

Congressman Kennedy has co-sponsored legislation which renews and strengthens the federal support for community policing efforts. He has worked directly with local police departments to help them obtain funds for additional officers and improved resources. Additionally, he has obtained funding for several local police departments and the Rhode Island State Police for more modern crime-fighting equipment, including Automatic External Defibrillators, laptop computers, and other technologies. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Kennedy was able to help local Rhode Island police departments upgrade their 1970's-era communications equipment to meet interoperability standards and expand coverage areas. Congressman Kennedy has also been a strong supported of the Bulletproof Vest Grant Partnership Program, which has provided funding to Rhode Island law enforcement agencies to purchase protective equipment.

Honoring our Fallen Public Safety Officers

Understanding the critical role law enforcement and public safety officers play in our community, Congressman Kennedy successfully secured an increase in the Public Safety Officer Benefit (PSOB) in October 2001. The PSOB is granted to the families of law enforcement and public safety officers who die or are disabled in the line of duty. Until Congressman Kennedy's proposal passed, this benefit had not been raised in several years to adjust for inflation. Through his efforts, Congress passed a provision that raised the base benefit to $250,000.

Pursuing Sensible Gun Laws

Guns kept in the home are 43 times more likely to kill a family member or friend than to kill in self-defense. The presence of a gun in the home triples the risk of homicide in that home, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. Since his election to Congress, Congressman Kennedy has been a strong supporter of sensible gun laws. He has supported efforts to ban dangerous weapons and ammunition, expand awareness of gun safety issues, and improve tracking of gun-related crimes so that criminally negligent gun dealers are no longer able to supply their weapons to criminals.

Assault Weapons Ban

In 1994, our country was moved in tragedy to pass a sensible ban on military-style assault weapons. Congressman Kennedy helped lead the charge in passing the first assault weapons ban. Because the Republican leadership in Congress and President Bush did nothing to extend this ban, it expired on September 13, 2004. Police chiefs from across the country banded together to try to convince Republicans that this ban has been a key tool in helping them keep dangerous weapons off the streets. Despite their protests and the statistics that back up the benefits of this ban, the Republicans allowed this law to die on the floor of Congress. Congressman Kennedy continues to fight for a new assault weapons ban and hopes the American people will send the Republicans a message and tell them that they want this common sense law back on the books.

Campaign for Child Safety Locks

Firearms are the second-leading cause of death for people aged 19 and under in the United States. Congressman Kennedy has strongly supported efforts to mandate and promote child safety locks for firearms. His efforts include supporting legislation that would mandate child safety locks on all firearms, as well as arranging public awareness campaigns in Rhode Island to promote child safety locks.

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