First Responders Get Big Boost Under Conrad Bill

Press Release

Senator Kent Conrad today introduced legislation to help alleviate the burden on local law enforcement and emergency agencies that face shortages when first responders are called up for active duty in the military.

"Many of our nation's first responders double as citizen soldiers, serving in the National Guard and Reserves. As these police and emergency personnel are called up to fight overseas, local communities are left without critical personnel to respond to emergencies at home," Senator Conrad said. "This legislation will help communities fill the gap till our brave service members come home."

Senator Conrad's "Strengthening Community Safety Act," is based on legislation he first introduced in 2007. The legislation creates a three-year pilot program through the Department of Homeland Security that provides grants to state and local first responder agencies to help defray any financial burden that results from the deployment of one or more employees. Grantees could receive a maximum of $100,000. The cost of the federal program would be offset by the elimination of another non-essential program in the President's FY 2012 budget.

A report by the nonpartisan Institute for Policy Studies found that 44 percent of the nation's police forces had at one time been deprived of officers by Guard call-ups. The frequent call-ups of first responders puts an added strain on smaller departments that operate on shoestring budgets.

Senator Conrad first developed the idea for the legislation after meeting with the Chief of the Fargo Police Department. In 2007, Chief Keith Ternes testified at a Senate Budget Committee field hearing in Fargo and noted that one of the greatest challenges he faced was losing officers called up for military service in Iraq or Afghanistan. At one point, 15 of the Fargo police department's 125 sworn officers were serving Guard duty abroad, Ternes testified.

Source