Executive Director Meets with Congressman Capuano

October 15, 2013

NAPO's Executive Director, Bill Johnson met with Congressman Michael Capuano (D-MA) today. In addition to providing information on NAPO's mission and top legislative priorities, Johnson stressed NAPO's strong support of the "Officer Sean Collier Campus Police Recognition Act of 2013," sponsored by Congressman Capuano.

On June 4, 2013, Congressman Michael Capuano (D-MA) filed the "Officer Sean Collier Campus Police Recognition Act of 2013" (H.R. 2235) in memory of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who was murdered on the evening of April 18th by those responsible for the tragic bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

The legislation would add campus police officers to the Department of Justice's Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Program. This federal program provides financial assistance to police officers, firefighters, and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) who are catastrophically injured in the line of duty. If they are killed, the program provides benefits to eligible family members. Congressman Capuano's bill would add campus police officers to the list of public safety personnel eligible to receive benefits under this existing federal program. The change would be retroactive to April 15, 2013 — the day of the bombings. (The Commonwealth of Massachusetts enacted special legislation to cover Officer Collier with state level line of duty death benefits; however, H.R. 2235 will ensure that all campus police officers are covered by the federal program as well in the future).

NAPO has sent letters of support for this legislation to Congressman Capuano and all of the legislation's co-sponsors, including: Congressman Keating (D-MA), Congressman Kennedy (D-MA), Congressman Lynch (D-MA), Congressman McGovern (D-MA), Congressman Neal (D-MA), Congressman Tierney (D-MA), and Congressman Tsongas (D-MA).

NAPO strongly believes this legislation is essential to the law enforcement community. This legislation will honor Officer Collier by ensuring that campus police officers are added to the PSOB Program. Campus police officers serve their communities with integrity and valor, and deserve to be included among those public safety personnel whose survivors are eligible to receive benefits under the PSOB program.

If you have any questions about this legislation, please contact Melissa Nee at: mnee@napo.org.

Source:

"Press Release: Rep. Capuano Files Officer Sean Collier Campus Police Recognition Act." Press Release: Rep. Capuano Files Officer Sean Collier Campus Police Recognition Act. Office of Congressman Capuano, 4 June 2013. Web. 13 Aug. 2013..