President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing; NAPO Supports National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day; ISIS Threatens Law Enforcement; NAPO Supports BVP Grant Program Reauthorization Act; Grassley Sets Timetable for Loretta Lynch Hearings; Immigration; Boehner Reelected as House Speaker; & White House to Meet Feb. 2 Deadline for Budget Release
January 13, 2015
President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing
On December 18, 2014, President Obama signed an Executive Order to create the Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and announced its members, which include NAPO. NAPO is the only police rank and file group in the nation to have a seat on the Commission itself. Our Treasurer, Sean Smoot, of the Illinois PB&PA, has been appointed by the President to the Commission.
Over the past week, NAPO’s Executive Director, Bill Johnson, has participated in conference calls with the White House and the Attorney General to discuss the Task Force. NAPO has also submitted written testimony for the first Task Force meeting, scheduled for January 13, 2015. (The first meeting will focus on building trust and legitimacy).
The fact that NAPO has a seat on the Commission is indicative of the fact that the Administration and powers in Washington know who we are, and want to hear our views. We will keep you updated on the Commission’s actions and recommendations as information becomes available.
If you have any questions about the Task Force on 21st Century Policing, please contact Bill Johnson at: bjohnson@napo.org.
NAPO Supports National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
NAPO partnered with Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) to support National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (L.E.A.D.), which took place on January 9, 2015.
This day was used to show law enforcement officers that our citizens recognize the difficult and sometimes impossible career they have chosen, in public service to us all. Each day 780,000 police officers across our country put a badge on and go to work knowing they may face extremely dangerous situations. Yet, they go to work anyway. Being a law enforcement officer is not just a job, it is a calling.
What the public doesn’t see is the toll law enforcement takes to keep our communities safe. On average, between 105 and 203 officers die in the line of duty each year; 50,000 officers are assaulted in the line of duty each year; 14,000 officers are injured in the line of duty each year; and over 300 officers commit suicide each year. There is no other profession in the world, except possibly the military, where you will find these kinds of statistics.
Law enforcement officers play such an integral part in our society. Without law enforcement officers, chaos would reign. No matter how much abuse law enforcement takes, they continue to do their job, and do it well. They are the guardians of our way of life and they deserve support.
On January 9th, NAPO worked with C.O.P.S. to call the nation’s citizens to action in support of law enforcement. NAPO was joined by many members of Congress in calling for support of the law enforcement community. One such example of Congressional support came from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). Chairman Goodlatte’s speech in support of law enforcement is available at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbsjSkrnNq8&feature=youtu.be.
NAPO was proud to be a part of this effort. If you have any questions about L.E.A.D., please contact Bill Johnson at: bjohnson@napo.org.
ISIS Threatens Law Enforcement
New York City Police Department and other law enforcement personnel responded to a threat from ISIS after someone re-released a September 2014 message that tells followers to "rise up and kill intelligence officers, police officers, soldiers, and civilians." The threat specifically named the United States, France, Australia and Canada as targets.
NYPD employees were told to "remain alert and consider tactics at all times while on patrol," especially in light of the attacks in France last week, in an internal memo.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a similar bulletin to law enforcement across the country. That bulletin and the NYPD memo makes it clear that this new message is consistent with previous threats that ISIS and others, including al Qaeda, have issued.
NAPO is not going to rest until officers receive the support and the protection that they need to do their jobs and to stay alive. We urge our officers to continue to be vigilant and stay safe during this time.
If NAPO can offer any other support, please do not hesitate to contact our Executive Director, Bill Johnson, at: bjohnson@napo.org.
Source:
Ferrigno, Lorenzo, Laurie Segall, and Evan Perez. "ISIS Repeats a Threat; NYPD, Other Law Enforcement on High Alert - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Jan. 2015. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/11/us/nypd-law-enforcement-isis-threat/index.html.
NAPO Supports Bulletproof Vest Partnership
Grant Program Reauthorization Act
On January 8, 2015, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced bipartisan legislation, cosponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), to reauthorize the lifesaving Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant Program, a federal grant program that helps state and local law enforcement agencies purchase bulletproof vests for officers working in the field. Senator Leahy recognized NAPO as a supporter of the bill both in his official press release on the legislation, as well as during a floor speech. That same day, Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) introduced a House companion bill.
The BVP Grant Program has issued more than one million lifesaving vests to 13,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country since it was established in 1999. Congress has reauthorized the program three times, most recently in 2008. However, the program’s charter expired in September 2012 and the Senate has failed to pass reauthorization legislation despite bipartisan efforts to do so.
NAPO has worked closely with senior staffers for Senator Leahy and Congressman LoBiondo to advance this important legislation. We look forward to continuing to work with these offices to ensure swift reauthorization during the 114th Congress.
It is important to note that NAPO continues to urge that funding for the BVP Grant Program be authorized at the $50 million level. We are also working to ensure that failure to wear a vest shall not impact a surviving family member's ability to receive benefits under the PSOB Act.
We will keep our members updated on the status of our efforts to pass this important bill. If you have any questions about this legislation, please contact Melissa Nee at: mnee@napo.org.
Source:
"Leahy Introduces Bipartisan Bill To Reauthorize Lifesaving Bulletproof Vest Grant Program." Senator Patrick Leahy. N.p., 8 Jan. 2015. Web. 8 Jan. 2015. <http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-introduces-bipartisan-bill-to-reauthorize-lifesaving-bulletproof-vest-grant-program>.
Grassley Sets Timetable for Loretta Lynch Hearings
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) plans to hold confirmation hearings for attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch in the last week of January or the beginning of February.
President Barack Obama officially nominated Loretta Lynch, a United States attorney from New York, as the next Attorney General of the United States at a White House ceremony on November 8, 2014. Lynch is an experienced prosecutor with deep relationships inside the Justice Department and a long history of litigating political corruption, terrorism, and organized crime cases.
NAPO is continuing to evaluate Attorney Lynch's nomination in light of our New York City member organizations' experience with her. NAPO will keep our members updated on all new developments.
If you have any questions about this nomination, please contact Bill Johnson at: bjohnson@napo.org.
Source:
"Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for N.Y., Nominated to Be Attorney General." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2014. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.
Immigration
The House Rules Committee will meet tonight to set floor debate for a plan to continue Homeland Security funding beyond February 27, 2015.
Republican leaders have arranged for several immigration-related amendments that would allow the GOP to block the president’s November executive action on immigration. Leaders expect “solid votes” from Republicans.
Through the amendments, Republicans seek to bar funding for carrying out the immigration order, to reinstate the Secure Communities deportation program the administration is trying to trade in for another system, and to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that began in 2012 to provide temporary deportation relief to young immigrants.
NAPO is closely following these actions, and we will continue to keep our members updated. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Nee at: mnee@napo.org.
Source:
"CQ Morning Briefing." Message to Melissa Nee. 12 Jan. 2015. E-mail.
Boehner Reelected as House Speaker
John A. Boehner was reelected to a third term as House speaker on January 6, 2014, turning back a rebellion from Republicans who wanted to install a more conservative leader. The Ohio Republican won 216 to 408 votes on the first round of balloting, and will preside over the House at a time when Republicans hold unified control of Congress.
NAPO continues to engage Congressional leadership to ensure our priorities remain at the top of the Congressional agenda. We will keep our members updated on all relevant issues.
If you have any questions about the Speaker’s reelection, please contact Melissa Nee at: mnee@napo.org.
Source:
Costa, Robert, David Fahrenthold, and Sean Sullivan. "Boehner Survives Leadership Challenge from Conservative Members." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2015. Web. 6 Jan. 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/boehner-faces-leadership-challenge-from-conservative-members/2015/01/06/1c047668-95c1-11e4-aabd-d0b93ff613d5_story.html?wpisrc=al_alert.
White House to Meet Feb. 2 Deadline for Budget Release
The White House on February 2, 2015, will release its fiscal 2016 budget request, meeting the statutory deadline for the first time since 2010.
“We look forward to working with Congress on returning to regular order in the annual budget process,” Emily Cain, a spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget, said in a statement.
The White House’s tardiness has been a frequent point of attack for Republicans in recent years.
Last year, the OMB released the fiscal 2015 budget request on March 4th. Officials attributed the delay to the late work on fiscal 2014 appropriations legislation (PL 113-76), which passed four months after the October 1 start of the fiscal year.
The fiscal 2015 spending package (PL 113-235) also came late, clearing Congress December 13th.
NAPO will keep our members updated on the status of the FY 2016 Presidential Budget request. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Nee at: mnee@napo.org.
Source:
Krawzak, Paul. "White House to Meet Feb. 2 Deadline for Budget Release." CQ.com - Login. CQ Roll Call, 7 Jan. 2015. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. <http://www.cq.com/doc/news-4598816?4&search=g1aTKQM4>.
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