NAPO Backs President’s Executive Order to Support & Strengthen State and Local Law Enforcement
On April 28, President Trump signed an Executive Order, Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Civilians, which provides for significant support and resources for state and local law enforcement. NAPO applauds the President for continuing to have the backs of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect our communities.
The provisions of this Executive Order adopt and make official almost all of the top policy priorities we have been calling for with the Administration. This includes protecting law enforcement officers’ legal rights, supporting improved training and increased benefits for officers, stronger penalties for those who commit violence against officers, going after misguided prosecutors and officials who refuse to enforce the law, and reevaluating the numerous consent decrees that are thwarting agencies across the country. It is no exaggeration to say that this Administration has listened carefully to NAPO’s concerns and followed our policy positions as a roadmap.
Specifically, the Executive Order directs the Attorney General to:
- Create a mechanism to provide legal resources and indemnification for law enforcement officers who unjustly incur expenses and liabilities due to actions taken in the line of duty;
- Maximize the use of federal resources to expand access to quality training for law enforcement officers, increase pay and benefits for officers, strengthen and expand legal protections for officers, seek enhanced federal penalties for violent crimes perpetrated against officers, invest in our nation’s prison system, and improve the collection and distribution of data;
- Review all ongoing consent decrees and memoranda of understanding, and modify, rescind, or move to close those that “unduly impeded the performance of law enforcement functions”;
- Work with the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to increase the provision of national security assets and excess military equipment, including training, to state and local law enforcement; and
- Hold state and local officials accountable for policies and actions that prohibit or restrict law enforcement officers from carrying out duties necessary for public safety and law enforcement.
This executive action by the President will be vital to the efforts of state and local law enforcement to keep our communities and the officers who serve them safe and secure. We stand with the President in support of this Order and look forward to working with the Administration on its implementation.
Statement from NAPO President Applauding President’s Action Ending De Minimis for China
On May 2, President Trump’s Executive Order, Further Amendment to Duties Addressing the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China as Applied to Low-Value Imports, that eliminates duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports from China, took effect. We thank the President for taking this significant step in countering the illicit flow of fentanyl and synthetic opioids into our country from China through the international mail system.
The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) views closing this trade loophole as a vital part of a national strategy to stop the spread of fentanyl, which is devasting our communities. Fentanyl is now the drug most associated with overdoses in the United States. This deadly poison is being mixed with other illicit drugs, hidden in counterfeit drugs, and being peddled at alarmingly high rates to our nation’s youth.
As law enforcement officers, our members are on the front lines, and they see firsthand the destructive impact fentanyl has in our communities. Our officers work hard to keep it and other dangerous drugs off the streets and out of our neighborhoods, but they are fighting a losing battle if Chinese drug smugglers can continue to circumvent our trade laws and ship hundreds of thousands of packages of fentanyl directly into our country.
Closing the de minimis loophole for commercial packages from China, and eventually from all countries, will help stop the flow of illicit narcotics coming across our borders and will safeguard the lives of our children, families, and friends. We stand with President Trump and his Administration in the fight against the scourge of fentanyl in our communities and strongly support his executive action to eliminate de minimis treatment for China.
NAPO Participates in House Bipartisan Working Group Police Week Meeting
NAPO President Mick McHale was a guest speaker at the House Bipartisan Working Group (BPWG) meeting on May 6th to discuss law enforcement priorities and the current challenges facing our officers ahead of National Police Week. The BPWG is a bipartisan group of lawmakers, co-chaired by Congressmen John Rutherford (R-FL) and Scott Peters (D-CA), who meet monthly to find common ground, build consensus around good ideas, and solve problems. House Law Enforcement Caucus Co-Chairs Congressmen Rutherford and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) hosted this meeting of the Working Group.
Joining Representatives Rutherford, Gottheimer, and Peters in the BPWG meeting were Representatives Marc Veasey (D-TX), George Whitesides (D-CA), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Andy Barr (R-KY), Mike Ezell (R-MS) and Maggie Goodlander (D-NH).
McHale was joined by the leaders of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), and Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA). He discussed the recruitment and retention issues facing law enforcement agencies across the country, the rising number of violent assaults on officers, and the need for increased federal support for mental health and wellness services for officers. He highlighted NAPO priority legislation including the Protect and Serve Act, the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, the Invest to Protect Act, and the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, and called on the lawmakers present to work with us to move these important bills through the House.
NAPO appreciated the opportunity to once again participate in the BPWG meeting in honor of National Police Week and the open discussion of how Congress can best support our nation’s law enforcement officers. We hope that these meetings will occur more than once a year.
NAPO Victory! Congress Passes Bill Criminalizing Deepfake Explicit Images
The House passed the NAPO-backed TAKE IT DOWN Act (S. 146), sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), by a vote of 409 – 2 on April 28, sending it to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The Senate passed the bill by voice vote on February 13. This bill would establish federal liability for those who generate and distribute deepfake intimate and explicit images, giving law enforcement needed tools to bring justice to the victims of these crimes.
In a world where generative AI is increasingly being used to create deepfakes, it is vital that federal laws be updated to protect individuals against the creation and nonconsensual sharing of these images. These deepfake images, which disproportionately target women and minors, must be recognized as the severe privacy violations that they are.
NAPO thanks Senators Cruz and Klobuchar and the bill’s House sponsors, Congresswomen Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA), for their leadership and efforts to get this important bill across the finish line.
National Police Week Legislative Agenda Announced
After months of NAPO working closely with House and Senate leadership on our legislative priorities, the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee each announced the pro-law enforcement legislation that will be on the docket to be considered during National Police Week 2025 to honor the law enforcement profession.
Next week, the House will be voting on two NAPO-backed bills: the LEOSA Reform Act (H.R. 2243) and the Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act (H.R. 2240). Both of these bills passed the House in a bipartisan manner last Congress.
The LEOSA Reform Act would address specific issues that well-qualified active and retired law enforcement officers are facing when exercising their right to protect themselves and others under the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA). NAPO is proud to have worked with members of Congress to enact LEOSA in 2004 to allow well-qualified off-duty and retired officers to carry their firearms for the protection of themselves, their families and our nation’s communities. The LEOSA Reform Act would expand the areas qualified current or retired officers are allowed to carry a firearm, including on a Gun Free School Zone; on state, local and private property otherwise open to the public; and in certain federal facilities, amongst other provisions. Importantly, it will reform qualifications standards to alleviate undue burdens for those carrying under LEOSA.
The Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act requires the Department of Justice to collect data on the actual and threatened use of force against officers, and not only in situations involving firearms, to get the greater picture of the threat our officers face. It requires a report on the stresses and mental health toll violent assaults have on officers and the extent to which mental health and wellness programs provided are meeting the needs of officers. This bill will be an important first step to ensuring we are collecting the data necessary to fully understand assaults against officers and getting agencies the support and resources necessary to protect the health and safety of the men and women who so valiantly serve and protect our communities.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a National Police Week markup on May 15th, which is historically a bipartisan affair. The Committee will be marking up 8 bills: the Improving Police Critical Aid for Responding to Emergencies (CARE) Act (S. 1595), Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act (S. 1563), the Strong Communities Act (S. 1316), the Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act (S. 180), the Reauthorizing STOIC Act (S. 419), the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act (S. 237), the Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act (S. 911), and the PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act (S. 539).
The Improving Police Critical Aid for Responding to Emergencies (CARE) Act establishes baseline standards for trauma kits purchased using grant funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) and requires the development of best practices for training law enforcement officers to use trauma kits, and for deployment and maintenance of the kits in vehicles and government facilities.
The Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act establishes a grant program to assist law enforcement agencies hire retired federal, state, and local officers to assist with civilian tasks, including performing investigations and analysis as well as training new officers.
The Reauthorizing Support and Treatment for Officers in Crisis Act reauthorizes the Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act, which provides essential grant funding for law enforcement support services, including the establishment of suicide-prevention programs and mental health services and supports for law enforcement officers and their families.
The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act recognizes exposure-related cancers as line of duty injuries and would cover them under the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program for death and disability benefits.
The Strong Communities Act allows for COPS Hiring Program funds to be used to pay for local law enforcement recruits to attend schools or academies if the recruits agree to serve in the communities in which they live.
The Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act allows for grant funds under the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program to be used for purchasing containment devices for first responders and training first responders on the use of containment devices to prevent secondary exposure to fentanyl and other potentially lethal substances.
The PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act reauthorizes and improves the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program to combat child exploitation and abuse.
The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act covers retired law enforcement officers who are killed or permanently and catastrophically disabled due to their previous work in the line of duty under the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program.
NAPO is supportive of the entire agenda, but our priorities are the Reauthorizing STOIC Act, the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, the Strong Communities Act, the Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act, and the PROTECT Our Children Act.
NAPO Backs Bill to Enhance Law Enforcement Cooperation
NAPO pledged its support for the Law Enforcement Solidarity Act (H.R. 3081), sponsored by Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY), that conditions certain federal funds on whether a state and locality allows local law enforcement to cooperate with federal law enforcement, including those of the Department of Homeland Security.
Representative Tenney introduced this bill in direct response to the incident in Rochester, New York, in March when officers of the Rochester Police Department were condemned by the city’s mayor and police chief for doing their jobs and responding to an emergency call for assistance from federal Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents. NAPO wrote a letter to Mayor Evans and Chief Smith in support of the officers’ actions and chastising the city officials for throwing the officers under the bus for political expediency.
The Law Enforcement Solidarity Act goes beyond just immigration policy and “Sanctuary Cities”. It protects the right and duty of state and local law enforcement officers to provide support to their federal partners in emergency circumstances.
The federal funds targeted by this bill are those that a jurisdiction intends to use for the benefit of illegal aliens, including for the provision of food, shelter, healthcare services, legal services, and transportation.
Senate Passes Prison Safety Enhancement Act
On April 29, the Senate passed the Prison Safety Enhancement Act (S. 307), sponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA), but unanimous consent. This bill would address the increasingly pervasive issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault of federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staff by federal inmates.
In 2023, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG)of the Department of Justice released a report titled, Evaluation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Efforts to Address Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Committed by Inmates Toward Staff, which found that 40 percent of the 7,000 BOP employee surveyed stated that they had been sexually harassed or assaulted by an inmate. The Report includes several recommendations for BOP to mitigate inmate-on-staff sexual harassment and assault and to fully ascertain the scope of the problem across the multitude of BOP institutions.
The Prison Safety Enhancement Act would require the BOP to fully implement the recommendations of the 2023 OIG Report, have the OIG analysis punishments for sexual harassment and sexual assaults in BOP facilities, and mandate the Attorney General develop national standards for the prevention, reduction, and punishment of such sexual crimes against BOP staff by inmates.
Importantly, the national standards the Attorney General is required to develop would be beneficial for state and local corrections institutions to emulate to protect their officers from such crimes. NAPO supports the Prison Safety Enhancement Act for the protections it will put in place for correctional officers and thanks Senators Blackburn and Ossoff for their leadership. We look forward to passing this bill through the House.
NAPO’s Legislative Positions & Sponsor/Cosponsor Updates
You can now see if your U.S. Representatives and Senators support NAPO’s priority legislation on our new interactive Sponsor/Cosponsor map on our website. The interactive map accompanies the latest “Legislative Positions” document, which is also available on the NAPO website under “Washington Report”. NAPO’s Legislative Positions is a document that highlights all the legislation that we have taken an official position on or are monitoring during the 119th Congress. The map and Legislative Positions document are continually updated to reflect the work we are doing on Capitol Hill.