A Potentially Powerful New Federal Pro-Police Bill

And understanding that we're up against a machine

The ideologues, with their seeming hatred for the foundations of our nation, have become fully entrenched in our institutions. Their influence can be witnessed in the halls of academia, nonprofits, legislatures, district attorney offices, entertainment venues, and yes, even corporate boardrooms and trillion dollar Wall Street investment firms.

We’re up against a powerful, well-funded machine, and some within this machine have a deep disdain for those who represent law and order. People with a bottomless hatred for law enforcement (or who can somehow personally benefit from demoralizing police) don’t care how valiant a cop may be. If given an opportunity, they will bury said cop.

Take this heartbreaking email I received yesterday from the mother of James Johnson, a Texas sheriff’s deputy going on trial for manslaughter for doing his job in accordance with the law and the U.S. Constitution. (I received the letter via Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund. Please donate if you can to this worthy charity!!).

She writes, in part . . .

“Somehow, my son James got caught up in something much bigger than himself, and now he's lost his job and his life savings trying to defend his good name in court.

Worst of all, if convicted James’s children will lose their dad to decades in prison.”

This scenario is being played out in jurisdictions across the country. It’s a sign of a nation in deep distress and should offend any American who cares about due process and the rule of law.

Dealing with Overwhelm

The information overload we receive on a daily basic can be paralyzing. It’s not just the war on cops and police staffing shortages that we need to be concerned with, either.

We’re also in the midst of a border crisis. Our military is understaffed. There’s an increase in Fentanyl overdoses. A rise in cases of suicides, anxiety, loneliness, and depression. The indoctrination of young people in schools and universities. The decriminalization of crime. Government waste. The weaponization of the criminal justice system. The double standards and lies. China. Israel. Ukraine. The displacement of the nuclear family, American patriotism, and faith.

We can’t fix the war on police (or any of the other issues plaguing our nation) in one sitting and with only a sliver of participants. Only with more of us exerting intense focus sustained over a period of time will we begin to restore our country.

It’s indeed more exciting to scan social media and hop from issue-to-issue, than it is to take the “boring” steps of shepherding meaningful change. Our human brains are, after all, designed to chase the next shiny object.

If we genuinely want to end the war on cops, however, and I know you do, it’s those “boring” steps we need to take. For me, this means, in part, scouring legislation crafted to support police and officers and enhance public safety.

Let me tell you about one of these promising new bills.

Taken at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C.

A New Federal Bill With the Potential to Prevent Assaults on Police Officers

As the violence perpetrated on police officers continues unabated, we need every available tool to combat it. One of these tools is a new bill called the Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act (S. 3522). It was re- introduced by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa last month and thus far has bipartisan co-sponsorship.

This bill would expand how the Federal government reports attacks on police officers in the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) database.

(My press release for the National Police Association is here.)

The information currently collected in LEOKA is helpful, but limited. It includes data points like what type of weapon the perpetrator used in the attack, when the attack occurred, whether an officer was killed accidentally or unlawfully, and sustained injuries.

To deter attacks on police officers and to justify the need for more effective preventative tools and solutions, it helps to have more specifics. Hence S. 3522, which would require the Attorney General to submit a report to both Congressional chambers of the Judiciary Committee.

Some of the more notable data points the report would be required to include are:

• The number of offenders who target law enforcement due to anti-police sentiment (this part is important!);

• A study of how Federal, State, and local police agencies respond to attacks on police officers;

• How well law enforcement agencies prepare their officers to prevent attacks and respond to them;  

• The effectiveness and limitations of the Federal Bulletproof Vest Partnership. This is the program that distributes protective gear to U.S. police agencies;

• A search for gaps in current data reporting;

• A study of legislative tools that may help in deterring ambush attacks of police officers.

This bill also has critical language to determine how frequently (and severely) these attacks are impacting officer mental health. It would examine the types of mental health services currently available and assess how often they’re used. This can potentially result in better, more effective mental health resources for our guardians.

Taken at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Thoughts on S. 3522

It goes without saying that I’m enthusiastic about this bill. With specific data collected by the Federal government, it would be more difficult for police critics (including those in the media, Congress, and our other legislative bodies) to deny and ignore what you and I already know: that there’s a war on cops.

Applying this data for the purpose of designing meaningful solutions has the potential to save police officer lives and enhance their mental wellness.

That said, we live at a time when it might be a challenge to convince Americans to actually believe the data, or any data that doesn’t align with a certain narrative. This includes police critics, who may very well trip over themselves to find fault with these numbers.

Additionally, data is only as impactful as the people using it. Will our elected officials and law enforcement agencies actually act on the data or will these reports collect dust?

Senator Grassley’s staffer, who has been amazing to work with, has kindly agreed to let me know when the public hearing for this bill will occur (hopefully in May for National Police Week).

And if you haven’t already, please urge your congressperson to co-sponsor the Protect & Serve Act (H.R. 743). This is especially important if you live in a district of a Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee who hasn’t yet signed on as a co-sponsor.

I’ll keep you updated on both bills and other meaningful pieces of legislation that arise.

Best.

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For the Blue is a solutions-based initiative. I’m just an American patriot asking questions. I don’t work with any political party and I answer to nobody. For me, the health of the nation, due process (including for police officers), the rule of law, and respect for individual liberties, will always transcend party affiliation. I welcome your thoughts, even if you disagree; though personal attacks will be ignored. You can reach me at fortheblue@substack.com.