Senator Reverend Warnock’s Invest to Protect Act will invest in training, equipment, mental health support, officer recruitment and retention to support small law enforcement agencies in Georgia and across the country
This week, the Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the legislation out of committee, setting up a Senate-wide vote
The Invest to Protect Acthas also earned the support of the Burke County and Screven County Sheriffs’ Offices, as well as the Peace Officers Association of Georgia
Burke County Sheriff’s Office: “This bill offers hope and financial resources to address our need. Senator Warnock has done his homework!”
Screven County Sheriff’s’ Office: “It is with deep appreciation that the Senator is looking out for smaller law enforcement agencies within the state of Georgia. During these times, officers are in short supply and high demand. This Act will help small departments like ours in Screven County with training, equipment, recruitment and retention of new officers”
This week, Senator Reverend Warnock also cosponsored and passed a resolution in honor of National Police Week, honoring the law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty in 2021
Washington, D.C. — As the nation commemorates law enforcement officers during National Police Week, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) honored the sacrifice of local law enforcement officers by passing a bipartisan resolution honoring those officers killed in the line of duty in 2021 and by working to successfully advance his recently-introduced Invest to Protect Act out of the Judiciary Committee, setting up a Senate-wide vote.
The resolution that Senator Warnock supported marks National Police Week, reiterates support for the men and women in law enforcement, and honors the law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty in 2021, including those who died from COVID-19, as well as those lost to date in 2022. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 54 Georgia law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2021.
Senator Reverend Warnock’s Invest to Protect Act, which on Thursday was unanimously advanced out of the Judiciary Committee, will invest in training, equipment, mental health support, officer recruitment and retention to support small law enforcement agencies in Georgia and across the country. This legislation, which has earned the support of the Burke County and Screven County Sheriffs’ Offices, makes critical investments to increase officer safety, fund de-escalation and domestic violence training, purchase body worn cameras and more. This bipartisan bill will make critical, targeted investments in local police departments and ensure that police officers in smaller communities in Georgia, such as those of Burke County and Screven County, and across the country have the resources and training they need to keep themselves and their communities safe.
“This bill offers hope and financial resources to address our need. Senator Warnock has done his homework!” said Burke County Sheriff’s Office.
“It is with deep appreciation that the Senator is looking out for smaller law enforcement agencies within the state of Georgia. During these times, officers are in short supply and high demand. This Act will help small departments like ours in Screven County with training, equipment, recruitment and retention of new officers,” said Screven County Sheriff’s’ Office.
Over 90% of all police departments nationally have fewer than 200 full-time officers. In Georgia and across the country, these small departments often struggle to compete with larger ones for access to critical resources. The bipartisan Invest to Protect Act would establish a grant through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to provide $50 million per year for five years specifically to help local law enforcement agencies with fewer than 200 officers make meaningful investments in their officers and communities. The bill also requires a grant application process that can be quickly completed so that small agencies without dedicated grant-writing staff can access the funding. This bill is also endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Peace Officers’ Association of Georgia.
Read the full bill text of the Invest To Protect Act and one-pager here.
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