WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) issued the following statements after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve the POLICE Act, which will allow law enforcement and medical personnel across the country to use federal grant funds to train and better prepare for active shooter situations, including training civilians how to respond if confronted by an active shooter:
“Preparing for active shooter situations is an unfortunate but necessary and lifesaving precaution for our law enforcement and first responders. By enabling police to use existing grant funding for these vital programs, we can ensure that first responders are prepared to protect our communities during an emergency,” Sen. Cornyn said.
“We must support our state and local law enforcement who put their lives on the line to keep us safe, from reauthorizing the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program to supporting training programs so that officers are equipped to respond in active shooter situations. With today’s strong vote in the Judiciary Committee, I urge the Senate to quickly take up and pass the POLICE Act soon,” Sen. Leahy said.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senators Al Franken (D-MN), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Christopher Coons (D-DE), David Vitter (R-LA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) are original cosponsors of the POLICE Act.
Background on the POLICE Act
The POLICE Act would revise the rules of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) to allow first responders to use grants received through the program for active shooter response training. Representative John Carter (R-TX) introduced a version of the POLICE Act in the House of Representatives in February. The bill is supported by the National Fraternal Order of Police, the National District Attorneys Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Major County Sheriffs Association, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, and the Department of Justice’s VALOR program.