Washington, DC - Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, welcomed the news that H.R. 5768, the “Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act” and H.R. 6538, the “Active Shooter Alert Act,” advanced out of the House Committee on the Judiciary on a 25-14 vote and by voice vote, respectively. The bills now await action by the full House.

The “VICTIM Act” would establish a grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to help State, Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies train or hire detectives, investigators, or other police personnel that can investigate, solve, and respond to homicides and non-fatal shootings.

“Despite being overworked and under-resourced, our members show up to work every day and do their job admirably.” Yoes said. “Firearms crimes are some of the most difficult cases to solve and having that extra investigator can make all the difference between a killer roaming free in a community and one who is put behind bars for the rest of their life.”

The “Active Shooter Alert Act” would establish a national coordinator within the DOJ to set up and administer an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network. The Active Shooter Alert Coordinator, in coordination with other Federal components, would develop best practices and training on the use of a secure communications system during an active shooter event.

“Law enforcement officers are the first to respond to an active shooting incident,” said Yoes. “Past incidents have shown the importance of concise, timely, and widely distributed communications to the public to warn them about the threat and to avoid the area while police work to ensure that the shooter is neutralized as quickly as possible.”