Dear Representatives Evans and Bacon,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support for H.R. 8746, the “Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods (VICTIM) Act.”
Homicide cases can be very difficult to clear—especially those committed with a firearm—and firearm-related violent crimes even more so. Closing these types of crimes requires diligence, manpower, and a sustained investigative effort. Given the limited resources of law enforcement agencies, it’s important to provide significant, dedicated resources to clear these crimes, especially given the impact they have on victims, their families, and the fabric of the community. They deserve justice and closure.
Your legislation would establish a grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to help State and local law enforcement agencies improve their clearance rates for homicides and firearm-related violent crimes. Agencies can use these grant funds to train or hire additional detectives, investigators, or other police personnel to investigate, solve and respond to homicides and firearm-related violent crimes. The grants can also be used to improve training for agency personnel to address the needs of victims of homicides and firearm-related violent crimes, as well as their families.
Providing these important resources to law enforcement agencies across the country will improve the chances that homicides and firearm-related violent crimes get cleared, providing punishment for the perpetrators, justice for the victims and their families, and peace of mind for communities and the dedicated law enforcement officers that serve them.
On behalf of the more than 382,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I thank you both for your leadership on this legislation. If I can be of any help or provide additional information in support of these pieces of legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington, D.C. office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President