Dear Senators Grassley and Luján,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support for S. 3522, the “Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act.”
Law enforcement officers across the country are experiencing an increase in violence deliberately targeting them. In 2023, 378 officers were shot in the line of duty—which is the highest total since the FOP began tracking this data in 2015—and 46 of these officers were killed. The lethality of these attacks would have been much higher but for the advances in medical trauma science and improvements in anti-ballistic technology. The continued rise in deliberate attacks on law enforcement is contributing to a crisis in recruiting the next generation of law enforcement officers and holding on to current officers, whose morale and mental health is negatively impacted.
In an effort to better understand these attacks and support our men and women in law enforcement, your legislation would expand the data collected by the Federal government on attacks and aggressions against law enforcement officers in a comprehensive way. This data would augment the information collected through the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) program, the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to capture “aggressive actions, conduct, or other trauma-inducing incidents” aimed at officers. This information and recommendations would then be submitted to Congress.
The bill would also require a report to Congress on the types and frequency of mental health and stress responses of law enforcement officers and identify the types of mental health services and support that exist within Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies to support officers. If we can better identify what services are needed and where these services can be accessed, we can improve the overall mental health of the men and women in law enforcement.
On behalf of the more than 373,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, thank you both for your leadership on this important issue. If I can provide any additional information about this bill, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington, D.C. office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President
cc: Oleta Davis, President, Iowa State Lodge
Robert Parra, President, New Mexico State Lodge