OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

Date: June 2, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care Criminal Justice

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Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, trust between law enforcement and the public that they are sworn to protect is not just important but essential to safe, collaborative, and constitutional community policing. Trust promotes healthy relationships and interactions that are in the best interest of the both the public and the police.

Unfortunately, the public's trust in law enforcement has eroded in many communities across the country, including my own. The Federal Government needs to make targeted investments to ensure that law enforcement has the tools to rebuild and strengthen that trust, which is the cornerstone of successful policing.

That is why I am so proud to introduce this bipartisan amendment, along with my colleagues Congressman Murphy and Congressman Blumenauer, to add $2 million to the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act programs. These programs provide a broad range of services, including crisis intervention training for State and local law enforcement agencies to identify and improve responses to people with mental illnesses and substance abuse issues. Crisis intervention training can help prevent injuries to officers, deescalate potentially dangerous situations, and alleviate harm to the person in crisis.

Interactions between the mentally ill and law enforcement too often end in tragedy. Since the beginning of the year, 385 people have been shot and killed by police, and about a quarter of these individuals have been identified as mentally ill. The more training we can provide law enforcement to improve their skills to interact with the public, the more likely crises will be resolved peacefully. And the more nonviolent peaceful interactions police have with the public, the more we can strengthen trust between police and the public that they are sworn to protect.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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