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The
"Invest to Protect Act" aims to beef up federal funding for
community policing activities in smaller jurisdictions, which
often lack the money for officer body cameras and
"de-escalation" training aimed at avoiding death or injury
during law enforcement activities.
Funds would help smaller police departments attract and retain
officers and help local governments develop mental health
programs to lower crime rates, including gun murders.
The party's progressive and moderate wings resolved differences
on the proposals on Wednesday in the face of Republican
accusations they were the "defund the police" party.
Prospects for the legislation were unclear in the Senate, split
50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, where 60 of the
chamber's 100 votes would be needed for passage.
Congressional Democrats have yet to find a way to enact
legislation making it easier to hold police departments and
their officers accountable for the use of excessive force,
especially against minorities.
Democratic voters have been clamoring for such laws.
"It doesn't take away the call for real accountability. This is
not a substitute for that in any way," Democratic Representative
Pramila Jayapal said of the legislation being debated on
Thursday.
Jayapal chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Representative Josh Gottheimer, the main sponsor of the bill,
said it will ensure that local police departments "have what
they need to recruit and retain the finest officers, to provide
training and invest in providing mental health resources."
Jayapal said a key change in the bill reduced to 125, from 200,
the maximum size of small police departments qualifying for
federal funds under the bill.
The bill is part of a package of public safety legislation.
Three other bills will also get votes on Thursday - one that
would make it easier for governments to create mental health
emergency response units; one that would create federal grants
for violence intervention programs; and one that would establish
a Department of Justice program to train police departments on
investigating shootings.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton and Richard Cowan; Additional
reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Howard Goller)
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