Congress passed legislation on Tuesday that U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) introduced to incentivize state and local governments to hire veterans as police officers.
The American Law Enforcement Heroes Act, which was approved as the nation observed National Police Week, was modeled after the expired Troops to Cops program that helped convert more than 1,000 veterans into police officers in the late 1990s.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Senate version of the bill.
Under the measure, Department of Justice funding for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) would give priority to law enforcement agencies that hire and train military veterans.
Hurd noted that his district is home to more than 4,600 active duty and 45,000 military veterans who would benefit from opportunities to continue their service at home.
“We owe our freedom to these men and women, and must do a better job facilitating their transition into meaningful civilian careers,” Hurd said.
In the Senate, U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Dean Heller (R-NV) were cosponsors of the measure, which is expected to be signed into law by the president this week.
“This legislation is good for military veterans, good for law enforcement and good for the communities they are charged with protecting,” Cornyn said. “I applaud this bipartisan effort to support our veterans by helping them find jobs in law enforcement agencies across the country.”
U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) spoke on the House floor in support of the bill, noting that the knowledge and skills military veterans bring to police departments enhance the departments’ problem-solving mission.
Goodlatte, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said veterans and police officers protect and serve the community, and both place themselves at great physical risk in executing their duties.
“It is understandable, then, that many military servicemen and women seek employment as police officers upon returning to civilian life,” Goodlatte said. “Similarly, police departments are seeking men and women who are physically and mentally fit to assume these roles, who are used to working in teams, and who have experience making quick decisions under stress. To a police department, a military veteran may be a perfect fit.”