A marked increase in crime, fallen city centers, shuttered businesses, chaos, and a diminished quality of life. This is our new reality, and it’s bei...
Author: Paula Fitzsimmons
Aside from being a proud IWN member, I'm founder of For the Blue, an advocacy organization for rank-and-file police officers. I also do part-time legislative work for the National Police Association. My husband and I, who've been married for more than 33 years, live with our dog and birds in Wisconsin.
How To: Meaningfully Support Law Enforcement
A Federal Bill That Can Help Mitigate the Damage to Policing and Public Safety
The public is feeling the effects of a nationwide police staffing crisis. Crime has spiked across the country in several major crime categories. Police officers have largely retreated from proactive policing, a tool that has been demonstrated to prevent crime. Crimes are going unsolved, leaving victims without justice.
Wait times for service calls have gotten longer, and not just for fender benders and nuisance calls. The Chicago Police Department, for example, was unable to respond to 52% of high-priority service calls as recently as 2021, data journalists found. The Department’s staffing woes have only worsened since this report was issued.
Small and mid-sized cities aren’t faring much better. Public records show that police departments in cities like New Orleans, Nashville, Houston, Detroit, Seattle, and Boise are experiencing staffing crunches and taking longer for police to respond to calls.
Given the urgency of our public safety situation, you’d think there would be a clarion call from
legislators to craft meaningful solutions. Overall, the response has been underwhelming.
Democratic proposals center on generating federal grants to attract and train new police recruits. Money isn’t at the heart of this staffing crisis, though. Overt hostility displayed by members of the public and select units of government, zealous prosecutions of police officers, failure to prosecute attacks on police, and attempts to eliminate qualified immunity are some of the primary factors compelling police officers to leave the profession en masse.
Though Republicans have been slow to introduce meaningful solutions, there have been some glimmers of hope. The Florida legislature, for example, passed a sweeping anti-crime, pro-police bill in 2021, propelling it as a model law-and-order state.
One encouraging bill for consideration in the U.S. House is the Protect & Serve Act (H.R. 743), introduced by Rep. John Rutherford earlier this year. It would create a new federal crime category and minimal sentencing requirements for knowingly assaulting a police officer. At a time when attacks on law enforcement have increased, this bill fills a critical need.
With a current roster of 90 co-sponsors in the House and bipartisan support, the Protect & Serve Act is gaining the most momentum of all the bills in this category – and it has the most realistic chance of passing.
This bill isn’t a panacea, and it will take more than a signature to reverse all the damage that’s been done to policing. It does, however, send an unequivocal message that attacks on officers of the law won’t be tolerated. When police officers are safe and supported, they’re in a better position to keep us free from harm and to protect our civil liberties.
Members of Congress need to hear from all of us who care about public safety, police officers, and the rule of law. It’s why I ask that you please consider urging your congressperson to co-sponsor the Protect & Serve Act. If you’re short on time, the Fraternal Order of Police has provided a convenient automated form, open for all to sign.
Paula Fitzsimmons is an investing IWN member based in Wisconsin. She’s founder of For the Blue, a platform advocating for rank-and-file officers. Paula also serves as legislative director for the National Police Association.
Republicans are Missing in Action on the Police Staffing Crisis
Our nation is in the middle of a police staffing crisis claiming innocent victims and contributing to destroying our greatest cities. Few qualified officers are available for crime prevention initiatives, to staff special police units, and to respond to calls for service — including those categorized as potentially life-threatening.
One of the more troubling examples is Chicago, where its police department has lost about 11 percent of its patrol officers since March 2020. The fallout has been severe. In 2021, there were no Chicago police officers available to respond to 52 percent of the 788,000 high-priority calls.
Democratic policies, proposals and actions have been the catalyst for demoralizing our nation’s guardians, most of whom approach their work with honor and dignity. Attempts to eradicate qualified immunity, the creation of false narratives and the zealous prosecution of police officers have taken an emotional toll. As a result, police officers have concluded that this profession is no longer worth the risks.
While the left may have set this in motion, the Republican response has been anemic. It’s not just that Republicans frequently miss opportunities to speak out when officers are unfairly under fire. Their legislative efforts have also been lackluster.
If passed, the Protect & Serve Act of 2023 would create a new federal crime category and minimal sentence for knowingly assaulting a police officer and causing severe bodily harm. At a time when ambush-style attacks on law enforcement have been on the rise, this bill would serve as a deterrent and give police officers a much-needed show of support.
This bill, a legislative priority of the Fraternal Order of Police, was introduced in February. Yet, it has garnered just 78 co-sponsors in the House, 67 of them Republicans. And, to date, there have been no hearings scheduled.
At the state level, Florida enacted the Combating Violence, Disorder, and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act in 2021. It’s arguably the most comprehensive piece of state-level public safety legislation in the nation, and it’s been widely praised by members of Florida law enforcement.
In part, it prevents municipalities from defunding police departments, holds cities accountable for ordering officers to stand down during riots, and mandates sentencing for intentionally striking a police officer.
The only other state that has thus far proposed a similar bill is Mississippi, with its Combating Violence, Disorder and Looting And Law Enforcement Protection Act. The bill, which would have created a mandatory imprisonment sentence, fine (or both) for assaulting an officer, died in committee.
Granted, our nation is facing an array of pressing issues vying for the attention of elected officials. Yet, few issues are more critical than ensuring the safety and welfare of the American citizenry. Keeping the public safe begins primarily with ensuring that police departments are adequately staffed with qualified men and women.
As our cities become increasingly uninhabitable and innocents victimized, few in positions of power are doing much to address it. Although Democratic policies have gotten us to this point, Republicans still have a long way to go before they can refer to themselves as the party of law and order.
Paula Fitzsimmons is founder of For the Blue police officer organization and an investing member of the Independent Women’s Network. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.