WASHINGTON – In honor of National Police Week, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-22) co-sponsored the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act. The legislation would establish a grant program through the Department of Justice to fund training for de-escalation, domestic violence, and officer safety for local police departments in municipalities with less than 200 police officers. It also provides grants for mental health services, treatments, and therapy for police officers of those small communities.

"Police Departments in smaller communities often struggle with having enough funding to recruit, train, and provide resources for their officers - leading to increased stress on our existing force and putting the safety of our communities at risk. This concerning trend has had a disproportional effect on small, rural law enforcement agencies like many of those in the Central Valley,” said Congressman Valadao. “We must increase our investment in public safety and make sure our existing law enforcement officers know they have our support. I’m proud to join my colleagues in re-introducing the Invest to Protect Act to provide officers with the resources they need to keep themselves and our community safe."

Background:

The Invest to Protect Act was introduced in the 117^th Congress by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and passed the House of Representatives in 2022 with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate also passed a version of the bill last year, but the final agreed upon bill was not voted on. National Police Week is a week dedicated to honoring the men and women who make up America's law enforcement and paying tribute to those officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. 

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