3 Pieces of Legislation that will Shape the Future of Policing
2019 is looking to be a big legislation year that will shape the future of policing across the country. Three pieces of legislation that will prove to be instrumental in our future are:
1) Border Security.
Perhaps no other issue has garnered as much media coverage in recent months as the security of our borders. While the Southwest border receives much of the attention in the media, law enforcement officials are equally concerned with the border with our neighbors to the North. Strong border security is paramount to stemming the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants into our nation.
Security along the Southwest and Northern borders of the US has long been a point of contention and will not be solved overnight, but we must continue to keep it in the forefront of our minds and strive to keep our citizens safe.
2) Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.
The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWRA), first passed in 1994, expired due to the government shut down on December 31, 2018. Although it has been temporarily reinstated using a short-term spending bill on January 25th, our goal is to fight to ensure it never expires again. Eighteen different pieces of legislation can be directly attributed to VAWRA, and it is imperative that this powerful piece of legislation continues to affect women across the nation.
3) Opioids.
The opioid epidemic continues to plague our nation. According to the CDC, as many as 68% of drug-related overdose deaths in 2017 involved an opioid, a number six-times higher than in 1999. Illicitly-manufactured fentanyl (IMF) is one of the leading causes of overdose and death due to its obvious unregulated nature, prevalence, and the ease of acquisition in poorer districts of the country. Law enforcement officers around the country are working to curb this epidemic and strong laws, tougher sentences for offenders, and rehabilitation for users are all aspects that need to be addressed.
These are just a few of the items that National Police Support Fund will be watching in 2019 and beyond. As opportunities present themselves, we will exert ourselves to ensure the laws that support our officers are passed and the rights of our law-abiding citizens are upheld.
