U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) recently joined nine colleagues in co-sponsoring a bill to address nationwide police staffing shortages.
The Pathways to Policing Act invests in programs to aid state and local law enforcement agencies struggling to maintain adequate staffing levels by enhancing the pipeline of service-oriented individuals.
The bill calls for $50 million to be earmarked for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to operate nationwide recruitment campaigns, with an additional $50 million allotted to create and implement Pathways to Policing programs supported by local and statewide marketing and recruiting.
“With crime on the rise, having a well-trained and robust police force to protect our communities is more important than ever,”
Herrera Beutler said. “However, nearly every sheriff’s office and police department will tell you that staffing is one of their biggest challenges. The Pathways to Policing Act would provide education and training opportunities to address this hiring need head-on and would make sure we have more qualified men and women in law enforcement to keep our streets safe.”
Vancouver Chief of Police James McElvain said staffing continues to be a critical issue for law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
“We are certainly experiencing this in southwest Washington,” he said. “We believe this bill is very timely because it is critical to addressing recruitment efforts to increase applications for law enforcement by candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities. This bill supports those who have non-traditional educational or career backgrounds that possess the complimentary skills needed in law enforcement, as well as recruiting candidates who want to serve their local community.”