Heinrich, Udall praise passage of FLETC reauthorization bill

U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Tom Udall (D-NM) celebrated this week the passage of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), ensuring that first responders and law enforcement personnel are adequately trained for various nation security-related events.

FLETC sites deliver training exercises and courses to 96 federal partner organizations, including the U.S. Border Patrol. Across five FLETC locations, the centers train more than 70,000 federal, state, local and international law enforcement officers every year.

“FLETC’s unique training opportunities make it an important part of our effort to meet security needs here in the United States and abroad, making it a top training center for many agencies,” Udall said. “This legislation makes important improvements that recognize FLETC’s role in training federal law enforcement officers who are to the security of our nation and our communities, particularly on the border and in Indian Country.”

Provisions in the reauthorization bill include developing training goals and tactical organization plans, developing homeland security and law enforcement training curricula, ensure timely dissemination of homeland security information to law enforcement personnel, advises the secretary of homeland security, and monitors the progress of domestic preparedness and response to threats or acts of terrorism.

“The reforms in this bill will ensure that FLETC is well-equipped to execute these critical missions and continue to be a leading employer in southeastern New Mexico,” Heinrich said. “I will remain focused on keeping our state’s facility at the forefront of training federal law enforcement officers who are on the front lines of protecting our homeland . “

The bill now awaits the President’s signature.