U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) hosted a Law Enforcement Roundtable in her district at the Milton Community Center to discuss several pressing issues facing police officers.
Among the issues, law enforcement officials spoke about the importance of mental health resources for police departments. Specifically, they discussed suicide prevention, PTSD, and caring for families of those deceased in the line of duty. While police recruits in the state receive hundreds of hours of training, only about 16 of these hours are dedicated to mental health. The group agreed that peer-to-peer mental health programs are the most effective for law enforcement.
“It was an honor to host a roundtable with local law enforcement in my district yesterday to highlight the importance of increased mental health resources,” Stefanik said. “Our law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect NY-21 families, and it is my job to hear directly from them so I can work for their best interests in Congress. I also stand united with local Law Enforcement in opposing Governor Cuomo’s failed and dangerous bail reform that puts our communities at risk. I’m grateful we had a productive discussion on the issues most important to our great law enforcement officers, and I will continue to support and advocate for them in Congress.”
The roundtable participants also talked about New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent bail reform legislation. Stefanik and the local law enforcement officials in attendance were united in their opposition to this law.
Stefanik was joined at the roundtable by State Senator Daphne Jordan, President of Law Enforcement Weekend Austin Glickman, representatives of the NYS Troopers, the Sheriffs of Saratoga, Warren, Fulton, and Washington Counties, and many other local law enforcement officials. At the meeting, Stefanik was presented with an award from 2019 Law Enforcement Officers Weekend recognizing her continued support and advocacy to the men and women of law enforcement.