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Washington, DC– Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) today released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed several bills designed to better protect members of the law enforcement community and thank them for their service in honor of National Police Week:

“Brave men and women in uniform throughout the country put their lives on the line to keep us safe every day. Last year, 145 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty – 145 too many. I was proud to join my colleagues in the House this week in voting for a number of bills to support law enforcement officers. These bills would honor their sacrifices and provide them with extra protections. I am hopeful we can see these important measures signed into law.”

The House passed the following bills during National Police Week:

·        The Honoring Hometown Heroes Act (H.R. 1892) would permit states to lower the American Flag to half-staff when a law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty.

·        The Thin Blue Line Act (H.R. 115) would add the killing of a state or local police officer to a list of aggravating factors for a jury to consider in federal death penalty cases.

·        The American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017 (H.R. 1428) would prioritize the hiring of veterans by awardees of grants under the COPS Hiring Program.

·        The Probation Office Protection Act of 2017 (H.R. 1039) would give probation officers the authority to arrest a person if there is probable cause to believe that the person has assaulted, resisted, or interfered with the probation officer in the performance of his or her duties.

·        The Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 (H.R. 1616) would authorize the creation of a program within the U.S. Secret Service to train state and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges on how to combat cyber crimes.

·        The Rapid DNA Act of 2017 (H.R. 510) would allow local police stations to use Rapid DNA analysis.

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