NAPO attends White House signing
ceremony for opioids bill
On Oct. 24, NAPO’s Director of Governmental Af-
fairs, Andy Edmiston, was invited to the White House
to witness President Trump sign into law the Substance
Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recov-
ery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Com-
munities Act (H.R. 6). The SUPPORT for Patients and
Communities Act is a package of opioid-related legis-
lation that provides significant resources to help address the crucial
drug crisis our country is facing. In a victory for law enforcement,
the measure includes several NAPO-endorsed provisions that sup-
port state and local law enforcement’s efforts to combat opioids in
our communities.
To help battle the growing problems associated with synthetic
drugs, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act includes
the Synthetic Abuse and Labeling of Toxic Substances (SALTS) Act.
There have been reports from states around the country about peo-
ple acting violently while under the influence of these drugs, lead-
ing to deaths or injuries to themselves and others. Unfortunately,
current law makes it difficult to prosecute new synthetic drugs as
analogues because they are often labeled “not intended for human
consumption,” despite their well-known use as recreational drugs
with dangerous side effects.
By making it easier to prove that synthetic drugs are intended
for human consumption and thus easier to prosecute, the SALTS
Act will help law enforcement in its efforts to get these drugs off the
streets and out of stores.
NAPO participates in DOJ National Opioid Summit
The day after the president signed into law significant legislation
to address our nation’s opioid crisis, the Department of Justice (DOJ)
held a National Opioid Summit. The summit focused on the DOJ’s
efforts to stop the dissemination of opioids in our communities and
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ NOVEMBER 2018
highlighted the three components of the administra-
tion’s strategy to address this national emergency: pre-
vention, enforcement and treatment.
NAPO on the Hill: Senate Judiciary Committee
post-election work
NAPO met with staff members of Senate Judiciary
Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) regarding the com-
mittee’s plans for the lame duck session after the elections and our
remaining priorities, particularly the Protect and Serve Act.
The Protect and Serve Act of 2018, which passed the House during
this year’s National Police Week on May 16, provides for new crimi-
nal provisions for deliberate, targeted attacks on officers. Specifical-
ly, it creates federal mandatory minimum sentences for the assault
or attempted assault and the killing of a state or local law enforce-
ment officer when there is a federal nexus to the case.
This bill is critical, as there is a serious and growing trend of armed
attacks on law enforcement officers. According to a December 2017
report from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
(COPS) and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund,
2016 saw a significant increase in ambush attacks on unsuspecting
officers, with 21 shot and killed. Sixty-one percent of those officers
were not answering a call for service or engaged in enforcement ac-
tion or performing official duties — they were targeted and killed
just for the uniform they wore. Twelve officers were murdered while
sitting in their patrol cars.
While the staff members indicated the chairman’s support for
moving the Protect and Serve Act through the committee, they also
shared with us the chairman’s priority legislation for the lame duck
session, including the FIRST STEP Act and Electronic Communica-
tions Privacy Act (ECPA) reform.