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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ DECEMBER 2014
Help generate Top Cops nominations
It is that time of the year again! We are trying to
The
gather as many quality TOP COPS® nominations
as possible. With TOP COPS® again taking place
in May, we are under very tight schedule constraints.
Representing
The 2015 ceremony will take place on May 12,
America’s Finest
2015, in conjunction with National Police Week.
The Awards Ceremony will be held at the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C. The deadline for nominations is Jan. 10, 2015.
Please take this opportunity to nominate a fellow officer.
Please also feel free to include the nomination form in your association or department publication or e-mail the nomination
form to friends and colleagues by downloading a PDF from our
website, www.napo.org.
Help us ensure that all states and territories are represented at
the 22nd Annual TOP COPS Awards® Ceremony. We appreciate
any help you can provide.
If you should have any questions, please contact NAPO’s
Director of Events, Elizabeth Loranger, at: [email protected].
Report
of duty should be treated the same and not be subjected to federal income tax. Survivor benefits for
federal law enforcement officers are currently not
subject to federal income tax, but there is some
ambiguity about the treatment of these benefits
for similar state-based programs.
Teleconference on ‘Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act’
On Nov. 19, NAPO participated in a teleconference, led by
staffers for Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Congressman Ted
Poe (R-Texas), to discuss strategies to move the Justice for Victims
of Trafficking Act forward. This legislation, sponsored by Senator
Cornyn and Congressman Poe, was passed by the House in May
2014 and by the Senate Ju diciary Committee as an amendment
in September 2014. This legislation will boost support for and
protection of victims of human trafficking by increasing law
enforcement resources, enhancing victims’ services, and
increasing penalties in an effort to combat child sex trafficking,
child pornography, sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Supporting the ‘Don’t Tax Our Fallen Public Safety Heroes Act’
NAPO meets with Office of National Drug Control Policy
On Nov. 22, NAPO signed on as a supporter of Congressman
Erik Paulsen’s (R-Minnesota) “Don’t Tax Our Fallen Public Safety Heroes Act,” a companion bill to Senate legislation, which was
endorsed by NAPO. The Senate bill passed the Senate without
opposition on Sept. 18.
This legislation clarifies that both federal and state death benefits for the survivors of law enforcement officers killed in the line
On Nov. 20, NAPO met with senior advisors at the Office of
National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). A component of the
Executive Office of the President, ONDCP was created by the
Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. ONDCP advises the President on
drug-control issues, coordinates drug-control activities and
related funding across the Federal government and produces the
annual National Drug Control Strategy, which outlines Administration efforts to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health
consequences.
NAPO contacts congressional leadership to request support for the
‘James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act’
On Nov. 12, NAPO sent an individual letter and a joint law
enforcement stakeholder letter to Congressional leadership,
advising them of our strong support for the James Zadroga 9/11
Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act. The letters were
sent to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada), House Minority Leader Nancy
Pelosi (D-California) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R-Kentucky). The letters stressed our strong support
for the Zadroga bill, and requested assistance in moving the legislation through the Congress as expeditiously as possible. NAPO
also reached out to dozens of staffers to request support for the
bill.
The Zadroga bill’s two critical programs providing medical
treatment and compensation for 9/11 heroes – the World Trade
Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund – are set to expire in October 2015 and October
2016 respectively. This legislation would continue these programs for 25 more years, through 2041.
This legislation will also honor those who made the ultimate
sacrifice to protect our nation. James Zadroga, a New York City
Police Department Detective and member of NAPO, died of respiratory disease caused by his exposure to toxic chemicals at
Ground Zero. It is our obligation and duty to remember these
heroes and ensure that survivors who risked their lives to protect
us continue to receive the treatment and compensation that they
deserve. d