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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ MARCH 2014
NAPO Victory
Senate blocks Adegbile nomination for Assistant Attorney General
The Senate voted 47-52 to block the nomination
The
of Debo Adegbile to be the next Assistant Attorney
General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S.
Department of Justice.
NAPO expended all available efforts to oppose
Representing
America’s Finest
Adegbile’s nomination, which was evidenced when
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) (Ranking Member
of the Senate Judiciary Committee) highlighted NAPO’s opposition to the nominee during his floor statement.
Under Adegbile’s leadership, the Legal Defense Fund of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People volunteered its services to defend Mumia Abu-Jamal, a convicted
cop-killer. Abu-Jamal was convicted of murdering Philadelphia
Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1982. Adegbile worked tirelessly to free this unrepentant cop-killer. The nominee’s efforts led
to the overturning of the just sentence Abu-Jamal received for
murdering a valuable member of the law enforcement community.
NAPO cannot thank its members enough for the support you
have provided. Our efforts led to eight Senate Democrats joining
with Republicans to vote against Debo Adegbile. Democrats Bob
Casey of Pennsylvania, Chris Coons of Delaware, Joe Donnelly of
Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West
Virginia, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, and John Walsh of Montana
joined Republicans in voting against the nominee. Democrats
voted 45-8 to approve the nomination; Republicans voted 0-44
against and independents voted 2-0 in favor.
Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act working group
NAPO participated in a Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act (JMHCA) working group meeting on Feb. 18. The group
strategized ways to ensure the passage of the JMHCA.
The Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act
(MIOTCRA) created the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration
Program (JMHCP) to help states and counties design and implement collaborative efforts between criminal justice and mental
health systems. The JMHCA reauthorizes the successful
MIOTCRA and extends the JMHCP for five years. The JMHCP can
help law enforcement agencies across the U.S. with their responsibilities assisting them, and dealing with citizens with mental
health issues.
NAPO continues to reach out to key Republican members of
the House of Representatives to request they co-sponsor the
House version of the JMHCA. The House bill is currently supported by 36 GOP co-sponsors, and we are working to increase
the co-sponsor tally to 50 to demonstrate the strong support the
bill holds.
NAPO meetings on Capitol Hill
During the last week of February, NAPO met with staffers for
the following members of Congress: Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Congressman Steve Daines (R-MT), and Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX). (Congressman Smith is a member of
the House Judiciary Committee). In addition to discussing the
JMHCA, NAPO requested support for the following pieces of legislation:
Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant Program Reauthorization Act: NAPO explained the importance of the BVP
Grant Program, which provides federal funds to state and local
law enforcement departments to purchase bulletresistant vests.
Officer Sean Collier Campus Police Recognition
Act: NAPO provided background on the Officer Sean
Collier Campus Police Recognition Act, which
amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 by adding campus police officers
to the Department of Justice’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program. This bill defines a “campus police officer” as a police officer
who is authorized to enforce the criminal laws and is employed
by an institution of higher education.
Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA): NAPO briefed the
staffers on proposed language modifications to the most recent
DPPA amendment, which include adding a clause that explains
that penalties will be applied only if persons access information
with the specific intent to secure an economic benefit. NAPO also
proposes removing the $2,500 penalty for a violation of this act,
as well as adding a statement that explains there must be repeated disregard of this law for action to be taken. If the language is
not modified, law enforcement officers will be subject to large
fines, and even the loss of their licenses for de minimus actions.
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Improvement and Reauthorization Act: NAPO stressed the importance
of passing this legislation, which would reauthorize the COPS
program for five years and raise the current hiring cap from
$75,000 to $125,000.
Finally, NAPO discussed its support of the McLelland-Hasse
Line of Duty Act with Congressman Smith’s staff. This legislation
would create a new federal crime for the killing, attempted killing
or conspiring to kill a U.S. judge, federal law enforcement officer
or federally-funded public safety officer. The bill would also create a new federal crime for interstate flight to avoid prosecution
for killing, attempting to kill or conspiring to kill a U.S. judge, federal law e