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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ JULY 2014
NAPO’s legislative scorecard results
NAPO has completed a “Legislative Scorecard” for the 113th
Congress, which can be viewed at the following site:
http://www.napo.org/files/8914/0407/9883/Full_Compilation__Vote_Project_-_Work-In-Progress_UPDATE_-_June_27_2014.pdf.
The results include all votes
that impacted NAPO’s members
The
in the House of Representatives
and Senate through June 2014.
The “Legislative Scorecard”
includes the following docuRepresenting
America’s Finest
ments:
Chief Justice John Roberts said searches of digital devices for
information are not comparable to searches law enforcement
officers often conduct for contraband after making an arrest.
NAPO’s Executive Director has expressed concerns about the
impact of this ruling on law enforcement officers to multiple news
sources. Please take a moment to review Johnson’s concerns
expressed on behalf of the law enforcement community in the
following NBC News article: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/usnews/cops-see-reason-concern-landmark-cellphone-rulingn140771.
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NAPO Meeting on Capitol Hill – Senator Cory Booker
Report
A description of the votes studied during this Congress, as
well as NAPO’s stance on each of the votes;
•
A map depicting the level of Congressional support for the
law enforcement community across the country;
•
A chart reflecting support by political party in the House and
the Senate;
•
A data snapshot, which summarizes the report results;
•
A table, which details the average level of support in the
House and Senate by state; and
•
Excel spreadsheets, which detail House & Senate support by
member, party, and state.
Please note that NAPO will conduct a final analysis at the conclusion of the 113th Congress, but wanted to provide our members with a status update of how each member of Congress has
voted to date.
Senate passes Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act
On June 26, the Senate passed the Victims of Child Abuse Act
(VOCAA) Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S.1799), which was introduced in December 2013 by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (DDelaware) and Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), co-chairs of the Senate
Law Enforcement Caucus, and Senators Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), members of the Senate
Judiciary Committee. This bill reauthorizes the VOCAA, which
provides funding for Children’s Advocacy Centers that serve child
victims of violent crimes and help law enforcement hold perpetrators accountable.
The legislation adopted reflects two modifications from the bill
approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The first change is
a reduction in authorized funding level from $22.5 million per
year to $20 million per year. This amount matches the most
recent authorization level and is $1 million above the current fiscal year’s appropriation. The second modification is new language that will ensure that funds expended via the Crime Victim’s
Fund, established under the Victims of Crime Act, are spent only
for victim-assistance purposes. The reauthorization bill will also
strengthen Victims of Child Abuse Act programs through
enhanced accountability provisions, non-profit requirements,
and limitations on conference expenditures.
NAPO responds to Supreme Court ruling - Warrants required for
cell phone searches
The Supreme Court has ruled that police generally need a warrant before searching the cell phone or personal electronic device
of a person arrested. Writing for a unanimous court on June 25,
On June 27, NAPO met with senior staffers for Senator Cory
Booker (D-New Jersey). NAPO used the meeting to express appreciation for the Senator’s support of the law enforcement community. (Currently, Senator Booker is a cosponsor of the Justice
and Mental Health Collaboration Act, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act, and the COPS
Improvement and Reauthorization Act). Also, in addition to providing information on the Social Security Fairness Act, NAPO
highlighted the following priorities:
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National Blue Alert Act: This bill would help to establish a
nationwide alert system to apprehend violent criminals who
have injured or killed police officers. The House version of
this bill passed in May 2013 by a vote of 406-2, and NAPO
continues to expend all available efforts to ensure the Senate
passes this important legislation.
•
Equity in Law Enforcement Act: Mirroring the Officer Sean
Collier Campus Police Recognition Act, this bill would extend
the same Federal benefits to law enforcement officers serving private institutions of higher education that apply to law
enforcement officers serving units of State and local government. This legislation would make these individuals eligible
for the same benefits provided to public law enforcement
officers, including line-of-duty death benefits under the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program and bulletproof vest
partnership grants through the Department of Justice. The
bill would only apply to officers who are sworn, licensed, or
certified to enforce the law within their jurisdiction.
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Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act: NAPO explained that
this bill repurposes and reauthorizes a grant program to create a victim-centered model block grant to help states and
local governments develop and implement comprehensive
victim-centered programs to train law enforcement to rescue victims, prosecute human traffickers and restore the lives
of victims. It also allows state and local human trafficking
task forces to obtain wiretap warrants within their own state
courts without federal approval in order to investigate crimes
of child pornography, child sexual exploitation and human
trafficking. An amended version of the bill passed the House
of Representatives on May 20, and we are hopeful that it will
be reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee in the coming months. d