The House passed the Invest to Protect Act today. Liz Cheney was too busy with her Jan. 6 witch hunt committee to show up. It would be a dangerous bill if it could pass the Senate. It allows the DoJ to provide grants to police departments of their choosing while getting their claws into several areas of local policing. It’s a first step to nationalizing the police.
The bill directs the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to award grants to local and tribal governments that employ fewer than 200 law enforcement officers. Grant funds may be used for various activities, including providing de-escalation training and improving recruitment and retention.
House Democrats reached an agreement Wednesday to vote on a series of bills that provide millions of dollars to local law enforcement and also include accountability measures.
Democrats want the bill before the election to counter their bad image from their years of trashing the police and pushing pro-criminal policies.
“Some Democrats had urged passage of the package ahead of the midterm elections as a counter to GOP attacks that paint Democrats as anti-police. Moderate and vulnerable swing-district Democrats have argued that “defund the police” language led to the party losing a surprising number of House seats in the 2020 election,” The Washington Post reports.
The groups of mostly Democrats were able to strike a deal to fund police departments with 125 officers or fewer and direct some money to officer training, community safety, and police accountability. The money may not be used to make new hires but can be used for signing bonuses as well as mental health efforts.
“It’s critical for policing that we have the backs of law enforcement because every day they have ours,” NJ Democrat Jeff Gottheimer said.
They will not likely get the 60 votes in the Senate to pass it. This is a purely political move to improve the Democrat brand.
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THIS IS THE DANGEROUS SECTION
The package includes reforms to ensure police funding is used to support smaller police departments, along with investments in de-escalation training and $250 million for mental health resources for officers. A major goal is to reduce fatal encounters between police and people with mental illness. It includes language around police accountability that would allow the Justice Department to have preferential consideration over which police departments are permitted to receive the grants. It will also allocate $50 million of the funding to go toward data collection on police practices and community safety.
This gives the federal government control over local police with the funding they need. It’s the beginning of the nationalization of police. It’s the proverbial camel’s nose under the tent.
THE DEMOCRAT TALKING POINT
“With this package, House Democrats have the opportunity to model a holistic, inclusive approach to public safety, and keep our promise to families across the country to address this issue at the federal level,” Far left Reps Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement.
“These are efforts to repair their image with voters who blame them for higher crime rates,” said Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., the chair of the Republican Study Committee. “The Democrats know that their anti-police rhetoric over the last few years has harmed them in key districts that they need to keep the majority, which they are not. This is a top-of-the-list item for voters.”
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