The bipartisan Pathways to Policing Act would dedicate an additional $50 million toward the Department of Justice’s “Pathway to Policing” programs. It’s money state and local departments could use for police recruitment efforts and building more diversified police forces across the country.
Republican U.S. Representative Peter Meijer and Representative Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, say the bipartisan legislation will overall support law enforcement agencies struggling to maintain adequate staffing levels by increasing recruitment efforts, as they put it, for service-oriented individuals.
Rep. Meijer says the time to act is now, “Law enforcement departments around the country are struggling to retain officers and recruit new ones, even as our communities continue to face increased rates of violent crime.”
If approved, priority for grants would be given to state and local agencies with committed to instituting a diverse police force representing the communities they serve.
