Expressing the sense of the United States House of Representatives that Congress and the President should empower the creation of police and community alliances designed to enhance and improve communication and collaboration between members of the law enforcement community and the public they serve.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, this is the week that we take a special moment to honor those who put on the uniform to provide safety and security for the civilian population here in the United States called police persons, law enforcement, sheriffs, constables, and Federal officers. It is to recognize the importance, in a society of laws, to have individuals willing to sacrifice and to put the uniform on without question of their safety or security but, as well, be reminded of the responsibilities of adhering to the Constitution of the United States. That is, by and large, the mantra, the standards utilized by law enforcement officers across the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 285, a resolution expressing the sense of the House that Congress and the President should empower the creation of police and community alliances. I might put a few balloons in celebration because many of us remember those beautiful pictures of a little child holding the hand of an individual with a law enforcement uniform on.

This resolution seeks to enhance and improve collaboration between the law enforcement community and the public. I salute that. It is fitting that we have this resolution during National Police Week where families gather to mourn, but, as well, to celebrate, where officers come to be acknowledged by their nation, and where we acknowledge the brave men and women who give so much of themselves to keep us safe.

I support thoughtful measures that provide mechanisms to enhance resources that will allow our law enforcement officers to serve their communities effectively. That is why I hope to introduce, with a number of my colleagues, the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, which creates and provides a distinctive medallion, as one of its provisions, to be issued to the survivors of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty or memorialized on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Remember, the family is very much a part of the service that these individuals give, and I meet them all the time, sometimes under conditions that I wish I did not, but I also know how much they contribute to the community.

The Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act also takes a comprehensive approach to help foster healthy relationships between law enforcement and communities by implementing best practices focused on effective training and deescalation, recruitment, hiring, and oversight. I think those are elements that can be very important to protecting our law enforcement and our community.

Our country was founded on some fundamental principles; among those is the rule of law. But the rule of law depends on the ability of the public to trust law enforcement, conversely, on the capacity of law enforcement to carry out their work while preserving the rights of those whom we serve.

The best combination is, as this resolution intends, strong community police relations, working together, because there are enough bad guys that the help of the community can certainly help our law enforcement officers. For those strained relations that have occurred at different periods over the last couple of years, we want to, in particular, be able to work to give resources and training--as I said, best practices of deescalation--and also to help recruit in diverse communities to be able to provide that good working relationship with law enforcement all throughout.

We have seen diversity in law enforcement. In Texas, of course, we have a number of layered law enforcement from police, to sheriffs, to constables, to the Texas State rangers. All of these individuals give opportunities for young people to participate in the law enforcement arena on the local level.

In an effort to address these concerns last November, I, along with a bipartisan group of legislators, hosted a briefing with the American Psychological Association, titled, ``Improving Police-Community Relations: Psychological Perspectives.'' The briefing explored how improving relations between law enforcement and communities of color can reduce violence between police and the public.

One of the speakers discussed the psychological implications of policies that have, to my appreciation, been stopped and not utilized, such as stop-and-frisk, that was facing a number of communities differently from others.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Taylor and the cosponsors of H. Res. 285 for bringing it forward because we can always find ways on a two-way street. That is what this resolution talks

about, a two-way street. I look forward to creating that two-way street with the passage of this resolution and to including in the discussions different aspects of different and unique communities in our Nation.

We are richly diverse: communities of color, those with different languages, new status immigrants, and communities of different economic levels. Dialogue generates peace, so I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the author of the legislation and the cosponsors, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), well known for his commitment to first responders throughout the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) and the Law Enforcement Caucus, Mr. Reichert, and I pay tribute to his service. Certainly, Mr. Pascrell has been on the front lines for a very long time, and I have been delighted to join him, first, when we were on the Homeland Security Committee and then continuing on the caucuses that deal with our first responders across the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, let me indicate to my colleagues that I also rise in support of H. Res. 285, and to thank Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Taylor, and to also reinforce what I hope will be a worthy discussion going forward on the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, which has a wide range of civil rights groups and police groups who are already beginning to support us.

This resolution has been introduced before, and we were lucky enough to get a number of good cosponsors of organizations who believe in our community-police cooperation.

I happen to come from Houston, where our first African-American police chief was Lee Brown, who is known as the father of community- oriented policing, which is the premise, I believe, of this resolution, getting to know your officers, engaging with your officers, and finding a way to empower both police and community working together.

The Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, which I look forward to working with the ranking member of the full committee and ranking member of the subcommittee and the chairman of the full committee and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, deals with accreditation, deals with development programs that are helpful to law enforcement, processes to address questions raised, and as well the medallion for the family members' collection of data, and, what I like, the professional training funding that will come about for additional professional training that many of the departments would long for and welcomed when we began to discuss it.

So H. Res. 285 is a very important statement being made that I hope that all of the Members will join, too, and that is that we need good police-community relations. We need to develop and empower the creation of police and community alliances.

We do it in Houston, Texas. We have layered officers. Most people have never heard of constables. We have them in Texas. The rangers, we still have the rangers with historic history. We have our police in the different cities and counties and small towns, and then we have the deputy sheriffs and sheriffs in our counties all throughout. Many of these organizations do public service and barbecues. Certainly we all gather together when we have a person fallen in duty, and as well we continue to work when there is a tragedy dealing with a civilian as well.

We must do everything we can to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the communities we serve. Research shows that in order to succeed, we must expend the resources needed to improve communication and collaboration between law enforcement and the public.

There will be many officers up this week. We should see all of them and engage in a friendly and welcoming way. We should reinforce the value of having a Nation of laws and those who enforce it, that we are also neighbors, and that we should look forward to increased community- police interaction and relationships.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this resolution and let us work together for good in a Nation as great as America is.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this week is National Police Week, which encompasses many events and brings thousands of survivors, supporters, and law enforcement officers to our Nation's Capital. Today is Peace Officers Memorial Day.

Mr. Speaker, I am not naive to the fact that my words today don't hold a candle to the witness or the words we can no longer hear of the valiant men and women who sacrificed it all for our communities. However, we must honor them not simply for them, but for us, for our very society's structure is built on a foundation of rule of law. We must continue to strengthen it and inspire our descendants for generations to come to rise up and serve in uniform. There is nothing small about the big task it takes to keep the peace, protect the people, and uphold that thin blue line.

Mr. Speaker, today I also rise in support of H. Res. 285, to express the deep desire of this Congress to mend any rift, to build any bridge, and to teach any lesson between law enforcement and the communities that they serve.

Whether Black, Brown, White, gay, straight, rich, or poor, our country's courageous law enforcement officers are a rare breed of man or woman who run to the sound of danger. They are part of the very fabric of this Nation. Indeed, without their and their family's sacrifices, our society would most certainly be torn apart with the darkest of our human impulses.

Their higher purpose and profession has been invaded by politics. Sure, there are bad apples who must be weeded out with accountability for an imperfect system. During this Police Week, let us come together, like we do in unity of our prayer and of our pledge to this great Nation.

H. Res. 285 encourages us to do better as a society. Law enforcement officers could always work harder on putting themselves in the shoes of skeptical people in the community to understand why there is fear, why some see the law as opposition rather than the same team, and why they may see, in their lives, that upholding the law is a curse rather than a blessing. And, my fellow Americans, we must do better.

We in the neighborhoods have to try to look through the eyes of law enforcement men and women who seek to protect us, help them understand where we are coming from, educate ourselves on the law, and show more respect for it. We must create more bonds, build more trust, and teach more communication, not blow up the very relationships that matter for ourselves, for our safety, and for our security.

H. Res. 285 states that the U.S. Government should place more weight between the creation of police and community alliances that are designed to enhance and improve the causes of communication and collaboration between the members of both groups.

Mr. Speaker, I know there is much concern and divide in our country right now on this topic, but we can choose to move in that dangerous direction as a nation divided into our respective camps. We can follow in the footsteps of other parts of the world and some of our own episodes in the past, with both sides contributing to people fearing for their safety and causing unnecessary injuries or even death, or we can realize that we are all on the same side and have civil conversations and express our concerns and questions without the stain of ugliness that has been far too common.

Never should one feel scared of those in uniform because of the color of their skin, the style of their clothes, or what side of town they come from, and never should one of the 99.9 percent of law enforcement officers in good standing be subjected to disrespect, noncooperation, or unnecessary fear for their own lives. Let us start and always believe that all of us support the rule of law and that each of us truly cares about our causes, our community, and our country.

H. Res. 285 acknowledges the great work that law enforcement officers do to keep their communities safe, and it pushes for an increase of dialogue surrounding legitimate concerns within the community and, in turn, our country.

Mr. Speaker, we have faced difficult times in our past and there will be difficult times in our future, but I believe in the resiliency of this Nation. I believe our checks and balances realign over time and are lasting. Most of all, I believe in our people, that, ultimately, the push and pull of freedom under the rule of law and debate and democracy are what strengthens us, our culture, and our society.

Let us choose to engage as one team. Let us always be calm, for calm is contagious. It will help us better serve each other and understand each other. In doing so, we shall rise together as one nation under God.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution, H. Res. 285.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 285) expressing the sense of the United States House of Representatives that Congress and the President should empower the creation of police and community alliances designed to enhance and improve communication and collaboration between members of the law enforcement community and the public they serve.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H. Res. 285, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am pleased the House is considering this resolution today, which highlights the critical need to strengthen relationships between police departments and the communities they serve.

This resolution, cosponsored by the gentleman from the great Commonwealth of Virginia (Mr. Taylor), expresses the sense of the United States House of Representatives that Congress and the President should empower the creation of police and community alliances designed to enhance and improve communication and collaboration between members of the law enforcement community and the public.

Over the past several years, our country has witnessed the tension between certain police departments and communities come to a head. We have seen communities grieve over the loss of young men killed in police shootings.

At the same time, we have seen a concerning spike in ambush attacks on police officers. We have heard complaints from communities about not being able to trust the police. We have also heard complaints from police that certain communities will not help the police in investigating the violent crimes that plague those very communities.

To address this strain and divide, in July 2016, the Judiciary Committee established the bipartisan Policing Strategies Working Group. This group has held several roundtables and traveled around the country to speak to police departments and community leaders. Our objective is to examine police accountability, aggregation towards law enforcement, and public safety concerns. Our work to highlight and address these issues is ongoing.

H. Res. 285 continues this progress by publicly supporting the creation of community-police alliances so that perhaps one day we can come to a point where there is no divide between the police and the communities they serve, no longer a sense of profound mistrust, no longer any sort of us versus them mentality.

When it comes to protecting and serving the community, there shouldn't be sides. We hope for a day when everyone can realize that police departments and community leaders seek the same goals: peace, prosperity, and safety. We hope that this resolution and our continued work on the Policing Strategies Working Group and the Judiciary Committee helps to continue the progress the country is making.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Taylor for introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Taylor), the chief sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I do not have any additional speakers and am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself with the words of Scott Taylor, the Congressman from Virginia.

This is National Police Week. I would like to see the passage of H. Res. 285.

As a lead Democratic sponsor of this legislation and co-chair of the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, I know the importance of enhancing and improving communication and collaboration between members of the law enforcement community and the public they serve.

Thousands of law enforcement officers and their families have traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. While we give thanks every day to the men and women serving and protecting our communities, this week is a perfect opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to show America's law enforcement that we have their back here in the Congress of the United States and around the country.

Every day our Nation's law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect our families, our friends, our children, our neighbors, and our communities. The brave men and women who wear the badge understand the dangers of their job, but they heed the call to serve and willingly face those risks in order to create safe communities for all of us.

Tragically, 360 names will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial here in Washington, D.C., this year; 129 of those lost their lives in the line of duty last year. Every name added heard the call to protect and serve and made the ultimate sacrifice, leaving behind family, friends, brothers and sisters in arms, and their communities.

As we remember and pay tribute for their ultimate sacrifice, we acknowledge the dangers inherent in the job our law enforcement officers do every day.

This resolution before us recognizes the bravery and sacrifices of the men and women in blue. It recognizes that we must do more to enhance and improve communication and collaboration between members of the law enforcement community and the public they serve.

It is my hope that during this Police Week, we can come together to honor the sacrifices made by law enforcement.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the other lead sponsors, including Congressman Scott Taylor, Tom O'Halleran, and the Republican co-chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus, David Reichert. Fourteen years we have been co- chairs. We are going to miss him when he leaves us.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Goodlatte for bringing this resolution to the floor, and I ask for a big vote on H. Res. 285.

Mr. Speaker, on May 15, 2018, I was absent from the House and missed Roll Call votes 181, 182, and 183.

Had I been present for Roll Call 181, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 613; the Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act, I would have voted ``Yes.''

Had I been present for Roll Call 182, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 4854, to amend the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to provide additional resources to State and local prosecutors, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``Yes.''

Had I been present for Roll Call 183, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H. Res. 285, expressing the sense of the United States House of Representatives that Congress and the President should empower the creation of police and community alliances designed to enhance and improve communication and collaboration between members of the law enforcement community and the public they serve, I would have voted ``Yes.''