Moderate Frontline Democrats facing tough reelection fights are teaming up with House Republicans on a bill that would effectively help fund the police, according to a copy of the bill textobtained by Axios.
What they’re saying: “You need to invest, not defund,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) told Axios. He’s leading the coalition that sponsors the bill.
Provisions include:
- Investing in officer safety, de-escalation and domestic violence response training.
- Allocating resources for body cameras — specifically funding for data storage and data security.
- Supplying grants for small departments to recruit new officers.
- Providing retention bonuses and investment for officers pursuing graduate degrees in public health, social work and mental health.