00:00In 1969, the city of Montreal, Canada, discovered what it's like to live in a world without
00:07police.
00:09For 16 hours, on October 7th, the city's full police force went on strike.
00:17What ensued is now called Montreal's Night of Terror.
00:21The city rang out with gunshots, glass shattering, and flames erupting.
00:26Just three hours after the strike began, the first bank was robbed.
00:32Robbers stormed nine more before the police returned.
00:37Thefts, vandalism, and mob violence took the city by storm.
00:45There were 450 break-ins and over 30 armed hold-ups.
00:51A crowd 800 strong overturned a bus and set vehicles ablaze.
00:57The government sent provincial police and army officers into the city, but by then the
01:03chaos was already in full force.
01:07A sniper shot one officer, killing him.
01:13The result of Montreal's Night of Terror was two dead men, dozens of injuries, over 100
01:20arrests, and close to $3 million in property damage.
01:26Less than a day without police was a nightmare for Montreal.
01:35Here in America, we often take our strong police force for granted.
01:42We enjoy the safety and protection of law enforcement, sometimes without even realizing
01:49it.
01:51But if trends continue, we will inch closer to living the nightmare of a world without
01:59police.
02:01In 2022, almost 50% more officers resigned than in 2019.
02:10Almost 20% more officers retired.
02:15The number of police officers nationwide decreased by 4,000 between 2020 and 2023.
02:31A study in 2023 found that over the prior two years, at least 12 American towns completely
02:39dissolved their police departments.
02:42I've been speaking with law enforcement in Nebraska and around the country about growing
02:48staffing challenges for years.
02:52I greatly respect the state and local control of law enforcement agencies, so I always ask
02:58them how I can make existing federal tools more supportive of their work.
03:07Based on those conversations, I introduced the Recruit and Retain Act, which the House
03:12passed last week.
03:15I am thankful to the Nebraska officers and sheriffs who collaborated with me to craft
03:22legislation with bipartisan appeal.
03:27As retirements increase and new applications decline, departments are shrinking, burdening
03:34the officers who are trying to keep them afloat.
03:38Understaffed departments are doing their best to keep up, but they don't always have the
03:44resources to hire all the officers that they need.
03:51The Recruit and Retain Act offers them better access to resources to reverse this trend.
03:59My legislation improves the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services,
04:05or COPS, a hiring grant program.
04:09The bill extends COPS grants for specific onboarding expenses, like background checks
04:16and psychological evaluations.
04:19It also provides clear guidance to the understaffed agencies applying for this funding, and it
04:26alleviates administrative burdens that come with those applications.
04:32These changes will allow departments to consider more applicants and hire more officers.
04:42Recruit and Retain also establishes the Pipeline Partnership Program to promote student interest
04:48in law enforcement careers.
04:52Departments and local schools will work together to launch mentorships opportunities that give
04:58young people an inside look at law enforcement work.
05:02This will not only create a hiring pipeline for police departments, but it will also strengthen
05:07community relationships with law enforcement.
05:11Finally, my bill directs the Government Accountability Office to investigate the causes of recent
05:18recruitment challenges and those effects on public safety.
05:25We see some of these causes and effects already.
05:29Anti-police movements like Far Left Defund the Police, that's demonized our law enforcement.
05:38And we've seen rising crime levels in places like Portland and Minneapolis and New York
05:44City after they cut funding for their police departments.
05:50Nonetheless, we haven't seen comprehensive studies that evaluate all levels of law enforcement
05:58in agencies of all sizes across the country.
06:04To address staffing issues, we need to have the data on exactly what is causing these
06:11problems and how they are compromising the safety of our communities.
06:17These are practical changes that take our law enforcement a step forward in rebuilding
06:24their departments, a goal that will serve officers, will serve local communities, and
06:31it will serve our nation as a whole.
06:35Our police and other law enforcement officers, they do the essential work to keep us safe
06:43and secure.
06:45Choosing not to support them is to choose chaos, lawlessness, and nightmare.
06:53But by passing my bill, the House and the Senate have both chosen to support our police
06:59as they face these staffing challenges.
07:03And I urge President Biden to do the same by signing the Recruit and Retain Act into
07:10law.
07:11Thank you, Madam President.
07:12I yield the floor.
