Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) proposed on Wednesday to hire 100,000 police officers to combat the rising spike in violence under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Hawley released his proposal as Biden plans to address the rising crime in the country just months into his first term. Homicides and violent crime have dramatically increased as police departments, and law enforcement agencies face defunding.
Hawley’s office said the increase in crime and low morale has led to many departments face a glut of recruits.
Hawley outlined in a statement the country must put more officers on the streets to curb the rampant spike in crime:
American families aren’t safe, but they deserve to be. And they can be if we will act. This is not the time to defund the police or vilify them, but to support the brave men and women in blue – and put more of them on the streets. Immediately.
Hawley’s proposal would:
- Propose a grant to local communities to support the hiring of an additional 100,000 law enforcement officers.
- Increase maximum penalties for assaulting federal officers by 50 percent.
- Propose a bill to protect federal judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers from violence and doing by requiring the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to protect their private information.
- Increase penalties for damage to federal courthouses.
- Amend the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) to expand concealed carry rights to federal judges and prosecutors.
- Create a separate criminal offense for targeting a person based on their status as a law enforcement officer.
Hawley said Wednesday his proposals would protect American families and support the country’s law enforcement officers.
“Violent crime is surging across the country. Our families need protection. Our cops need support. We should raise officers’ pay and put 100,000 new cops on the beat,” Hawley wrote.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.