In the wake of a gunman killing two New York City police officers and a series of unprovoked ambushes on police across the country, Sen. Patrick Leahy called Monday for more federal grants to buy bulletproof vets for cops.
Mr. Leahy, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he would reintroduce legislation to reauthorize the expired Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program, which used to provide federal dollars to match spending by police departments on body armor.
“Members of Congress often speak passionately about the need to support the officers who serve and protect the public on the front lines, but we need to match words with action,” said Mr. Leahy, Vermont Democrat. “No action to protect and support law enforcement officers is more tangible and effective than this partnership. It proves and renews its value each time an officer goes on the beat.”
“No officer should have to serve without a protective vest,” he said.
The program helped fund the purchase of more than a million bulletproof vests for state and local police since 1999. It expired in 2012, and legislation to restart the program was repeatedly blocked by Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, who retired this year.
Mr. Coburn insisted that he Constitution did not give the federal government a role in funding local police agencies.
“I am disappointed that a single Republican blocked the Senate from passing the bill this year, but our work does not stop at the end of the year,” Mr. Leahy said.
Gunmen have taken aim at police officers in a series of seemingly unprovoked attacks.
The deadliest incident occurred in New York City, where Officers Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were shot dead in their patrol car Dec. 20. The gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, later turned the gun on himself and took his own life while pursed by police at a subway station.
Before the attack, Mr. Brown posted messages on social media deriding police over the deaths of Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown, two black men who where killed while being arrested by police.
Police also came under fire Sunday in California and Florida.
Two Los Angeles police officers were ambushed by a shooting as the drove a patrol car. The officers returned fire. Nobody was injured, and the assailant escaped, according to reports.
A couple of Pasco County sheriff’s deputies in a patrol car also came under fire Sunday in Dade City north of Tampa. The deputies escaped unharmed, and the attacker got away, authorities said.
“Our deputies deserve to be safe, and our family members deserve to have their loved ones come home at the end of the shift,” Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco told Bay News 9. “There are a lot of people threatening law enforcement for unjust reasons.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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