IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 262 

Supporting the practice of community-oriented policing and encouraging 

diversity hiring and retention in law enforcement. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 14, 2015 

Ms. LEE (for herself, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. CLAY, and Mr. GRIJALVA) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the practice of community-oriented policing and 

encouraging diversity hiring and retention in law enforcement. 

Whereas promoting trust between law enforcement agencies 

and the communities they serve is critical to the stability 

of our communities, the integrity of our criminal justice 

system, and the safe and effective delivery of law enforcement services; 

Whereas events in Ferguson, Missouri; Staten Island, New 

York; North Charleston, South Carolina; Baltimore, 

Maryland, and other cities across the country have highlighted the need for strong, collaborative relationships between local police and the communities they serve and 

protect; 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HRES 262 IH 

Whereas, on December 18, 2014, President Barack Obama 

signed Executive Order 13684 to establish the Task 

Force on 21st Century Policing to examine how to establish effective crime prevention strategies while also building public trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve; 

Whereas the Task Force recommended that law enforcement 

agencies engage in proven and successful community-policing tactics, such as combining a focus on intervention 

and prevention through problem solving and collaborative 

partnerships with schools, social services, and other 

stakeholders; 

Whereas the Task Force also recommended law enforcement 

departments should strive to increase the diversity of 

their workforce; 

Whereas the most recent period where statistics are available, 

the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 4,813 deaths 

occurred during or shortly after law enforcement personnel attempted to arrest or restrain a suspect, demonstrating the urgency to act on implementing the recommendations in the report; 

Whereas community-oriented policing is a philosophy that 

promotes the systematic use of partnerships and problemsolving techniques to proactively address the immediate 

conditions of public safety, crime, social disorder, and 

fear of crime; 

Whereas a 2007 survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics 

found a commitment to community policing may be more 

evident in departments with a formal, written community-policing plan; 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HRES 262 IH 

Whereas according to a 2007 survey by the Bureau of Justice 

Statistics, only 16 percent of police departments, employing 48 percent of officers, across the country had a formal written community-policing plan; 

Whereas Congress recognizes the vital role and practice that 

community-oriented policing plays in building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve 

and protect; 

Whereas a September 2014 study published in The New York 

Times, found that of hundreds of police departments 

across the United States, the percentage of Whites on the 

force is more than thirty percentage points higher than 

in the communities they serve; 

Whereas a 2007 survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice 

Statistics on law enforcement agencies in the United 

States found that only 1 in 4 local police officers was a 

member of a racial or ethnic minority, and that only 1 

in 8 local police officers was a woman; 

Whereas Congress recognizes that hiring and retaining law 

enforcement officers that are more reflective of the community’s racial and gender makeup it serves and protects 

is critical to building trust between communities and law 

enforcement; 

Whereas since its inception, the Community Oriented Policing 

Services Program (COPS) Office has invested approximately $14.7 billion to add officers to the Nation’s 

streets, enhance crime fighting technology, support crime 

prevention initiatives, and provide training and technical 

assistance to help advance community policing; and 

Whereas Congress recognizes the critical role of the COPS 

Hiring Program Office in expanding the practice of comVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:20 May 15, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR262.IH HR262

asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HRES 262 IH 

munity-oriented policing to law enforcement departments: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) finds that the lack of minority representa3 tion in law enforcement across the country needs to 

4 be addressed; 

5 (2) calls on law enforcement departments to 

6 have a written and formal plan of community-ori7 ented policing; 

8 (3) commits to ensuring that the COPS Hiring 

9 Program has the support and resources it needs to 

10 increase the hiring and retention of diverse law en11 forcement officers; 

12 (4) encourages the Department of Justice, in 

13 collaboration with the COPS office, to issue further 

14 guidance and best practices on diversity hiring and 

15 retention of law enforcement personnel, use of exces16 sive and deadly force, and community-oriented polic17 ing strategies; and 

18 (5) urges the Bureau of Justice Statistics to 

19 provide an annual report to Congress on the Depart20 ment of Justice’s efforts to increase community-ori21 ented policing and diversity hiring and retention 

22 within law enforcement departments across the 

23 country. 

Æ 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS