I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4168 
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
provide that COPS grant funds may be used to hire and train new, 
additional career law enforcement officers who are residents of the com-
munities they serve, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 6, 2019 
Mr. LEWIS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 to provide that COPS grant funds may 
be used to hire and train new, additional career law 
enforcement officers who are residents of the commu-
nities they serve, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Law Enforcement In-
clusion Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) According to the Equal Employment Oppor-
tunity Commission (EEOC) and the Census Bureau, 
which together provide detail on the racial composi-
tion of government workers in large American cities, 
in about two-thirds of the United States cities with 
the largest police forces, the majority of police offi-
cers live outside of the city in which they work. 
(2) When officers live in the cities in which they 
work, it may reduce the carbon footprint by employ-
ees in their journey to work, foster more employee 
concern in the affairs of their city, ensure manpower 
will be available in case of emergencies, generate ad-
ditional tax revenue for the city, and cut down on 
absenteeism and tardiness. 
(3) According to a New York Times article en-
titled, ‘‘When Police Don’t Live in the City They 
Serve (2016)’’, trust is greater between community 
and police force when officers live in and are demo-
graphically representative of the communities they 
police. 
(4) Existing programs, such as the Secure 
Neighborhoods Pathways to Homeownership in At-
lanta, are strengthening police legitimacy and cre-
ating more cooperative relationships with civilians 
across racial lines which holds promise for reducing 
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crime and violence. As a result of this program, the 
percentage of Atlanta’s police force, living in the city 
of Atlanta, increased from 14 percent to 22 percent. 
(5) Strained ties between police departments 
and the communities they serve predate the 1960s 
civil rights movement. During and after the civil 
rights movement, activists across the country have 
marched in support of improved police-community 
relations. 
(6) Police officers have an important job to 
maintain the safety, security, and resiliency of the 
cities they serve. By residing in the same commu-
nities in which they serve, officers may have oppor-
tunities to ameliorate their relationships with com-
munity residents and heal relationships between po-
lice and communities. 
(7) Substantive criminal justice reform should 
include initiatives to ameliorate the relationships po-
lice officers have with the communities they serve. 
SEC. 3. USE OF COPS GRANT FUNDS TO HIRE LAW EN-
FORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO ARE RESIDENTS 
OF THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE. 
Section 1701(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(b)) is amend-
ed— 
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(1) by redesignating paragraphs (22) and (23) 
as paragraphs (25) and (26), respectively; 
(2) in paragraph (25), as so redesignated, by 
striking ‘‘(21)’’ and inserting ‘‘(24)’’; and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (21) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(22) to recruit, hire, incentivize, retain, de-
velop, and train new, additional career law enforce-
ment officers or current law enforcement officers 
who are willing to relocate to communities— 
‘‘(A) where there are poor or fragmented 
relationships between police and residents of the 
community, or where there are high incidents of 
crime; and 
‘‘(B) that are the communities that the law 
enforcement officers serve, or that are in close 
proximity to the communities that the law en-
forcement officers serve; 
‘‘(23) to collect data on the number of law en-
forcement officers who are willing to relocate to the 
communities where they serve, and whether such law 
enforcement officer relocations have impacted crime 
in such communities; 
‘‘(24) to develop and publicly report strategies 
and timelines to recruit, hire, promote, retain, de-
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velop, and train a diverse and inclusive law enforce-
ment workforce, consistent with merit system prin-
ciples and applicable law;’’. 
Æ 
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