Title: Law Enforcement Inclusion Act of 2016
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Law Enforcement Inclusion Act of 2016
This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand the allowable use of grant funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to include: (1) recruiting, hiring, and training career law enforcement officers who are residents of the communities they serve; and (2) developing and publishing strategies and timelines to recruit, hire, and train a diverse and inclusive law enforcement workforce.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 266 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 266

  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 
            communities they serve, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2017

Mr. Lewis of Georgia 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 
            communities they serve, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Law Enforcement Inclusion Act of 
2016''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the Equal Employment Opportunity 
        Commission (EEOC) and the Census Bureau, which together provide 
        detail on the racial composition 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 
        officers commute to work from outside the city in which they 
        work.
            (2) When officers live in the cities in which they work, it 
        may reduce the carbon footprint by employees 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 additional tax revenue for the city, and cut down on 
        absenteeism and tardiness.
            (3) According to the President's Task Force on 21st Century 
        Policing, recommendation 1.8 reads ``law enforcement agencies 
        should strive to create a workforce that contains a broad range 
        of diversity including race, gender, language, life experience, 
        and cultural background to improve understanding and 
        effectiveness in dealing with all communities.''.
            (4) Additionally, the Fairness and Effectiveness in 
        Policing: The Evidence states ``A critical factor in managing 
        bias is seeking candidates who are likely to police in an 
        unbiased manner. Since people are less likely to have biases 
        against groups with which they have had positive experiences, 
        police departments should seek candidates who have had positive 
        interactions with people of various cultures and 
        backgrounds.''.

SEC. 3. USE OF COPS GRANT FUNDS TO HIRE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO 
              ARE RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.

    Section 1701(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act 
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (17), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (18) as paragraph (20);
            (3) in paragraph (20), as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``(17)'' and inserting ``(19)''; and
            (4) by inserting after paragraph (17) the following:
            ``(18) to recruit, hire, promote, retain, develop, and 
        train new, additional career law enforcement officers who are 
        residents of the communities they serve;
            ``(19) to develop and publicly report strategies and 
        timelines to recruit, hire, promote, retain, develop, and train 
        a diverse and inclusive law enforcement workforce, consistent 
        with merit system principles and applicable law; and''.
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