House Approves Pappas Amendment To Strengthen Community-Oriented Policing

Today, the House of Representatives approved an amendment authored by Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) to a critical FY 2021 appropriations package to designate $10 million in Department of Justice grant funding to help Granite State police departments cover the cost of earning or renewing accreditation.

This funding will help small and mid-sized law enforcement agencies to update their standards and best practices to strengthen accountability, enhance community trust, and improve operational effectiveness.

Only a small fraction of police departments nationwide are accredited, in part because the process can be costly, a challenge that will grow as local governments confront mounting budget shortfalls brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pappas amendment was incorporated into a larger appropriations package which includes spending bills for Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Service and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.

"Police chiefs, law enforcement leaders, and reform advocates agree that the accreditation process is an important means of raising standards and making law enforcement agencies more accountable to the communities they serve," said Congressman Pappas. "Unfortunately, the expense associated with accreditation continues to deter small departments with limited resources from beginning the process. At a time when local budgets are coming under increasing pressure, this critical amendment will support community policing by designating Justice Department grant funding to help cover the costs of accreditation for police departments across New Hampshire."

Pappas introduced similar standalone legislation earlier this month. The Establishing Accreditation Grants for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Act establishes a new grant program that small and mid-sized police departments (those with fewer than 350 employees) can utilize to cover the cost of earning accreditation. The bill is the product of a series of conversations in recent weeks between Congressman Pappas, New Hampshire law enforcement officials, and reform advocates around the pressing issue of police reform. All New Hampshire municipal police departments would qualify for these funds.