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Legislation & Politics | ||
Letter to Rep. Vito Fossella supporting amendment to increase funding for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant programJune 28, 2006 The Honorable Vito Fossella Dear Representative Fossella: On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the tens of thousands of law enforcement and corrections officers that we represent, I am writing in support of your amendment to the Science, State, Justice and Commerce and Related Agencies appropriations bill that would increase funding for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant program. This critical resource to state and local law enforcement, including corrections, has provided much needed bulletproof and stab proof vests for those law enforcement officers on the front line of protecting our citizens. Unfortunately, many states are operating under tight budgets and cannot afford to supply these dedicated officers with the protection they need. In fact, one of AFSCME's corrections leaders was recently gunned down in Tennessee by the wife of a convicted violent offender while transporting the prisoner from the court house back to the corrections facility. Had this officer been wearing a protective vest, his life could have been saved but the state Department of Corrections did not have the funds to purchase enough vests for all officers who transport violent offenders or those who work in high risk areas. With violent crime on the rise, now is not the time to leave our dedicated law enforcement and corrections officers unprotected. AFSCME applauds your effort to secure the necessary funding for the bulletproof vest program so that no officer will have to face a violent criminal without sufficient protection.
Sincerely |
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