Dave Reichert on Crime

	Dave Reichert on Crime Republican Representative (WA-8)

Communities are suffering a devasting public safety crisis

We cannot continue with the status quo as communities across Washington are suffering a devasting public safety crisis. For many years under Governor Jay Inslee our state has had the lowest number of police officers per capita in the nation, while homicide, robberies, and vehicle theft are at an all-time high. Simply throwing money at the problem won't get us out of this mess. It's time to allow our officers to do their job by enforcing the law and giving them the support they need. Source: Candidate Connection: 2024 Washington Gubernatorial race , Aug 8, 2024

Led team that captured the "Green River Killer"

As lead member of the tenacious and dedicated investigative team, Reichert worked alongside officers, medical examiners, and volunteers to capture the monster known as the "Green River Killer" who senselessly murdered countless women in Washington State during the 1980s and 1990s. Source: 2024 Washington ReichertForGovernor.com campaign website , Dec 1, 2023

Co-sponsored Thin Blue Line Act to punish cop killers

In Congress, I helped champion the bipartisan "Blue Alert" bill that was signed into law to create a national alert system to make officers aware of threats against them as quickly as possible. I also co-sponsored the "Thin Blue Line Act" to crack down on cop killers by making the murder or attempted murder of a police officer an "aggravating" factor in death penalty determinations. Source: 2024 Washington ReichertForGovernor.com campaign website , Dec 1, 2023

Increase funding for "COPS ON THE BEAT" program.

Reichert co-sponsored increasing funding for "COPS ON THE BEAT" program

COPS Improvements Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to make grants for public safety and community policing programs (COPS ON THE BEAT or COPS program). Revises grant purposes to provide for:

the hiring or training of law enforcement officers for intelligence, antiterror, and homeland security duties;
the hiring of school resource officers;
school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems facing elementary and secondary schools;
innovative programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug (including methamphetamine) manufacturing, distribution, and use; and
enhanced community policing and crime prevention grants that meet emerging law enforcement needs.

assign community prosecutors to handle cases from specific geographic areas and address counterterrorism problems, specific violent crime problems, and localized violent and other crime problems; and
develop new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention.

Source: COPS Improvements Act (S.368/H.R.1700) 07-S368 on Jan 23, 2007

Rated 85% by the NAPO, indicating a tough-on-crime stance.

Reichert scores 85% by the NAPO on crime & police issues

Ratings by the National Association of Police Organizations indicate support or opposition to issues of importance to police and crime. The organization`s self-description: `The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) is a coalition of police units and associations from across the United States. NAPO was organized for the purpose of advancing the interests of America`s law enforcement officers through legislative advocacy, political action, and education.

`Increasingly, the rights and interests of law enforcement officers have been the subject of legislative, executive, and judicial action in the nation’s capital. NAPO works to influence the course of national affairs where law enforcement interests are concerned. The following list includes examples of NAPO’s accomplishments:

Enactment of the Fair Sentencing Act
Enactment of the National AMBER Alert Act
Enactment of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
Enactment of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act
Enactment of the Law Enforcement Officers` Safety Act (Right to Carry Legislation)

VoteMatch scoring for the NAPO ratings is as follows:

0%-50%: soft on crime and police issues;
50%-75%: mixed record on crime and police issues;
75%-100%: tough on crime and police issues.

Source: NAPO ratings on Congress and politicians 2014_NAPO on Dec 31, 2014