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U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, welcomed local law enforcement officers from Southwest Washington to Washington, D.C., last week in honor of National Police Week.
In the same week, the House of Representatives passed a resolution supporting law enforcement officers and a bill that proposes using data to study attacks and mental health conditions suffered by law enforcement.
Gluesenkamp Perez appeared as a cosponsor of that bill and resolution and also voted in favor of another law enforcement related bill that passed out of the House last week. That bill would allow officers in good standing to purchase their retired service weapons.
At the beginning of the week, Gluesenkamp Perez spoke on the House floor honoring local law enforcement officers, corrections officers and the Skamania County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team.
In a recent news release, the congresswoman made clear her continued support for law enforcement in Southwest Washington.
“I’ve made it a priority to go on ride-alongs and hold roundtables with local law enforcement to see firsthand the challenges of their jobs and hear how I can best support them,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “They are on the front lines responding to our worsening fentanyl and mental health crises — yet their work is too often underappreciated and even vilified by some. This National Police Week, I was grateful to welcome some dedicated, patriotic public safety officers from Southwest Washington to recognize their bravery and hear how I can continue supporting their work to keep our communities safe.”
Off of the House floor, Gluesenkamp Perez met with police officers from departments in Clark County.
The group of officers took a nighttime tour of the Capitol building with their congressional representative and spoke briefly with her about how she can support them in Congress. Among them were Vancouver Police Department officers Jeff Anaya and Nick Copley as well as retired Kennewick Police Department detective Marco Monteblanco. Anaya and Monteblanco serve as the president and executive director of the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police, respectively.
Gluesenkamp Perez also paid a visit to National Honor Guard Police Week Tribute and spoke at the National Association of Police Organizations’ annual legislative luncheon, which gathers law enforcement labor leaders from all across the U.S.
