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A RESOLUTION honoring and expressing support for law enforcement officers in 1
Kentucky and throughout the United States. 2
WHEREAS, more than 800,000 law enforcement officers in the United States risk 3
their lives daily to serve and protect their communities, including more than 7,000 4
officers within the Commonwealth of Kentucky; and 5
WHEREAS, dating back to 1786, there have been more than 24,000 law 6
enforcement officer s who have fallen in the line of duty. The names of those heroes are 7
inscribed on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, and among 8
them are 670 from the Commonwealth of Kentucky; and 9
WHEREAS, this nation's law enforcement officers per form their difficult and 10
dangerous job honorably and professionally, with the overwhelming majority of 11
Americans having responded positively to their interactions with law enforcement 12
officers; and 13
WHEREAS, the innovative and dedicated efforts of law enfor cement officers have 14
successfully reduced crime rates over the past three decades from the historic highs 15
experienced in the 1990s; and 16
WHEREAS, the environment for law enforcement officers has become increasingly 17
more hostile, and their safety has become more precarious, with over 79,000 law 18
enforcement officers having been assaulted by criminals in 2023, the highest law 19
enforcement officer assault rate in the past 10 years, and 1,055 officers having been shot 20
during the past three years, with 172 killed in the line of duty; and 21
WHEREAS, more than 2,500 law enforcement officers in the United States have 22
died in the line of duty during the past decade; and 23
WHEREAS, law enforcement officers typically encounter between 400 and 600 24
traumatic events during their careers, compared with three or four for the average citizen; 25
and 26
WHEREAS, the unusually high number of traumatic events experienced by law 27
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enforcement officers has contributed to a 54 percent higher suicide rate among law 1
enforcement officers than among other workers in the United States; and 2
WHEREAS, the number of full -time state and local law enforcement officers 3
dropped by 5.3 percent between 2019 and 2021, the equivalent of nearly 37,000 fewer 4
officers, resulting in a dangerously low number of sworn officers to serve and protect 5
communities in the nation; and 6
WHEREAS, supporting law enforcement officers with the equipment, training, and 7
funding needed to protect American communities from criminal violence has long 8
received overwhelming public support from across the political spectrum; 9
NOW, THEREFORE, 10
Be it resolved b y the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 11
Commonwealth of Kentucky: 12
Section 1. The House of Representatives expresses its highest respect to law 13
enforcement officers and values their service within the Commonwealth of Kentucky and 14
throughout the United States of America. 15
Section 2. The House of Representatives furthermore expresses its highest 16
honor to those self -sacrificing law enforcement officers who have died or been injured in 17
the line of duty, and concurrently honors the brave families of those officers. 18
Section 3. The House of Representatives urges the federal government and local 19
governments to take further measures to maximize the safety and well -being of law 20
enforcement officers throughout their jurisdictions by recruiting and retaining more law 21
enforcement officers; improving the training and equipping of law enforcement officers; 22
ensuring, when given the jurisdiction, harsh penalties are in place for assaulting or killing 23
law enforcement officers; increasing mental health resources for law enforcemen t 24
officers; and ensuring that law enforcement officers receive the support and resources 25
they need to keep safe the citizens of not only the Commonwealth, but also the entire 26
United States. Furthermore, the House of Representatives entreats the Senate to j oin with 27
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it in promoting these measures to the extent of each chamber's powers. 1
Section 4. The Clerk of the House of Representatives is directed to transmit a 2
copy of this Restitution to Representative Candy Massaroni. 3