Gallego Cosponsors Bipartisan Bill to Fund Small Police Departments

Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is cosponsoring a bipartisan, bicameral bill to fund smaller police departments nationwide, including Arizona's Tribal police departments.

The Invest to Protect Act of 2025 invests in key areas of law enforcement, including training in de-escalation and domestic violence incidents. It also bolsters recruitment efforts, aids in retention bonuses, provides tuition assistance, and allows departments to invest in mental health resources for officers.

After all, most police departments in the country have fewer than 200 sworn officers, and a majority of those have fewer than 100.

Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) cosponsored the bill in the Senate. In the House of Representatives, the bill was introduced by Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), John Rutherford (R-FL), and Steven Horsford (D-NV).

"Arizona's smaller and Tribal police departments often don't have the luxury of massive budgets or endless backup, but their officers still show up every day to keep our communities safe," said Sen. Gallego in his press release, adding, "This bipartisan bill helps departments recruit and retain officers, improve training, and respond more effectively to violent crime, fentanyl trafficking, and other threats facing Arizona."

Joe Clure, Executive Director of the Arizona Police Association, said, "The Invest to Protect Act will allow our smaller agencies in Rural areas an opportunity to obtain much-needed training and resources to allow them to better protect their communities and address consistent staffing challenges with recruitment and retention."

At the beginning of April, Sen. Gallego cosponsored another law enforcement-related bill, the Innovate to De-Escalate Act.

The Innovate to De-Escalate Act removes an excise tax equally applied to non-lethal projectile weapons and conventional firearms by clarifying that Tasers and other devices are not firearms under the definitions set in the National Firearms Act of 1934 or the Gun Control Act of 1968. Thus, the Act allows innovators to expand the production of non-lethal police weaponry as the police use of deadly force has come under scrutiny in recent years.