Statement from President Biden on the Signing of the Recruit and Retain Act

Today, I was pleased to sign the Recruit and Retain Act, which will build on the progress my Administration has made in making communities safer. Police officers work tirelessly every day to ensure the safety of our neighborhoods and communities. This bipartisan legislation will help police departments do their work more safely and effectively by helping them recruit and retain additional police officers by making better use of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. Three decades ago, I was proud to be one of the original creators of COPS, which has helped to put 136,000 more cops in police departments nationwide to ensure accountable community policing. This important legislation will add new flexibility to COPS to help police departments attract officers they need and hire more diverse officers from the communities they serve.

My Administration has made significant progress in reducing crime, and as a result violent crime is near a 50-year low. But there’s more we can and must do. My Safer America Plan support law enforcement and crime prevention, by hiring 100,000 police officers for accountable community policing, and investing in community violence interventions.

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