Apr. 12, 2016
Police grant legislation passes House
HARRISBURG – To help enhance public safety, the state House Monday approved legislation (
House Bill 176) that would allow local police departments to apply for grants to defray certain operational costs. Rep. Kate Klunk (R-York) successfully amended the bill prior to its passage, adding training and resources to combat domestic violence to the list of eligible uses for grant funding.
“Domestic violence is a serious issue in communities across the Commonwealth and our local law enforcement officials are often on the front lines,” Klunk said. “It’s important for our police to have the proper tools and training to aid victims of domestic violence, but this preparation does come with a cost. To help community police forces gain the financial assistance needed for this training, I added it to the list of eligible uses for the new grant program. I’m glad my colleagues were receptive to this effort.”
Training and resources to combat domestic violence may include costs associated with domestic violence threat assessment training and implementation of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), which gives on-scene police officers a screening tool to identify domestic violence victims at highest risk of being killed by their abusers.
Klunk intends to introduce legislation in the near future requiring the use of the LAP program for police departments across the Commonwealth.
“Encouraging use of the Lethality Assessment Program in Pennsylvania through the availability of grant funding is a significant first step to saving lives,” Klunk added. “There have been significant declines in domestic violence fatalities in states where the assessment tool is already in wide use.”
The grant programs created by House Bill 176 would be funded by the remaining money available from the Local Law Enforcement Grant Program, which is administered by the Gaming Control Board to assist law enforcement agencies with enforcing state gaming law.
In addition to domestic violence training, House Bill 176 would allow eligible police departments across the Commonwealth to defray costs for vehicle purchases, camera purchases, speed timing devices, drug overdose response, personnel costs and community law enforcement efforts.
House Bill 176, which was authored by Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover), now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Representative Kate A. Klunk
169th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Abbey Haslam
717.260.6222
ahaslam@pahousegop.com
RepKlunk.com /
Facebook.com/RepKlunk