On the recordAugust 10, 2021
I rise today in support of hiring more law enforcement officers across this country--100,000 more, to be precise. And here is why. We are in the midst of an unprecedented crime wave in this country, a crime wave of violent crime, and our families and our children are in the crosshairs. This past year, the murder rate in this country rose, year over year, higher than anytime in six decades. This past year, the FBI reports that fatal felony attacks on law enforcement officers spiked by over 50 percent. In St. Louis, MO, my home State, 262 residents were killed in 2020. That is the highest number in over half a century. Cops are being targeted. Families are being targeted. Children aren't safe on the streets. We need to take action now to put more law enforcement officers on our streets to protect our families. Now, I recognize that my friends across the aisle say they don't want to defund the police. That is outstanding. Let's go a step further. Let's fund them. Let's put 100,000 new cops on the streets right now to protect our families, to protect our children. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The yeas and nays are ordered. The Senator from Illinois.
