Dave Reichert: “as a former sheriff of King County in Seattle, Washington, and a member of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, I…”

“as a former sheriff of King County in Seattle, Washington, and a member of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, I am proud to offer this amendment along with my colleague from Connecticut, Congressman Murphy, to provide $5 million to fully fund the Court Training and Improvements Program, offset from the Department of Commerce departmental management salaries and expenses account. The Court Training and Improvements Program enhances our courts' ability to keep victims of domestic and sexual abuse safe and to hold offenders accountable. It was authorized early last year as a part of the Violence Against Women Act but has not yet been funded. Mr. Chairman, this program must be funded. I spent 33 years of my life working in law enforcement, and during that time I walked into many unpredictable domestic violence situations. Responding to a domestic violence call is one of the most dangerous calls a police officer can go to. Domestic violence cases have their own unique challenges, and we in law enforcement have had to learn specific strategies for how to deal with those situations. People are physically and mentally harmed and homes are torn apart. I have seen how domestic and sexual abuse not only affects spouses but the children, the families, and the lives of the entire community. Safe homes and families are the root of a safe society.”