Peace Garden News

FARGO – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) delivered remarks at the Chiefs of Police Association of North Dakota’s Summer Conference. He highlighted the importance of training officers, keeping the peace, and providing more funding for local law enforcement, troopers, and school resource officers. 

“In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, 'Blessed are the peacemakers.' Seeing the day-to-day things our police officers go through, not only to keep the peace but to make the peace, fills me with admiration and respect for the work they do,” said Senator Cramer. “Thank you to all of our noble police officers, for not only being peacekeepers, but peacemakers as well.”

This year’s conference focused on critical incident management. Speakers covered ways to develop protocols for public communication when a situation escalates, tactical training, critical incident drills, and refinement of policy for multi-agency crisis responses.

Attendees included Jason Ziegler, President of the North Dakota Chiefs of Police Association and Mandan Police Chief, and spouses of local law enforcement from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. School resource officers, school administrators, and teachers were also in attendance.

Senator Cramer has cosponsored legislation to support law enforcement officers and combat crime:

• The Back the Blue Act, which would increase penalties for criminals who intentionally target law enforcement officers and provide new resources for officers to protect themselves.
• The Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) Protection Act, which aims to combat the rapid increase in the number of “smash-and-grab” thefts targeted at federally licensed gun dealers by enhancing penalties for violations, particularly in cases of burglaries or robberies of firearms from FFLs.
• The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act, which resolves discrepancies brought on by conflicting court decisions and clarifies congressional intent regarding crimes of violence and their respective penalties.

Background:

The mission of the Chiefs of Police Association of North Dakota is to promote the professional development of all executive and management personnel within duly constituted law enforcement agencies in the prevention of crime, detection of crime, and the apprehension of those responsible for the commission of crimes. It also aims to promote the highest standards of police profession through selection and training of law enforcement officers and generally pledge and strive for the highest degree of respect for law and order throughout North Dakota.

Original source can be found here.