S-5109-119
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sponsored by James Lankford (R-OK)
What it does
This bill would authorize the Department of Justice to award grants to accredited nonprofit organizations and state government entities to provide free law enforcement training to agencies with fewer than 50 sworn officers. Eligible training topics would include de-escalation, officer wellness, leadership, domestic violence response, critical incident management, active shooter situations, and handling calls involving people with mental health needs, substance use disorders, disabilities, or other vulnerabilities. The bill would also allow two or more localities to pool their existing DOJ grants to jointly contract with a nonprofit training provider.
Who benefits
Officers at small and rural law enforcement agencies (roughly 80% of all U.S. departments have fewer than 50 sworn officers) who would gain access to professional training at no cost to their agency. Rural and small-town residents who may see improved policing outcomes. Victims of domestic violence, trafficking, and sexual assault who may receive more specialized responses. People with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, disabilities, and veterans who interact with law enforcement. Accredited nonprofit training organizations that would become eligible for federal grant funding. Localities that currently lack the administrative capacity to navigate complex federal grant applications.
Who is hurt
Larger law enforcement agencies (50+ sworn officers) that are explicitly excluded from receiving training under this program. Nonprofit training organizations that do not meet the Attorney General's accreditation criteria and would be ineligible for grants. Existing grant recipients who may face increased competition for DOJ law enforcement training funds if the overall grant pool is not expanded. Federal taxpayers who would bear the cost of the program, though no specific appropriation amount is stated in the bill.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that nearly half of all U.S. police departments have fewer than 10 sworn officers, and that these agencies are systematically shut out of federal training resources because they lack the staff and expertise to navigate complex grant applications and reporting requirements — facts the bill itself documents in its findings. They contend that routing grants through accredited nonprofits removes that administrative burden, ensuring that the officers most likely to work in isolation, without backup or specialized support, receive the same quality of training as their urban counterparts.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the bill creates a new funding pathway without specifying an appropriation amount, leaving the program's actual reach undefined and potentially underfunded relative to the scale of need across thousands of small agencies. They contend that delegating accreditation authority entirely to the Attorney General — with no statutory criteria or congressional oversight mechanism — gives the executive branch broad, unchecked discretion to favor certain training providers and curricula over others, raising concerns about accountability and ideological consistency in training content.
Constitutional context
No significant constitutional tension exists here. Congress has broad authority under the Spending Clause (Art. I, §8) to attach conditions to federal grants to state and local entities, a power consistently upheld by the Supreme Court. The bill operates within the existing framework of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and does not implicate active constitutional disputes.
Checks and balances
The executive branch (DOJ/Attorney General) gains authority to define accreditation standards and award grants; Congress retains oversight through the appropriations process and the Judiciary Committee, and grantees are subject to existing reporting requirements under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act.
Historical precedent
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program has long provided federal funding to state and local law enforcement, and the COPS Office has similarly funded training initiatives, but this bill's specific mechanism of routing grants through nonprofit intermediaries to serve sub-50-officer agencies is a novel structural approach within that broader tradition.