Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act

This bill tells the Department of Justice to study attacks and other aggressive acts against police and to report back within 270 days. It also asks for a review of officer training, safety gear programs, and mental health needs, with ideas to improve safety and wellness. The goal is better data and clearer steps to protect officers and support their mental health.

It also looks at adding a new category in national crime data systems to capture aggressive acts against officers that aren’t currently counted, and how to get state and local agencies to report that information. Congress cites rising violence against officers as a reason for this work, including 60 officers feloniously killed in 2022.

• Who is affected: Department of Justice, FBI, National Institute of Justice, and police at the federal, state, Tribal, and local levels.
• What changes: Three reports on (1) attacks and ambushes against officers and how to improve training, responses, and safety gear programs; (2) the feasibility of tracking non-criminal aggressive acts against officers in national data; and (3) officer mental health needs, available resources (including peer support), and recommendations.
• When: Each report is due within 270 days after the bill becomes law.

In short, this sets up studies and data improvements so leaders can make better choices to keep officers safe and support their mental health.