ALBANY, NY – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand recently held a press conference at the Albany Police Department’s Washington Ave Extension conference and training facility to announce the introduction of her new bipartisan bill, the Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act.
According to a press release from the senator’s office, the bipartisan bill would provide $24 million in federal funding for each of the next five fiscal years for childcare services to support the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. Gillibrand was joined by Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins, Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello, Troy Chief of Police Dan DeWolf, and Early Care & Learning Council Senior Director of Policy and Community Education Jessica Klos Shapiro.
“Policing is one of the most important and noble professions, and our officers here in Albany deserve to have the flexibility and support needed to do the job well. Offering child care services is a powerful tool to attract and retain new talent, and it’s an essential way to promote public safety while maintaining a stable law enforcement workforce,” Gillibrand said.
“My bipartisan bill, the Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act, would help provide these essential services and help police departments to retain and recruit the best talent into our law enforcement agencies.”
“One of the biggest workforce challenges we continue to face is the recruitment and retention of police officers. Senator Gillibrand’s proposal to help create more child care for our officers will help break down barriers, especially for those new officers who are also parents and would be expected to cover atypical shifts like nights and weekends. As a member of Senator Gillibrand’s Child Care Working Group, I am very proud to support this legislation and thank our hometown Senator for her tireless advocacy around this issue year after year,” Sheehan said.
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James added, “members of law enforcement face the same difficulties as all working parents when it comes to finding quality child care, with the added challenge of the 24-hour a day nature of police work. Efforts that bring forth legislation, which could also assist with recruitment and retention are appreciated.”
“As the daughter of a retired Troy police officer and detective, I recall my dad working evenings and midnights while my mom worked days to shuffle childcare for four children,” Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello noted. “This childcare incentive will raise morale among officers and entice prospective recruits to join the force.”
The Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act would establish a grant pilot program to provide child care services for the children of police officers to accommodate the shift work and abnormal work hours of the officers, and to enhance recruitment and retention of the workforce.
Specifically, the bill authorizes $24 million in funding for each of the next five fiscal years under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act and allows for grants of up to $3 million to individual law enforcement agencies or consortia to establish child care programs for their police personnel. In addition, to ensure parents employed by smaller police departments receive support, 20% of the total grant funding will be set aside for law enforcement agencies employing fewer than 200 officers.
According to the release, police officers often work extended hours on a nontraditional schedule.
Recent surveys show that nearly 20% of police officers are seeking to leave the profession, and at one major metropolitan police department, more than half of officers reported having to leave or miss work due to child care issues. This issue disproportionately impacts women, who make up only 12% of sworn officers and 3% of police leadership.
Gillibrand’s bill would help increase public safety by reducing barriers to a career in law enforcement and by ensuring the best talent is recruited into our police departments.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) cosponsors this bill in the Senate and Representative Scott Peters (D-CA-50) leads the bill in the House of Representatives.
Supporting organizations: Sergeants Benevolent Association, 30×30, Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), International Union of Police Associations (IUPA), Congressional Problem Solvers Caucus, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), Major Cities Chiefs Association, New York State Police Investigators Association, Policing Project at NYU School of Law, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, and the Child Care Council of Suffolk.
