WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, the House Committee on Homeland Security, led by Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN), held a hearing in recognition of National Police Week, featuring law enforcement officials from across the country. This hearing examined the challenges facing law enforcement, notably as a result of the border crisis, shortfalls in information and intelligence-sharing by the federal government—specifically by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—and local soft-on-crime policies.

Witness testimony was provided by Gregory Mays, deputy commissioner of homeland security at the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security; Michael Bullock, president of the Austin, Texas, Police Association; Loudoun County Sheriff Michael Chapman, on behalf of the National Sheriffs’ Association; and Rodney Bryant, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

Chairman Green asked Officer Bullock about the impacts of budget cuts and staffing shortages on law enforcement morale, to which Officer Bullock answered:

“It takes a tremendous mental toll on officers. Just as an example, because of the severe shortages that we’re experiencing, officers who are assigned detectives who should be investigating homicides, major crimes, robberies, things of that nature, are having to work patrol shifts. So they are being sent back to patrol and diverted away from their duties as an investigator in order to take 9-1-1 calls. They do that on a regular rotation basis each quarter. So that has a significant impact, as you mentioned, on mental health. It has an impact on family life. It adds another layer of unpredictability to an already unpredictable job. We do see an increase in officers who may have issues at home, that may deal with alcohol use [and] a variety of other things that come as a result of increased stress.”

Chairman Green then shifted to the impact of anti-police rhetoric on officers, to which Officer Bullock replied:

“For the boots on the ground, it has a pretty devastating impact as well. Because you feel like you are not being valued for what you’re being asked to be willing to give of your life and the defense of others. And those who are responsible for providing resources to do the job you’re being asked to do are seemingly pushing you to an [un]valuable role. So, from that aspect, it does have an impact as well. I will say even though we have seen, to a degree, some of those funds restored, we do see some shell games get played with that nonetheless—where the funding may seemingly be restored but yet it’s a responsibility that wasn’t necessarily given back to the department. We are ‘given’ the funds back, but it’s not actually going to areas we need it to in order to recruit, retain, and provide the resources for officers to do their job.”

In his opening testimony, Officer Bullockdescribed the toll the border crisis takes on the Austin, Texas, police force: 

“Though we are not a border city, the impact of immigration policies is felt by us as well. Our city has asked for help from the Texas State Troopers who came for a time and had a notable impact on crime. But due to the ongoing border crisis they were called away to help secure the Texas border and no longer able to help us in Austin. In May of 2023, teenagers shot and killed a man in southeast Austin when attempting to rob him. The reason they gave for this heinous crime was they knew State Troopers had left Austin and decided to start committing crime again.”

Vice Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) asked the witnesses if law enforcement officers are safer today than they were three years ago:

Deputy Director Mays answered:

“No.”

Sheriff Chapman answered:

“No, I don’t. And in fact, the FBI just reported yesterday that 79,000 law enforcement officers in 2023 were assaulted, and that is a ten-year high.” 

Officer Bullock answered:

“No, sir.”

Chief Bryant answered:

“As we see the increase in violence against police officers today, I’d have to say no due to the increases.”

Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) asked the witnesses if they are concerned about threats coming across the porous Southwest border:

“[FBI] Director Wray has informed us that because of the openness of the border that he has apprehensions about a possible terrorist attack here in the United States. Because, frankly, there are about two million people [that] we haven’t the faintest idea where they came from, who they are, where they are, or why they’re here. Do you all have the same kind of apprehensions that Director Wray has?”

Deputy Director Mays answered:

“Yes, sir, I do. Very concerned about people coming across the Southern border and we don’t know where they are, and we don’t know where they’re going.”

Sheriff Chapman answered:

“That absolutely concerns me, yes.”

Officer Bullock answered: 

“I would also agree. We deal with, on a regular basis, interacting with individuals who have no form of identification that we know of.”

Chief Bryant answered:

“Yes, we trust the information being provided to us by Director Wray, and so I am in agreement with him.”

Representative Mike Ezell (R-MS) asked Sheriff Chapman to elaborate on DHS’s shortfalls in information sharing with state and local law enforcement regarding the resettling of refugees in his county following the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan:

“As a former Sheriff, I know how important information sharing is, and I would expect DHS to fully cooperate with local law enforcement. Clearly, that’s not happening. I’m sure you brought your concerns regarding intel sharing to DHS—tell us what the response was.”

Sheriff Chapman answered:

“The first response was, ‘Okay, we understand your concerns. We’ll get back to you. We’ll work this out.’ Two weeks later, still nothing had been done and it was clear that the only way that we were going to solve this issue with the people coming in and getting the community notified…would be for us to do it ourselves…Everything that was handled, that needed to be done, was done at the local level.”

Rep. Ezell then asked if coordination with DHS had improved, to which Sheriff Chapman answered:

“We have very little contact with DHS. [We] have a lot of contact with our other federal partners, but we do not have very much contact with members of DHS.”

Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) questionedDeputy Director Mays on his experience with interagency coordination:

“Collaboration and information sharing of law enforcementagencies plays a crucial role in mitigating threats. Since 9/11, there has been a growing trend of agencies working together to promote transparency and exchange of information. In what ways does the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security coordinate with state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies to address security concerns? And how has your experience been working with them?”

Deputy Director Mays answered:

“Tennessee has one fusion center, and we have state, local, and federal partners that participate there. We’ve also embedded Tennessee Office of Homeland Security intelligence analysts in the intelligence units of police departments around the state. We found that that’s a good way to be present and to learn. The other really important thing I would say has to do with personal relationships and investing in those relationships before something bad happens.

“On the Christmas day bombing in Nashville in 2020, we were opening presents with my kids and I got a phone call that a bomb went off in Downtown Nashville and blew up most of Second Avenue. When I responded downtown, everyone was there for all the federal partners, all the local and state law enforcement agencies in the area. And I knew, personally, every leader of every one of those agencies. We had met before and discussed responses before…Those are the ways we cooperate and we do it daily.”

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