Representative Angie Craig Joins Burnsville Officer in Ride-Along to See First-Hand the Day-to-Day Challenges Facing Local Law Enforcement

BURNSVILLE, MN – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig joined Burnsville Police Officer Mark Hetherington for a ride-along, giving her a first-hand glance into the day-to-day challenges that officers in the Second District encounter. The ride-along follows Representative Craig's recent efforts to secure funding that the Burnsville Police Department needs to address a staffing shortage and effectively increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.

"Spending time with Officer Hetherington offered me an important glimpse into the challenges our local law enforcement officers in the Second District face on a daily basis," said Representative Craig. "I am grateful to Officer Hetherington and the Burnsville Police Department for sharing their valuable time and experience with me. Over the past months, in all my conversations and events with law enforcement and first responders, the same challenges and opportunities I saw today have been evident. It's clear to me that the last few years have brought about increased challenges for the men and women who do the important work of keeping our communities safe, and I will continue to seek out their input and perspective as we work on the first job of any public official: ensuring public safety."

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In Congress, Representative Craig has made it a priority to increase support for police officers and their families and to ensure that local police departments have the funding they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. Earlier this month, Rep. Craig's bipartisan Public Safety Officer Support Act, legislation that Representative Craig helped introduce and pass after hearing the story of South St. Paul Police Sergeant Cory Slifko, was signed into law. This bill will ensure that officers can access disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder – and that families of officers who lost their lives to trauma-linked suicide can apply for the death benefits that they deserve.

Additionally, she helped introduce the Invest to Protect Act, which would provide $50 million in grants for small and mid-sized police departments to invest in training, equipment, personnel support and mental health resources. Earlier this summer, she cosponsored the bipartisan Pathways to Policing Act, to boost law enforcement recruitment in all communities and encourage those who have non-traditional educational or career backgrounds to seek employment in law enforcement. She has worked hand-in-hand with local law enforcement leaders to draft and submit applications for federal grant dollars to support hiring, equipment and technology programs – including police departments in South St. Paul, West St. Paul, Burnsville and Inver Grove Heights.

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