Press Releases

Congressman Garret Graves (R-Baton Rouge) continues to lead efforts to ensure our law enforcement have the resources they need to protect our community and keep themselves safe. The July 17 officer shootings and other events in our city have resulted in millions of dollars in extra costs for our law enforcement community.

Graves co-authored a letter with Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-New Orleans) sent to Attorney General Loretta Lynch that highlights the national importance of Baton Rouge’s recovery and urges the US Department of Justice to release additional funding to reimburse local law enforcement agencies, whose recovery expenses are expected to reach the $5 million mark.

“This is about maintaining law enforcement’s ability to keep our citizens safe in the long-run,” said Graves. “The tragedy that happened here attracted activists from across the country – this is a national event and our officers have been on high alert since. The increased presence was and is needed to ensure a full recovery and the safety of our community, but the additional manpower and equipment is costly. The additional costs have to come from somewhere – we can’t allow them to compromise the safety, security or capabilities of our law enforcement officers. Diverting funds from police equipment, training, patrols, investigations and preparedness accounts to cover these extra expenses only solves one problem while creating another – putting our community and law enforcement officers at risk. We will continue to work with DOJ to identify discretionary sources of funding they could deploy to make sure our law enforcement community has the resources necessary to serve and protect.”

Last week, Graves helped secure an initial $650,000 in U.S. Department of Justice funds to help cover a portion of the early costs of the recovery. Attorney General Lynch pledged the US Department of Justice’s ongoing support for local authorities during her remarks Friday in Baton Rouge at a memorial service for the fallen officers.

To read the Graves letter, click here.