As summer comes to an end, Law Enforcement Leaders (LEL) continues to utilize its unique voice to support sensible criminal justice reforms. We remain focused on legislation that reflects our mission to reduce crime and mass incarceration. And our members continue to serve and protect their communities while also lending their nuanced voice and perspective to the national conversation on criminal justice reform.

Over the past several months, LEL has engaged in a broad range of federal advocacy efforts. Building on previous work, we submitted a letter to Congress in support of the EQUAL Act of 2021 (S. 79/HR. 1693) and the Smarter Sentencing Act of 2021 (S. 1013). If passed, the Smarter Sentencing Act would give judges broader sentencing discretion in nonviolent drug cases. The EQUAL Act would end the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine and lower mandatory minimum sentences for some narcotics cases. We also submitted a statement, in support of the EQUAL Act, for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held in June. The passage of these two pieces of legislation would illustrate a critical step towards a more just federal sentencing scheme for drug offenses.

Also in June, LEL members showed extensive support for our letter urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Medicaid Reentry Act of 2021 (H.R. 955/S. 285). To reduce recidivism and promote effective reintegration into communities, the Act would restore federal healthcare benefits to eligible incarcerated people 30 days prior to their release. This policy would prevent disruptions to services, medications, and treatment that could be potentially dangerous for formerly incarcerated individuals and their communities. This provision was also included in the Emergency GRACE Act of 2020 (S. 3698), which we endorsed last year and again in 2021.

Finally, we submitted two requests to the Biden Administration. First, in the juvenile justice space, we signed onto a joint memo urging President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland to reissue and update the 2017 juvenile fees and fines advisory to recommend that states fully abolish all fees and fines for system-involved youth and their families.

And in July, we submitted a letter requesting that the Biden Administration grant clemency to people placed on home confinement pursuant the CARES Act. Approximately 4,000 individuals placed on home confinement now face the threat of reincarceration despite safely serving their sentences at home. We join a broad network of organizations in this advocacy effort — which enjoys support from law enforcement, criminal justice reform advocates, conservatives, and progressives alike. Some of our national partners in this fight include: FAMM, ACLU, Right on Crime, Due Process Institute, Brennan Center for Justice, R Street, Justice Action Network, Freedom Works, NAACP, and more.

Two of LEL’s state advocacy efforts from the past year have concluded successfully. In June, Oregon's SB 817 to eliminate juvenile justice fines and fees was signed into law. Prior to the bill’s enactment, LEL joined a coalition of bipartisan organizations in signing a letter of support. Colorado’s HB 1315, also to eliminate juvenile justice fines and fees, was signed into law as well. LEL joined a similar group of bipartisan organizations in support of the bill earlier this year.

As noted in our 2021 Juvenile Justice Reform Principles paper, juvenile justice fees are harmful and trap families in cycles of economic hardship and undermine youth rehabilitation. These new laws will help ensure that the juvenile justice system does not indebt families or impede youth as they try to move forward with their lives.

Our state advocacy planning for legislative sessions in 2021 and beyond remain ongoing. If you are working to advance any innovative criminal justice legislation or reforms in your jurisdiction, please reach out to Leily Arzy at leily.arzy@lawenforcementleaders.org, so we can include your jurisdiction in our planning.

In their own jurisdictions, LEL members continue to advocate for and lead the implementation of a wide array of innovative criminal justice strategies:

• District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine proposed legislation to Washington DC’s Council that would ensure children ages 16 and 17 who are accused of crimes are first tried in family court.
• Kaua’i County Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar eliminated all discretionary juvenile delinquency fines and fees in a critical step toward debt-free justice. Kollar will also retire as Prosecuting Attorney for Kaua’i County to join Fair and Just Prosecution as Chief of Staff.
• In June, Toledo Police Chief George Kral was named President of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police.
• Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill joined Camp Hope, YMCA, and other partners to create a summer camp for kids victimized by crime with the goal of creating a safe space to recover from trauma.
• Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón established an independent review team comprised of community members, policing experts, civil rights attorneys, and more to examine instances of fatal use of force by law enforcement officers.
• In July, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott was named South Carolina Sheriff of the Year by Major County Sheriffs of America.
• Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel advocated for Oregon’s SB 819, now law, which will allow district attorneys and incarcerated people to jointly petition courts for sentencing reconsideration.
• Under Mayor Jane Castor's leadership, Tampa’s Police Department will begin pairing police officers and mental health professionals to co-respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises.
• Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian helped launch a pilot restoration center, which will provide services for individuals experiencing behavioral or substance use crises and act as an alternative to arrest and unnecessary hospitalization.
• Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan hosted an expungement clinic for Vermonters in need of a fresh start post-conviction.
• Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Osler urged the Biden Administration to make more effective use of presidential clemency powers, arguing that the current clemency process is ineffective and in need of an independent clemency review board.
• In July, Tom Manger was selected to serve as United States Capitol Chief of Police where he will draw from over 15 years of leadership experience in Montgomery County, Maryland.
• Eerie County District Attorney John Flynn was elected to serve as president of The National District Attorneys Association.

• Congratulations to Anne Milgram, who was confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Kenneth Polite who was confirmed to serve as Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Criminal Justice Division.
• Two other LEL members, former COPS Director Ron Davis and Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus await Senate confirmations for their federal nominations as Director of the U.S. Marshals Service and Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, respectively.

As always, thank you to all of our members for working to keep our communities safe and to advance our justice goals. If you would like your local efforts featured in our next newsletter or on the LEL website, please contact Leily Arzy at leily.arzy@lawenforcementleaders.org.