Congressman Hoyer has been a champion for firefighters, law enforcement and other first responders. He has fought to ensure that these brave men and women are provided with adequate resources to keep our communities safe and has worked to address the quality of life issues that are unique to those who protect us.
Working closely with firefighters from Maryland and around the country, Congressman Hoyer helped establish the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which helps equip and train local fire and EMS departments throughout the country. Over $15 million has been awarded to Fifth District fire departments since the program's creation in 2001. He also helped establish the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program, which enables career and volunteer fire departments to hire new firefighters, recruit and retain volunteers, and provide relief to the thousands of local fire stations across the country short of staff.
He has also worked to ensure our local police departments have the equipment necessary to fight crime and protect our communities. Working with his Washington Metropolitan Area colleagues, Congressman Hoyer has spearheaded the effort to combat the gang problem in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties by helping establish and fund the Joint County Task Force. Congressman Hoyer also supported the COPS Hiring Recovery Program, which has strong support from Fifth District Police Departments.
This SAFER grant will help the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department with their efforts to retain and recruit the best applicants for the department and to provide firefighters with the necessary training and resources they need.
I'm pleased that our region will be receiving this funding through HIDTA to help communities deal with the challenge of heroin trafficking in our state. We need to muster all available resources at the federal, state, and local levels to address this growing epidemic in our state, especially in the Fifth District where we have seen a dramatic increase in the use of heroin as well as deaths related to overdose.
Our volunteer firefighters and first responders play an important role in protecting Marylanders throughout our state.
I am pleased that the Prince George's County Fire Department will receive these funds that will create more jobs and keep residents and businesses safe.
I am very pleased to learn that both the Riverdale Fire Department and the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute have been allocated this money.
I'm pleased that this SAFER grant will help to ensure that Anne Arundel County can hire and recruit the appropriate staffing levels necessary to protect our local families and communities.
We write to strongly support the request made earlier today of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore to have the Civil Rights Division open a federal "pattern or practice" investigation of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
Freddie Gray and his family deserve justice, and the charges filed today by the State's Attorney in Baltimore show that there is a process moving forward to investigate fully and thoroughly what happened.
I am honored to represent so many professional and volunteer firefighters, first responders, and their families in Maryland's Fifth Congressional District, where there is a very long tradition of our communities standing together to support those who serve us with such distinction and bravery.
I was pleased to visit Prince George's County's Public Safety Communications today and hear about the role they play in the county's crime prevention and emergency response.