National Police Week, Administration Deadlines, & More Make For Busy Week In Washington

It's shaping up to be a busy week in Washington. Air safety and public safety are two big items on Congress's plate.

It’s National Police Week in the nation’s capital, a tradition that dates back to the Kennedy administration in the early 1960's. The presence of law enforcement officers from every state in the nation certainly gets the attention of Republicans and Democrats alike, but Congress can't get too distracted -- the Federal Aviation Administration's authorization runs out at the end of the week.

The Senate did its part last week, easily passing the reauthorization measure and sending it on to the House. Members now have until Friday to move the bill to the president's desk.

At the same time, the situation in Gaza and the Biden administration's decision to withhold high-payload bombs from Israel will be front and center. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave the rationale Sunday morning on Face the Nation.

"We said to Israel,” Blinken told host Margaret Brennan, “that we cannot, will not support an operation in Rafah — a major military operation — in the absence of a credible plan to protect civilians."

Republicans in the House will look to pass a resolution condemning that position.

And then there's National Police Week, an event that honors fallen law enforcement officers from the previous year and attracts thousands of fellow officers, family members and supporters.

"Well, obviously, we’re here to honor the fallen,” said Bethany Police Detective Mark Girten, who was walking through the Fallen Officers Memorial Monday with Cleveland County Deputy Jeff Robbins.

"This is my first time to come,” Deputy Robbins said, “Mark encouraged me to come and, like he told me, it's just really moving."

More than 24,000 law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty since the nation's founding and the names are all inscribed on the circular wall that encompasses the memorial. The names of 118 who died in 2023 are being added to their number, including four officers from Oklahoma who died last year.

Deputy Robbins is honoring them, as well as Jordan Pyle, the Cleveland County Deputy who was shot and killed last summer, allegedly, by her husband Cannon, a former sheriff’s deputy. 

"She wasn’t killed in the line of duty,” said Robbins, who wore a shirt in her honor, “but back home, we still consider her a fallen sister."

Detective Girten says this is the third time he's attended Police Week, and for good reason.

"The camaraderie, the people you meet,” he said, “and just to pay tribute to the guys that have sacrificed their life for everybody else."

The first major event of police week is the candlelight vigil Monday night at 7:00 p.m. CT.

See below for options for watching the vigil.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/_AJEOg_3npQ

Facebook: Facebook.com/NLEOMF

Twitter: Twitter.com/NLEOMF