Congressman Tierney continues to fight for appropriate federal support for our first responders, particularly at a time of continued vulnerability and when they have repeatedly expressed concern about being short-staffed. He strongly believes we must ensure that those who combat crime, fight fires, and unfailingly respond to emergencies have the appropriate number of personnel to do their jobs and protect the public's safety.

Throughout his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, John has spearheaded and supported letters to the House Budget Committee and the House Appropriations Committee, recommending increased funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, a highly successful initiative established in the 1990’s that provides resources for state and local law enforcement agencies to hire and train community policing professionals, acquire and deploy cutting-edge crime-fighting technologies and develop and test innovative policing strategies.

He also voted in favor of the COPS Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1700), which passed the House in May of 2007, and which calls for putting 50,000 additional police officers on the street over the next 6 years. This bill now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.

With news reports suggesting that calls to fire departments have doubled over the past twenty years, Congressman Tierney has been working to ensure that annual spending measures appropriately prioritize fire fighter grant programs and he has worked to boost the level of funding to assist fire departments in hiring more personnel.