July 23, 2026
Mr. Lankford (for himself and Mr. Coons) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
To authorize the Department of Justice to provide grant funding to accredited nonprofit organizations to provide better access to needed training for law enforcement officers in rural and smaller communities.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Training Rural Law Enforcement Officers Act of 2026
.
Sec. 2. Training rural law enforcement
(a) Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
There are more than 18,000 local police departments and 3,000 sheriff’s offices in the United States. Of the local police departments in the United States—
(A)
nearly half have fewer than 10 sworn officers;
(B)
3 out of 4 have fewer than 2 dozen sworn officers; and
(C)
8 out of 10 have fewer than 50 sworn officers.
(2)
Federal funding available through grants administered by the Department of Justice for law enforcement is frequently complex in terms of the application process and requires specific reporting mandates.
(3)
Smaller and rural law enforcement agencies often forego pursuing Federal funding opportunities as that pursuit creates a demand on already limited staffing, and those smaller and rural law enforcement agencies simply lack the experience and resources to navigate through the application process and to successfully adhere to the multitude of reporting requirements.
(b) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Accredited nonprofit organization
The term accredited nonprofit organization means a nonprofit organization that, as determined by the Attorney General, has—
(A)
the proper experience and expertise in relevant law enforcement training; and
(B)
a strong track record of successfully conducting relevant law enforcement training in a particular training discipline.
(2) Law enforcement training grant
The term law enforcement training grant means a grant awarded by the Attorney General under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) for the purpose of law enforcement training.
(c) Authorization
An accredited nonprofit organization or State government entity shall be eligible to receive any law enforcement training grant for the purpose of providing training to State and local law enforcement agencies with fewer than 50 sworn law enforcement officers at no cost to the law enforcement agency only for an eligible activity described in subsection (d).
(d) Eligible activities
An eligible activity described in this subsection is training in 1 or more of the following:
(1)
De-escalation training for law enforcement officers using a certified training program or course (as defined in section 508(a) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10159(a))).
(2)
Officer wellness programs.
(3)
Leadership training.
(4)
Victim-centered training for law enforcement officers in handling situations of domestic violence.
(5)
Critical incident response and management.
(6)
Evidence-based law enforcement safety training for—
(A)
active shooter situations;
(B)
the safe handling of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals;
(C)
rescue situations;
(D)
recognizing and countering ambush attacks; or
(E)
response to calls for service involving—
(i)
persons with mental health needs;
(ii)
persons with substance use disorders;
(iii)
veterans;
(iv)
persons with disabilities;
(v)
vulnerable youth;
(vi)
persons who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or trafficking; or
(vii)
persons experiencing homelessness or living in poverty.
(7)
Specialized training to law enforcement officers to enhance their conflict resolution, mediation, problem solving, service, and other skills needed to work in partnership with members of the community.
(e) Amendment
Section 501(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10152(b)), is amended—
(1)
by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively and shifting the margins accordingly;
(2)
by striking A State
and inserting the following:
(1) In general
A State; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(2) Pooling grants
2 or more localities receiving grants under this part may elect to pool all or a portion of those grants to contract with an accredited nonprofit organization (as defined in section 2(b) of the Training Rural Law Enforcement Officers Act of 2026) for the purpose of providing training to the group of localities that have pooled such grants.