A Tennessee Republican and a Georgia Democrat are hoping to help local law enforcement agencies hire and keep officers.
The Filling Public Safety Vacancies Act, filed earlier this year by Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Georgia Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, asks for $162 million in federal dollars for one-time grants to law enforcement agencies struggling to keep full staffing levels.
Blackburn cited understaffing at police departments in Nashville and Knoxville when introducing the bill. As of March, she said in a news release, Nashville’s department was understaffed by 193 positions.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga police hope driving simulator reduces costs, crashes)
“As I meet annually with Tennessee mayors, sheriffs and community leaders from all 95 counties, they tell me additional manpower and resources to keep Tennesseans safe is a top priority,” Blackburn said in a statement emailed to the Chattanooga Times Free Press in April.