Rockland Reporter

On July 5, 2023, Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) released the following statement after joining Senator Schumer (D-NY), and Sheriffs Falco (D-Rockland County) and McConville (R-Putnam County) for a press conference calling on the Department of Justice to release needed funds to local law enforcement. Congressman Lawler also sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding answers as to why this funding has been held in limbo.

"The brave men and women in law enforcement from the Hudson Valley put their lives on the line each and every day in order to keep our communities safe,” said Congressman Lawler. "Which is why I am here today to demand that the Department of Justice provide the millions of dollars our local law enforcement agencies are owed for their work in taking down a drug trafficking operation."

"The DEA’s Westchester Tactical Diversion Team is comprised of members from across Rockland, Westchester, and Putnam Counties, with multiple law enforcement agencies providing staff and resources to help combat the scourge of drug trafficking in our communities," continued Congressman Lawler. "After a historic takedown in 2019, the Department of Justice should have provided funding back to these local agencies that dedicated thousands of hours and resources to assisting with the case, but instead, the DOJ has put them in a holding pattern, withholding critical funds that could be used to protect our neighborhoods and tackle the opioid crisis."

"That's why, today, Senator Schumer, Sheriff Falco, Sheriff McConville, and I are standing here to demand that the Department of Justice right this wrong," concluded Congressman Lawler. "Attorney General Garland, please get the red tape preventing these funds from reaching our local law enforcement agencies cut and out of the way. We must get these funds into the hands of our law enforcement so that they can keep us safe."

New York's 17th Congressional District is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. 

Original source can be found here.