This week we celebrate National Police Week, a time to pause and consider the many sacrifices our law enforcement officers and their families make day in and day out to keep our communities safe. Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect our families, keep our communities safe, and leave our state and our country better off. We are tremendously grateful for their efforts.
Despite the incredible work our law enforcement officers do in Georgia, they’re constantly under attack. They’re under attack from the criminals seeking to destroy and disrupt our communities, and they’re under attack from a radical left seeking to demonize and antagonize the very people working to protect them.
Last weekend’s shooting of three brave Atlanta police officers is a harrowing reminder of the risks our law enforcement officers face daily to keep us safe. Far too often, these risks are overlooked and underappreciated. While we will never be able to fully repay our brave men and women in blue for their sacrifices, we MUST show our unwavering support and fight back against the radicals who would rather blame our country’s ills on law enforcement instead of on the criminals they’re trying to stop.
“Back the blue” is a slogan used often to signal one’s support for law enforcement. While I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment, I also believe in turning that phrase into action. Backing the blue is not simply a phrase to be uttered on the campaign trail. Backing the blue is about creating tangible ways in which we can show our support to law enforcement and allow them to do their jobs to the fullest.
While Democrats and those on the left seek to villainize law enforcement, in Georgia we have made tremendous strides to ensure that we do everything we can to back our brave police officers. In Democrat-run cities across America, story after story is published about restrictions on police that hamstringing their ability to do their jobs effectively and the skyrocketing crime rates that are putting more and more pressure on law enforcement.
I am determined to do everything in my power to ensure that law enforcement officers in Georgia are not only supported but are also free from disastrous pro-crime policies that hinder their ability to keep the public safe.
I am proud that the Georgia General Assembly passed the Back the Blue Act this legislative session. This law establishes the Back the Blue Fund, which enables vehicle registration applicants to make voluntary contributions to fund bonuses for deputy sheriffs and jailers. Having been a proponent of the Back the Blue Fund since my time as a state senator, I was especially proud to see its passage.
In addition to the Back the Blue Act, the General Assembly also passed Senate Bill 63, which keeps violent and repeat criminals off the streets. This commonsense, tough-on-crime approach to our bail system allows our law enforcement officers to truly focus on public safety by getting violent criminals away from the general public.
These are two of the many ways that we have fought to support and defend our law enforcement in Georgia.
This week, stop and thank some of our brave police officers for their sacrifices. Without their bravery, families in Georgia and across America would be less safe.
I am extremely grateful for their service to our communities, our state, and our country.
Burt Jones has served as Georgia’s lieutenant governor since 2023.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.