Senate Haste Will Make Waste on 'First Step Act'

Police departments across the country are finding it hard to recruit new officers as they must increasingly contend with: rampant drug-trafficking; untreated mental illness, especially in burgeoning homeless populations; sometimes dangerous illegal aliens drawn to so-called sanctuary cities; and broad-brush condemnations of law enforcement over controversial shooting incidents.

This would seem to be a particularly bad time to be releasing from federal prisons large numbers of felons, including some with records of violent crimes. Yet, the U.S. Senate is poised to do just that over the next few days via legislation known as the First Step Act.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.,  and every federal law enforcement association have warned against hastily approving this well-intentioned, but fatally flawed initiative without hearings or proper opportunity for debate. Should the Senate do that, it won’t be just the cops, but public safety and national security, that are endangered.

Frank Gaffney, Jr. is president of the Center for Security Policy (CSP), a columnist for The Washington Times, and host of the nationally syndicated program, Secure Freedom Radio. Read more reports from Frank Gaffney, Jr. — Click Here Now.