Tom Emmer Lights Up Office with Blue Lights in Honor of Police Week

House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) lit up his office with blue lights in honor of law enforcement officials ahead of police week.

In a post on X, Emmer shared a photo of his office at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, lit up with blue lights to kick off the start of National Police Week, which runs through May 16.

“We’re kicking off National Police Week by lighting my Capitol office blue in honor of our nation’s brave law enforcement officers,” Emmer wrote. “The @HouseGOP will ALWAYS back the blue.”

National Police Week is a week that provides “honor, remembrance, and peer support” to law enforcement officials, while encouraging police officers, survivors, and regular citizens to “pay homage” to the law enforcement officials who gave their lives serving, according to the National Police Week website.

The website explains:

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

After the death of George Floyd in 2020, police officers around the nation faced harsh criticism and calls for defunding the police, resulting in many police departments being understaffed as fewer candidates began applying for the jobs.

In an attempt to gain more police recruits, police departments from around the nation have waived certain requirements and have looked to find recruits from out of the state. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) waived college degree requirements in August 2023 for those who want to be state troopers. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) even placed subway and bus ads in New York City in an attempt to recruit police officers.

For the first time in several years, the Metropolitan Police Department in the District of Columbia is reported to have more officers than they had in the previous fiscal year, Washington, DC, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah confirmed to NBC Washington.

The MPD is reported to be hiring 18 more law enforcement officers than will be leaving during the fiscal year. This comes after the MPD has lost more officers in recent years than were being hired.

In 2023, crime in the nation’s capital soared to new highs than were reported in 2022, according to crime data from the MPD website.

There were 274 homicides in the city during 2023, a 35 percent increase from 2022’s 203 homicides. There were 3,470 robberies in the city during 2023, a 67 percent increase from 2022’s 2,076 robberies. There were also 6,829 motor vehicle theft incidents during 2023, an 82 percent increase from 2022’s 3,756 motor vehicle theft incidents.