A good way to tie the info on interest groups with the chapters on governing institutions.
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Police unions are gearing up for their biggest lobbying fights in years as lawmakers at all levels of government push to reform law enforcement practices and protections.
In Congress, the brewing battle comes as House Democrats have introduced sweeping legislation to overhaul aspects of the criminal justice system, with Senate Republicans expected to unveil their proposal in the coming week.
The National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the country's largest police group that represents over 330,000 officers, is expected to play a major role, much like it did in 2014 when it tried to protect access to military equipment following the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
“There seems to be a lot of variation in how police unions are handling the situation, ranging from just the outright opposition and in some cases vile statements coming out of union heads to … union heads that are open to reforms,” said Jake Rosenfeld, a professor at the Washington University in St. Louis who specializes in unions.
The FOP, which has in-house lobbyists, said it spent $55,000 on lobbying activities in the first quarter of 2020, a relatively low amount compared to unions in other sectors. In 2019, it spent $220,000.
An FOP spokesperson declined to comment on any plans for expanding lobbying in light of the new legislation.
