The Honorable Mitch McConnell 
Majority Leader  
United States Senate  
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Charles Schumer
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer:

We write in support of the Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Support Act (H.R. 6580), a bill that would help the families of first responders who die in the line of duty. The bill passed the House by voice vote on September 25, 2018. We encourage you to support the Kerrie Orozco Act and ask that the Senate pass the bill before the end of the 115th U.S. Congress.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), allows a surviving spouse, child or parent of a U.S. citizen first responder who died in service or as a result of their service to apply for U.S. citizenship more quickly by waiving the five-year continuous residence and the 30-month physical presence requirements for naturalization. The bill requires that the surviving spouse, child or parent still meet all other requirements for naturalization, such as being a lawful permanent resident, having good moral character, and being able to read, write, and speak in English.

The Kerrie Orozco Act is named after fallen Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco, a seven-year veteran of the department killed in the line of duty in 2015. Her husband, Hector Orozco, became a single father, while also facing a wait time of five years before he could apply for U.S. citizenship.

As law enforcement leaders, we support the Kerrie Orozco Act because it recognizes the sacrifice that families of first responders make when a spouse, child or parent dies in service to his or her community. Patterned after legal provisions that allow members of Gold Star Families to naturalize after the death of active-duty service members killed in military service, this bill would aid the families of those who sacrifice their lives in the line of duty, allowing them to find stability and permanence at a particularly difficult time.

We encourage you to support the Kerrie Orozco Act and pass the bill before the end of the year.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Chief J. Thomas Manger, LEITF Co-Chair
Montgomery County, MD

Chief Art Acevedo, LEITF Co-Chair
Houston, TX

Sheriff Margaret Mims, LEITF Co-Chair
Fresno County, CA

Executive Director Chuck Wexler
Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)

Executive Director Dwayne Crawford
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)

Lt. Andy Norris, Retired
Tuscaloosa, AL

Chief Hayes Minor
Rogers, AR

Chief Ramon Batista
Mesa, AZ

Sheriff Tony Estrada
Santa Cruz County, AZ

Chief Chris Magnus
Tucson, AZ

Chief Sylvia Moir
Tempe, AZ

Chief Mike Soelberg
Gilbert, AZ

Chief Steve Stahl
Maricopa, AZ

Chief Roberto Villasenor, Retired
Tucson, AZ

Chief Matt Basgall
Clovis, CA

Chief Jerry Dyer
Fresno, CA

Chief James Lopez, Retired
Los Angeles County, CA

Chief Michel R. Moore
Los Angeles, CA

Chief Robert N. Sharpnack
Costa Mesa, CA

Chief David Valentin
Santa Ana, CA

Sheriff Donny Youngblood
Kern County, CA

Sheriff Joe DiSalvo
Pitkin County, CO

Chief Dwight Henninger
Vail, CO

Chief Nick Metz
Aurora, CO

Chief Peter Newsham
Washington DC, DC

Chief Tony Jones
Gainesville, FL

Sheriff John Mina
Orange County, FL

Chief Sarah J. Mooney
West Palm Beach, FL

Chief Orlando Rolon
Orlando, FL

Sheriff Paul H. Fitzgerald
Story County, IA

Chief Wayne Jerman
Cedar Rapids, IA

Sheriff Bill McCarthy
Polk County, IA

Director of Public Safety Mark Prosser
Storm Lake, IA

Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek
Johnson County, IA

Chief Mike Tupper
Marshalltown, IA

Chief William Bones
Boise, ID

Chief Craig Kingsbury
Twin Falls, ID

Sheriff John Idleburg
Lake County, IL

Chief Michael Diekhoff
Bloomington, IN

Chief Ron Teachman, Retired
South Bend, IN

Chief James Hawkins, Retired
Garden City, KS

Superintendent Michael S. Harrison
New Orleans, LA

Commissioner Branville G. Bard, Jr.
Cambridge, MA

Commissioner William Gross
Boston, MA

Chief Brian Kyes
Chelsea, MA

Sheriff Kevin Joyce
Cumberland County, ME

Sheriff Jerry Clayton
Washtenaw County, MI

Chief Ron Haddad
Dearborn, MI

Chief Todd Axtell
Saint Paul, MN

Chief Jose Lopez, Retired
Durham, NC

Sheriff Mike Haley, Retired
Washoe County, NV

Chief Richard Biehl
Dayton, OH

Chief Cel Rivera
Lorain, OH

Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare
Providence, RI

Chief Joseph Hill
Horry County, SC

Chief William Holbrook
Columbia, SC

Chief David Roddy
Chattanooga, TN

Sheriff Marian Brown
Dallas County, TX

Chief Frank Dixon
Denton, TX

Sheriff Edward Gonzalez
Harris County, TX

Chief Andy Harvey
Palestine, TX

Sheriff Sally Hernandez
Travis County, TX

Chief Mike Brown
Salt Lake City, UT

Chief Carmen Best
Seattle, WA

Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht
King County, WA

Asst. Chief Randy Gaber
Madison, WI

Chief Michael Koval
Madison, WI

Sheriff David J. Mahoney
Dane County, WI

Chief Todd Thomas
Appleton, WI

 

*Signatures updated as of December 12, 2018 10 am ET*

 

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