Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, addressed the Senate about legislation that could impact police officers and their families in honor of National Police Week, a time to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

A total of 143 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2016 were honored during a memorial service in Washington, D.C.

The list of the fallen includes five Iowans: Sergeant Anthony David Beminio of the Des Moines Police Department; Officer Susan Louise Farrell of the Des Moines Police Department; Justin Scott Martin of the Urbandale Police Department; Sergeant Shawn Glenn Miller of the West Des Moines Police Department; and Officer Carlos Bernabe Puente-Morales of the Des Moines Police Department.

“We honor these great heroes for laying down their lives to protect their communities in Iowa. There is no year in recent memory in which so many Iowans have lost their lives in the line of duty,” Grassley said in his remarks.

Grassley took the time to specifically address the “ambush-style” killings of Sgt. Beminio and Ofc. Martin.

“These officers were heinously murdered by the same perpetrator on the same night, while they sat in their patrol cars,” Grassley said. “The notion that the actions of a few bad individuals implicates the entire profession may unfortunately endanger these public servants.”

Grassley touched on a resolution to commemorate Police Week, along with legislation to reform the operations of the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program.

“Delays in the award of benefits to the families of fallen officers have become intolerable and those families deserve to know the status of their applications during the process,” Grassley said.

In addition, Grassley mentioned two other bills: one bill sets standards for the use of a new form of DNA evidence, the second allows COPS grants to be used for the recruiting and promoting of military veterans as police officers. The Senate Judiciary Committee will also report a bill that is designed to provide mental health services to police officers, Grassley said.