BANGOR, ME — Today, the Maine Fraternal Order of Police, Maine’s largest police union, endorsed U.S. Senator Susan Collins in her bid for re-election, citing her long record of unwavering support for law enforcement and their families.
“Maine’s law enforcement professionals put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, respond to emergencies, and keep Mainers safe; they always show up for us, and they deserve a Senator who shows up for them,” said Senator Susan Collins. “I have worked closely with the Fraternal Order of Police and our local law enforcement officers on crucial legislative priorities, including funding to upgrade and modernize police and sheriff’s offices across the state and securing passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, landmark legislation I championed for decades to restore the earned Social Security benefits of thousands of law enforcement officers in Maine. I am proud to have always stood with our men and women in law enforcement, and am honored to have their support.”
“Based on Senator Susan Collins’ record and her unwavering support for public safety, the Maine Fraternal Order of Police is honored to stand with Senator Collins today and offer our endorsement for her re-election, citing her leadership, advocacy, and legislative support. Senator Collins has been a champion for us,” said Joel Wilkson, Labor Representative for the Maine Fraternal Order of Police and Retired Colonel of the Maine Warden Service. “To our knowledge, she has never voted for an anti-law enforcement bill during her entire time in office.”
Senator Collins is a national leader on issues important to law enforcement officials in Maine and across our country. As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she has secured $46.4 million for Maine law enforcement and public safety infrastructure projects and equipment upgrades since 2021. She has long advocated for federal programs that provide critical support to law enforcement:
- Senator Collins co-authored the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, which became law in 2025. This bill restores the earned Social Security benefits for millions of public servants, including law enforcement officers, by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, two provisions that unfairly reduced the benefits that they or their spouses have earned. This was a top legislative priority of the Fraternal Order of Police for nearly three decades; the Fraternal Order of Police presented Senator Collins with the National President’s Legislative Advocacy Award for her more than two decades of work to pass this law.
- Senator Collins is a cosponsor of the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, which would expand eligibility for Public Safety Officers’ Benefits to the families of law enforcement officers and other first responders who are killed or become permanently disabled from certain service-related cancers, recognizing these illnesses as line-of-duty injuries. She also cosponsored the Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act, enacted in 2019, to support mental health services for law enforcement officers and other assistance for their family members.
- Senator Collins co-led the permanent reauthorization of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant program, which helps state and local law enforcement agencies purchase lifesaving bulletproof vests for officers working in the field. Maine has received more than $3.5 million from this program, with more than $236,000 for 51 jurisdictions in 2025 alone.
- Senator Collins has has long advocated for funding federal programs that provide critical support to law enforcement, including the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program to help local law enforcement agencies recruit and retain officers and bolster crime prevention efforts, the COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force, the Regional Information Sharing System (RISS), which allows law enforcement agencies across the country to more easily share information, and the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, which is the leading source of federal funding to help states and local jurisdictions fight crime.