[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 17 (Thursday, February 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    POLICE PARTNERSHIPS FOR CHILDREN

                                 ______


                           HON. DAN GLICKMAN

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 24, 1994

  Mr. GLICKMAN. Mr. Speaker, few people will dispute that violence is 
at epidemic proportions in this country. In fact, the United States has 
the dubious distinction of leading the industrialized world in 
homicides. And increasingly, these homicides involve the youth of our 
country. More and more we see that children are the victims, 
perpetrators, or witnesses of crime and violence. Exposure to this 
violence--as victim, witness, or even perpetrator--poses a serious 
threat to these children. Exposure to violence causes serious mental 
health and emotional problems that can harm development and growth in 
children. We acknowledge the posttraumatic stress disorder that affects 
Vietnam and other veterans. I submit to you that the youth of our 
country are the most overlooked warriors on the front lines of the 
crime war in this country today, and they're bearing the battle wounds.
  Today, along with the majority leader, Mr. Gephardt, and my 
colleague, Ms. DeLauro, I introduced a bill that is an affirmative 
effort to try to protect our children from violence. It is an attempt 
to help them cope and learn from violence rather than allowing them to 
be destroyed by it. Our legislation creates a program to form police 
partnerships for children, where police departments will team up with 
child and family service organizations in the community to jointly 
address the tragedy of children and violence.
  Daily, our Nation's police officers confront the horror of violence 
and its effects on children. Violence involving children has a direct 
impact on police officers both in terms of police officer safety and in 
terms of police personnel morale. More often than not, police officers 
want to help the kids they see in trouble, but they don't have the 
ability or the authority. It's frustrating to everyone. The police 
officers know firsthand about the cyclical nature of violence among 
children. They know that the children of today, who are exposed to 
violence without treatment, are likely to be the perpetrators of 
tomorrow. For the police, the cycle of violence is not a theory--it is 
cold, hard reality. They need the tools to help these kids on their 
beat. Our bill provides those tools.
  The bill we are introducing today is modeled on an innovative and 
successful partnership between the Yale Child Study Center and the New 
Haven Police Department. This legislation centers around community 
cooperation and community action. It promotes maximum local flexibility 
to meet the needs of different communities. This police partnerships 
for children legislation will allow local departments to provide 
children exposed to violence with intervention by trained police 
personnel and/or child mental health professionals. It will increase 
community policing efforts by providing training for law enforcement in 
child, family, and cultural issues. It will encourage interaction and 
collaboration with schools, corporations, and other community members 
to build coalitions for the prevention of community violence. 
Basically, it will facilitate community resource centers directed at 
helping our kids survive the violence in the streets.
  What can be sadder than a young child who cannot dream and imagine a 
future? A child who has no belief in the future has no reason to care 
about the present. But with a partnership between law enforcement and 
the community we can begin to create a present that is worth living, 
and we can identify high-risk children and families so that services 
can be provided to them early, rather than later--before, instead of 
after they become involved in crime.
  I have said it again and again, Congress cannot get rid of all the 
violence through legislation, and it certainly can't solve all of our 
problems overnight. Solving the current violence crisis will take every 
citizen and every community challenging the behaviors and action that 
society has allowed to become acceptable. But in the meantime, we in 
Congress are obligated to do something--to take whatever actions we can 
to contribute to long-term solutions and to contribute to a change in 
acceptable societal behavior. This bill is a part of that contribution, 
and should be part of a more comprehensive and collaborative approach 
to preventive action.
  Our kids learn from our example. Let's show them cooperation, open 
minds, and peaceful coalitions. Let's give them police partnerships.

                          ____________________