[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 82 (Friday, June 24, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


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

 
                   LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING IN RUSSIA

 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, in the near future I will be 
presenting the foreign operations bill for fiscal year 1995 to the 
Senate for its consideration. At that time, I will join with Senator 
Mitch McConnell and Senator Alfonse D'Amato on a provision to make 
funds available to support law enforcement in Russia and elsewhere in 
the former Soviet Union.
  As anyone who reads the newspapers knows, in the past couple of years 
crime has burst into the open in Russia and other parts of the NIS. The 
murder rate in Russia is up 41 percent in just the past 12 months. More 
than 50 bombings have taken place in Moscow this year, compared to 61 
in all of 1993. Gangs dominate the streets, and organized crime has 
become rampant as the mafia competes for territory and control. Private 
enterprise, for which the United States provides assistance, is being 
undermined with high tributes that must be paid to the Mafia in order 
to stay in business. Drug-related crime is skyrocketing.
  The Russian police lack the skills and equipment to prevent this rash 
of violence and fraud, and the criminal justice codes are outdated. 
These weaknesses have the potential to erode the foundations of 
democracy in Russia.
  The program that Senators McConnell, D'Amato, and I will recommend is 
designed to reinforce the development and professionalization of 
Russia's criminal justice agencies, as well as improve police 
investigative and forensic capabilities which are currently woefully 
inadequate. Strengthening basic police practices that improve 
administration and management skills and emphasize democratic 
principles, including respect for human rights and the rule of law, 
will help build a stable foundation to fight the rampant crime and 
corruption in Russia.
  Our amendment will make funds available to the International Criminal 
Investigative Training Assistance Program and the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation for law enforcement development and training programs. 
The goal of these programs is to assist in the implementation of 
reforms and to improve the Russian police agencies' crime fighting 
capabilities.
  These programs will also benefit the United States. It is in our 
interest to help build the foundations for a stable democracy in 
Russia, an essential element of which is an effective, independent 
justice system. As Russian law enforcement improves, American 
businesses will have less reason to fear that their investments will be 
undermined by dishonest brokers or that their families will be risking 
their lives walking down the street. We will also benefit because of 
the enhanced cooperation between American and Russian law enforcement 
in combating drug trafficking, terrorism, and other international 
crime.
  Mr. President, I met recently with FBI Director Louis Freeh, and we 
discussed his upcoming trip to Europe, Russia, Ukraine, and the 
Baltics. While he is there, Director Freeh will be laying the 
groundwork for cooperation between officials in the former Soviet 
Union, the FBI, and other American law enforcement agencies. They will 
discuss the possible theft of nuclear weapons or nuclear materials, the 
spread of organized crime and drug trafficking. Their work together 
will provide a valuable connection to combat the rising crime scourge 
in Russia. The assistance we provide through the FBI and other American 
law enforcement agencies will provide Russian leaders with a preferable 
alternative to issuing decrees that threaten due process, which have 
recently provoked broad public protest in Russia.
  Mr. President, I want to commend Director Freeh and his delegation 
for undertaking this important trip, and to urge all Senators to 
support our amendment on this issue to the foreign operations 
bill.

                          ____________________