[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 25, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1548-S1549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ROY D. NEDROW

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, one of the most unsung professions in 
the United States is law enforcement. It is a dangerous and demanding 
career field that offers few tangible rewards, yet it is an occupation 
that attracts men and women of tremendous dedication and determination, 
individuals who are committed to making a difference in their lives and 
jobs. Today, I rise to pay tribute to one such person, Roy D. Nedrow, 
the Director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, who is about 
to end a distinguished career in local and Federal law enforcement 
after more than 30 years.
  Director Nedrow began his service in law enforcement as a street cop 
in Berkeley, CA, during the turbulent 1960's. As many know, that city 
is the home to a beautiful University of California campus, but at that 
time in Berkeley's history, the plazas, walkways, and streets of, and 
surrounding, Cal became a kind of urban battleground. No doubt, it was 
in this contentious and frequently violent environment that Officer 
Nedrow learned

[[Page S1549]]

some very valuable lessons about law enforcement, people, and managing 
crises, all which would help him throughout his career.
  After 6 years in local law enforcement, Sgt. Roy Nedrow traded the 
seven-pointed star and khaki uniform of the Berkeley Police Department 
for a business suit, a set of credentials, and a job as a U.S. Secret 
Service special agent. For more than the next 20 years, he handled 
numerous cases involving fraud, counterfeiting, forgery, and 
protection. In the process, he steadily climbed the command ladder of 
that agency, holding a number of positions of great responsibility, 
eventually rising to the office of Deputy Assistant Director of the 
Office of Investigations, where he was responsible for managing 1,200 
special agents in more than 100 field locations throughout the world.
  His experience with the U.S. Secret Service gave him invaluable 
training in managing investigations, people, and budgets, and made him 
an ideal candidate to head-up a law enforcement agency. When the Naval 
Criminal Investigative Service was looking for a new director in the 
early 1990's, they very quickly spotted Roy Nedrow as a desirable 
candidate to take charge of their agency.
  Assuming the helm at NCIS in 1992, Director Nedrow moved swiftly and 
surely to change the public's perception about this agency which had 
suffered from several public relations misfortunes, and he made turning 
NCIS into a more effective and streamlined organization his priority. 
Managing a Federal agency in this era of shrinking budgets, downsizing, 
and hiring freezes, is very challenging and Director Nedrow had to find 
a way to continue to meet the many international missions with which 
his special agents are tasked, particularly force protection and 
antiterrorism, with fewer available resources. Not deterred by the size 
of the task before him, the Director established many successful 
initiatives, a number of which were particularly effective in making 
NCIS an even better law enforcement agency.
  During his tenure as Director, Roy Nedrow oversaw the establishment 
of a Cold Case Homicide Squad which has reinvestigated murder cases 
previously thought unsolvable, bringing closure to 18 cases and earning 
13 convictions. Realizing the importance of reigning in fraud and 
ensuring that the money of the American taxpayer was not wasted, the 
Director fought to keep the fraud investigation mission at NCIS. Over 
the past 5 years, his special agents assigned to pursuing such cases 
have recovered more than $900 million in procurement fraud, fines, and 
restitution, helping to cut out fiscal waste and abuse, as well as 
essentially compensating the Government for what it costs to operate 
NCIS. Another innovative solution discovered by the Director, was to 
better integrate Navy Reserve personnel into his agency, providing him 
with the ability to secure a surge of qualified and trained individuals 
capable of helping NCIS meet its force protection mission in times of 
national crisis.
  Mr. President, anyone who dedicates their life to protecting the 
people of this Nation from criminal elements is worthy of our thanks, 
and for 33 years, Roy Nedrow has done just that. He has established an 
impressive reputation for professionalism and leadership at every level 
of law enforcement he has worked, and has left the Berkeley Police 
Department, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Naval Criminal 
Investigative Service all better places for his efforts. His 
stewardship as the Director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service 
has greatly benefited that agency, and has helped to strengthen the 
Federal law enforcement community. We are proud of the work he has 
done, are grateful for his many sacrifices, and wish he and his lovely 
wife Claudia, much health, happiness, and continued successes in the 
years to come.

                          ____________________