[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 56 (Monday, May 5, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H2160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IT IS TIME TO TRULY TAKE BACK OUR NEIGHBORHOODS CRIME FIGHTING ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Filner] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, today I introduced a bill 
which I call Taking Back Our Neighborhoods Crime Fighting Act. This is 
to bolster our Nation's crime-fighting efforts and to encourage 
citizens to get involved in crime prevention. The only way that we can, 
in fact, lower our crime rates dramatically, citizens involvement.
  I am joined by the cochairman and 6 members of the Law Enforcement 
Caucus. More importantly, this legislation is backed by over 200 police 
chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys, community groups and elected 
officials, including mayors of cities big and small, from across the 
country who supported this bill in the last Congress.
  The Taking Back Our Neighborhoods Crime Fighting Act would give a $50 
tax credit to people actively involved in Neighborhood Watch groups and 
other organizations committed to the reduction of local crime, active 
involvement in Neighborhood Watch groups.
  I am proposing this tax credit because Neighborhood Watch works. It 
is the most effective crime reduction program available to our 
communities. Throughout the country, Neighborhood Watch groups have 
made people feel safer and more secure in their home, parks and 
streets. It works because Neighborhood Watch establishes relationships 
amongst neighbors and it established partnerships between neighborhoods 
and their police officers. Citizens are trained how to watch out for 
their families, monitor their neighborhoods, how to be observant and 
reliable witnesses, and how to assist their local police.
  Some 64 police chiefs, 12 sheriffs, 17 district attorneys, and 55 
mayors around the country firmly believe in Neighborhood Watch and have 
endorsed the idea of encouraging participation through tax credits.
  The mayor of Pittsburgh, PA, Mayor Tom Murphy, said, ``One of the 
ways the City of Pittsburgh encourages community involvement in public 
safety is through its 300-plus Neighborhood Watch Block Clubs. Linking 
a Federal tax credit to a citizen's twice-a-year attendance at these 
anti-crime meetings in which our community-oriented police officers 
participate will dramatically strengthen this program.''
  Over the past decade in my Congressional district in San Diego, CA, 
we pioneered and refined the practice of community-oriented policing 
and we have seen the difference it makes. I served on the San Diego 
City Council for 5 years before I came to the Congress, and I worked 
hand-in-hand with residents to attack crime. We helped establish 
Neighborhood Watch groups block by block. We went on walking patrols 
through the streets and created support networks amongst neighbors. We 
established what we call drug-free zones to keep dealers away from our 
schools. And we organized a graffiti patrol to clean up our 
neighborhoods and restore pride in our community.
  Most importantly, we worked directly with local police to create 
innovative crime-fighting strategies. Teams of police officers walked 
our streets, our schools and our neighborhoods. They got to know the 
neighborhoods they protected and the people in them. They talked to 
residents, and residents knew exactly who to call if they saw someone 
in trouble. They knew the names of the officers. They had their beeper 
numbers. They had their confidence. And we brought crime rate down.
  Efforts all over the country like this have been successful. During 
the last 3 years in San Diego, we have seen an overall reduction of 36 
percent in the crime rate and almost 50 percent decrease in robberies, 
homicides and burglaries.
  Most importantly, those who are involved in Neighborhood Watch, my 
constituents who work with the local police, feel stronger, they feel 
empowered, they feel less alienated, they feel a sense of community, 
and they knew that a difference had been made in their own 
neighborhoods. But we still have a long way to go to feel safe in our 
homes and our streets. Encouraging people in Neighborhood Watch group 
participation will help us protect our families.
  San Diego's chief of police, Jerry Sanders, said the success of 
community policing depends on Neighborhood Watch. As he wrote, 
``Voluntary citizen participation in neighborhood meetings is paramount 
to successfully battling crime. Adoption of a tax credit would greatly 
enhance our efforts,'' he concluded.
  Neighborhood Watch groups have proven to be an effective and 
economical approach to providing a better and more secure society for 
ourselves and our children. Giving people in Neighborhood Watch groups 
a $50 tax break will support the many citizens already involved in 
crime prevention and encourage more community participation.
  I ask my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation. 
Working together, and only by working together, in participation with 
our local police, we can truly reclaim our streets.

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