[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 82 (Thursday, June 12, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 NATIONAL CITY'S RETIRED SENIOR VOLUNTEER PATROL: AN EFFECTIVE CITIZEN 
       CRIME FIGHTING PROGRAM TO HELP TAKE BACK OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 12, 1997

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise to honor National 
City's Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the spirit of community 
involvement that has brought this and other citizen-run programs into 
focus as some of the most effective crime fighting tools.
  I am particularly impressed by the cooperation in National City, CA, 
between the chamber of commerce, the crime prevention commission, city 
leaders, and the police department in making this program a reality.
  All across this Nation, citizens are participating in Retired Senior 
Volunteer Programs (RSVP) and the first--and still greatly effective 
citizen crime-fighting program--Neighborhood Watch. These dedicated 
citizens deserve to receive credit for their work.
  With my Taking Back Our Neighborhoods Crime Fighting Act, citizens 
who pitch in with their time would be rewarded. The act would give a 
$50 tax credit to people actively involved in Neighborhood Watch groups 
and other organizations--such as RSVP--that are committed to the 
reduction of local crime.
  Officials throughout the Nation agree that Neighborhood Watch and 
citizen programs need to be encouraged. My bill is backed by over two 
hundred 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.
  I am proposing this tax credit because citizen crime-fighting 
programs work. They are the most effective crime reduction tools in our 
communities. Throughout the country, Neighborhood Watch groups have 
made people feel safer and more secure in their homes, parks, and 
streets.
  Neighborhood Watch and citizen patrols establish relationships among 
neighbors--and establish partnerships between neighborhoods and their 
police officers. Citizens are trained how to watch out for their 
families and monitor their neighborhoods, how to be observant and 
reliable witnesses, and how to assist their local police.
  National City's Retired Senior Patrol officers will provide many of 
the routine non-life-threatening tasks that police officers perform and 
free up officers for work that requires sworn police officers. The 
National City RSVP'ers will perform vacation house checks, traffic 
control, conduct safety surveys for residents and businesses and will 
check on seniors living alone. Because of their presence in the 
community, residents will get to know them and their link to the police 
department. When neighbors see something suspicious--they'll know who 
to call.
  Similar efforts have been successful. During the last 3 years, San 
Diego--with its RSVP, Citizens Patrol and Neighborhood Watch--has seen 
an overall reduction of 36 percent in the crime rate, and a 44- to 48-
percent decrease in robberies, homicides and burglaries. Most 
importantly, those of us who participated were empowered--we felt 
stronger, we fostered a sense of community, and we saw that we could 
make a difference in people's lives.
  But we still have a long way to go to feel safe in our homes and our 
neighborhoods. Encouraging people to participate in citizen crime-
fighting programs will help us protect our families. Giving people in 
citizen crime fighting groups a $50 tax break will support the RSVP and 
the many residents already involved in crime prevention programs, while 
encouraging more community participation.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend National City and all of its residents 
involved in setting up the Retired Senior Volunteer Program. And I ask 
my colleagues to back up the citizens in their community--like I have 
the National City RSVP and others like them--and support this important 
piece of legislation, H.R. 1529. Working together--and only by working 
together--can we truly reclaim our streets.

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