[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 59 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H3046-H3054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BULLETPROOF VEST PARTNERSHIP GRANT ACT OF 1998
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2829) to establish a matching grant program to help state
and local jurisdictions purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement
departments, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 2829
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Bulletproof Vest Partnership
Grant Act of 1998''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the number of law enforcement officers who are killed
in the line of duty would significantly decrease if every law
enforcement officer in the United States had the protection
of an armor vest;
(2) according to studies, between 1985 and 1994, 709 law
enforcement officers in the United States were feloniously
killed in the line of duty;
(3) the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that the
risk of fatality to law enforcement officers while not
wearing an armor vest is 14 times higher than for officers
wearing an armor vest;
(4) the Department of Justice estimates that approximately
150,000 State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers,
nearly 25 percent, are not issued body armor;
(5) according to studies, between 1985 and 1994, bullet-
resistant materials helped save the lives of more than 2,000
law enforcement officers in the United States; and
(6) the Executive Committee for Indian Country Law
Enforcement Improvements reports that violent crime in Indian
country has risen sharply, despite a decrease in the national
crime rate, and has concluded that there is a ``public safety
crisis in Indian country''.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to save lives of
law enforcement officers by helping State, local, and tribal
law enforcement agencies provide officers with armor vests.
SEC. 3. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ARMOR
VESTS.
(a) In General.--Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3711 et seq.) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating part Y as part Z;
(2) by redesignating section 2501 as section 2601; and
(3) by inserting after part X the following new part:
``PART Y--MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ARMOR VESTS
``SEC. 2501. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
``(a) In General.--The Director of the Bureau of Justice
Assistance is authorized to make grants to States, units of
local government, and Indian tribes to purchase armor vests
for use by State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers.
``(b) Uses of Funds.--Grants awarded under this section
shall be--
``(1) distributed directly to the State, unit of local
government, or Indian tribe; and
``(2) used for the purchase of armor vests for law
enforcement officers in the jurisdiction of the grantee.
``(c) Preferential Consideration.--In awarding grants under
this part, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance
may give preferential consideration, if feasible, to an
application from a jurisdiction that--
``(1) has the greatest need for armor vests based on the
percentage of law enforcement officers in the department who
do not have access to a vest;
``(2) has, or will institute, a mandatory wear policy that
requires on-duty law enforcement officers to wear armor vests
whenever feasible; and
``(3) has a violent crime rate at or above the national
average as determined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
or
``(4) has not received a block grant under the Local Law
Enforcement Block Grant program described under the heading
`Violent Crime Reduction Programs, State and Local Law
Enforcement Assistance' of the Departments of Commerce,
Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-119).
``(d) Minimum Amount.--Unless all eligible applications
submitted by any State or unit of local government within
such State for a grant under this section have been funded,
such State, together with grantees within the State (other
than Indian tribes), shall be allocated in each fiscal year
under this section not less than 0.50 percent of the total
amount appropriated in the fiscal year for grants pursuant to
this section, except that the United States Virgin Islands,
American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands shall
be each be allocated 0.25 percent.
``(e) Maximum Amount.--A qualifying State, unit of local
government, or Indian tribe may not receive more than 5
percent of the total amount appropriated in each fiscal year
for grants under this section, except that a State, together
with the grantees within the State may not receive more than
20 percent of the total amount appropriated in each fiscal
year for grants under this section.
``(f) Matching Funds.--The portion of the costs of a
program provided by a grant under subsection (a) may not
exceed 50 percent. Any funds appropriated by Congress for the
activities of any agency of an Indian tribal government or
the Bureau of Indian Affairs performing law enforcement
functions on any Indian lands may be used to provide the non
Federal share of a matching requirement funded under this
subsection.
``(g) Allocation of Funds.--At least half of the funds
available under this part shall be awarded to units of local
government with fewer than 100,000 residents.
``SEC. 2502. APPLICATIONS.
``(a) In General.--To request a grant under this part, the
chief executive of a State, unit of local government, or
Indian tribe shall submit an application to the Director of
the Bureau of Justice Assistance in such form and containing
such information as the Director may reasonably require.
[[Page H3047]]
``(b) Regulations.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of enactment of this part, the Director of the Bureau of
Justice Assistance shall promulgate regulations to implement
this section (including the information that must be included
and the requirements that the States, units of local
government, and Indian tribes must meet) in submitting the
applications required under this section.
``(c) Eligibility.--A unit of local government that
receives funding under the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant
program (described under the heading `Violent Crime Reduction
Programs, State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance' of the
Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary,
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law
105-119)) during a fiscal year in which it submits an
application under this part shall not be eligible for a grant
under this part unless the chief executive officer of such
unit of local government certifies and provides an
explanation to the Director that the unit of local government
considered or will consider using funding received under the
block grant program for any or all of the costs relating to
the purchase of armor vests, but did not, or does not expect
to use such funds for such purpose.
``SEC. 2503. DEFINITIONS.
``For purposes of this part--
``(1) the term `armor vest' means body armor, no less than
Type I, which has been tested through the voluntary
compliance testing program operated by the National Law
Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center of the National
Institute of Justice (NIJ), and found to meet or exceed the
requirements of NIJ Standard 0101.03, or any subsequent
revision of such standard;
``(2) the term `body armor' means any product sold or
offered for sale as personal protective body covering
intended to protect against gunfire, stabbing, or other
physical harm;
``(3) the term `State' means each of the 50 States, the
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the
United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the
Northern Mariana Islands;
``(4) the term `unit of local government' means a county,
municipality, town, township, village, parish, borough, or
other unit of general government below the State level;
``(5) the term `Indian tribe' has the same meaning as in
section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)); and
``(6) the term `law enforcement officer' means any officer,
agent, or employee of a State, unit of local government, or
Indian tribe authorized by law or by a government agency to
engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, or
investigation of any violation of criminal law, or authorized
by law to supervise sentenced criminal offenders.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1001(a) of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42
U.S.C. 3793(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following
new paragraph:
``(23) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
part Y, $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1999 through
2001.''.
SEC. 4 SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
In the case of any equipment or products that may be
authorized to be purchased with financial assistance provided
using funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this
Act, it is the sense of the Congress that entities receiving
the assistance should, in expending the assistance, purchase
only American-made equipment and products.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. McCollum) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum).
General Leave
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on H.R. 2829.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 2829, the Bulletproof
Vest Partnership Grant Act. This Friday afternoon, the families,
friends and colleagues of police officers who have lost their lives in
the line of duty this past year will gather on the West Front of the
Capitol and remember the courage and sacrifice of their fallen loved
ones at the 17th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service. This
solemn ceremony is the climax of National Police Week here in
Washington.
Later today, this House will pay tribute to these fallen men and
women of law enforcement in a special resolution commending their
heroism. It will be a privilege to join in this recognition. As we
remember with great sadness the ultimate sacrifice of America's police
officers, both today and on Friday, the legislation before us provides
a measure of comfort.
It serves, Mr. Speaker, as an encouragement for us in two ways.
First, H.R. 2829 introduced by the gentleman from Indiana (Mr.
Visclosky) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), reminds if
it were not for the bulletproof vest already being worn by thousands of
police officers throughout the country, we would certainly be mourning
the loss of even more police officers this week.
Second, this bill, in establishing a matching grant program for
states and localities to purchase armor vests, offers the real hope of
fewer officers being killed in the years ahead.
Mr. Speaker, the men and women in blue on the front line fight
against violent crimes, and they are always doing so as targets for
violent criminals. H.R. 2829 represents a joint effort by the Federal,
state and local governments to protect these officers. The bill creates
a matching grant program through which the Federal Government, acting
in concert with localities, will provide help for vests for every
police officer who needs one.
Today I am bringing forward an amendment to this bill, which the
House and Senate have crafted in a fair and bipartisan agreement, to
ensure that the funding goes first to those police departments which
need it most. The Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance is given
discretion to give preferential consideration to smaller departments
whose budgets are stretched thin. Also those jurisdictions which do not
receive any funding under the local law enforcement block grant program
will be given preference. Additionally, at least half of the funds
available under this program shall be awarded to jurisdictions with
fewer than 100,000 residents.
The agreement sunsets the program after three years so that Congress
can reassess it at that time. In the interim, I fully expect the
Department of Justice to review this program and report back to
Congress on its progress.
Among the most important elements of this legislation is a
requirement that local governments receiving the local law enforcement
block grant must consider using their block grants to purchase body
armor before becoming eligible for a bulletproof vest grant. The block
grant program was established in the Contract with America and has
provided $1.5 billion to localities over the last three years. This
provision will ensure that this new vest grant program does not
undermine the block grant's important goals of local control and
flexibility.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Schumer), the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) and the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) and their staffs for their
willingness to be flexible and their unyielding commitment to ensure
the passage of this bill.
If every officer routinely wears a bullet resistant vest, we may be
able to return to a time when we are all astonished, not just saddened,
to learn that a police officer was wounded or killed by a criminal with
a gun.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2829. The body armor should be
standard equipment for police officers. When a new officer joins the
force, he or she is issued a badge and a gun. A bulletproof vest should
be part of that package. When a police officer walks out of the station
house each morning, that officer is putting his or her life at risk in
order to protect the rest of us. Thankfully, there is equipment
available that will minimize the risk; not eliminate it, certainly, but
minimize it.
You can walk into virtually any big city police precinct and find an
officer whose life may have been saved by a bulletproof vest.
Unfortunately, rural and suburban officers are increasingly at risk. An
officer making a routine traffic stop on a highway has no idea
whatsoever whether the driver is armed and how the driver will respond.
We owe it to the men and women who undertake the responsibility of
being police officers to make sure that they have the potentially
lifesaving equipment that is available.
This bill would authorize $25 million a year in grants to state and
local governments to purchase body armor for law enforcement officers.
This is not a Federal giveaway. The grant recipient
[[Page H3048]]
must put up half of the funds. The real purpose is to use a Federal
incentive to get local police departments to see vests as standard
equipment.
I commend my colleagues, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky)
and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) for their sponsorship
of this bill. I understand the differences between the House and Senate
versions of this bill have been resolved and that the bill offered by
the gentleman from Florida (Chairman McCollum) incorporates the
amendments necessary to harmonize the two versions so that we can get
this bill on the president's desk by the end of this week. I urge my
colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), the coauthor of this legislation.
Mr. LoBIONDO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great appreciation and
satisfaction that I am here today to speak on behalf of the Bulletproof
Vest Partnership Grant Act. As our friends from the law enforcement
community gather in Washington to recognize National Peace Officers'
Memorial Week, the House's consideration of a program to help protect
the lives of those officers seems a fitting and timely tribute.
To me the issue is rather simple: It is as equally ludicrous to put a
police officer on the street without a firearm as it is to put that
officer on the street without a vest. These men and women pledge to
protect and defend our lives and property, and society's commitment
back to their personal safety should and must be total.
This bill is on the floor today because of the dedication of my
colleague, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky). Without his
commitment to this issue and the diligent efforts of Jeff Gerhardt of
his staff, this initiative would not have happened. I have enjoyed
working with the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) on this, and I
thank him very much for his hard work.
I also want to take the opportunity to thank Carlyle Thorsen from my
staff, who has put countless hours in on moving this initiative forward
as well.
The legislation makes sense, a Federal matching grant program to help
states and local governments buy bullet resistant vests for law
enforcement officers. As Republicans, we speak often of refraining from
micromanaging how states and localities spend Federal resources.
However, the fact that close to 150,000 state and local law enforcement
officers across the country do not have access to vests makes a
powerful case that this bill represents a unique exception to such
philosophical resistance.
I am not surprised that our aggressive cosponsorship drive was so
successful. Over 100 of our colleagues cosponsored it within the first
week of introduction, and a total of 306 members signed on within just
a few months. Getting that many cosponsors so early helped us make a
convincing case for the bill, and I thank them for validating what the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) and I knew was a good idea and
for being part of our effort.
First among equals on that list of coequals was the gentleman from
Illinois (Chairman Hyde), and he played no small part in the success of
this measure.
{time} 1600
My thanks go out to the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Armey) for his support as well.
Let me also recognize the guidance and assistance of the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. McCollum), chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime of
the Committee on the Judiciary. The gentleman worked with us from day
1, offering suggestions of how we could improve the bill and holding a
hearing for its consideration.
Also of great assistance in shepherding this measure through the
process was the gentleman from New York (Mr. McNulty) and Nicole Nason
of the Subcommittee on Crime staff, and I thank them for their
competence and accessibility. I am looking forward to working with the
chairman of the subcommittee and his excellent staff in the future.
Again, for me, this is about saving lives of our law enforcement
officers on the street or in the prison yard. We in government are not
the only ones who recognize and address this need. My efforts on a
national level to provide officers with body armor are rooted in the
great example set by private organizations in my own home district like
Vest-A-Cop and Shield The Blue in southern New Jersey.
States and localities should not have to choose between having enough
officers on the street, funding necessary training programs for those
officers, or purchasing bullet- or stab-resistant vests. The local law
enforcement block grant program goes a long ways towards funding their
priorities, and many localities are too small to receive funding. So I
was surprised to learn that of 46 townships in my district that operate
municipal police forces, only 12 received block grants.
It is reassuring that this legislation will provide an additional
option for small towns in both southern New Jersey and across America.
I ask my colleagues to support the legislation.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), the leading sponsor of the
bill.
Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me
this time.
At the outset of my remarks, I too would like to thank the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. McCollum), the chairman of the subcommittee, and the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) the ranking member, for their
tireless work on behalf of this legislation.
I would be remiss also at the outset of my remarks if I did not
express my heartfelt gratification and thanks to the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), the lead cosponsor of this legislation. Without
his tireless efforts on behalf of securing most of those 306
cosponsors, we would not be here this afternoon, and I deeply
appreciate his help.
I also want to recognize the tireless efforts of Jeff Gerhardt, a
member of my staff, who worked tirelessly on behalf of passage of this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I am in support of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Act,
which I sponsored. I initially identified the need for such a bill when
I found out that many gang members and drug dealers in northwest
Indiana had the protection of bulletproof vests, while many of the
police officers that patrol the streets in my district did not. I was
stunned.
I believe that sworn police officers who are issued a badge should
also be issued a bulletproof vest. I believe that if we are going to
ask men and women to risk their lives to make our streets safe, then we
owe them every bit of protection possible. Unfortunately, we often fall
short.
Studies show that between 1985 and 1994, 709 police officers were
killed while on duty, and over 92 percent of those deaths were caused
by firearms. It is a nondisputed fact that bulletproof vests are
extremely effective in protecting officers from death and injury.
Between 1985 and 1994, no police officer who was wearing a vest was
killed by a firearm penetrating the vest. Unfortunately, before today
ends, 2 police officers in the United States of America will be shot.
Despite these statistics, close to 25 percent of the Nation's 600,000
State and local law enforcement officers do not have access to a vest.
That means that there are approximately 150,000 officers that are
placed in harm's way without the most effective protection we can give
them.
I was even more troubled to learn the reason why so many officers do
not have vests. During a visit I made to the local chapter of the
Fraternal Order of Police in Dyer, Indiana, officers explained to me
that bulletproof vests are prohibitively expensive. A good vest can
cost upwards of $500. Many small departments, as well as some larger
ones, simply cannot afford to purchase vests for all of their officers,
a fact which sometimes forces officers to purchase their own.
The problem is particularly pronounced for small, rural police
departments. Statistics show that officers in smaller departments are
much less likely to have vests than their counterparts in large
metropolitan staffs.
H.R. 2829 would meet the goal of saving officers' lives by
authorizing up to $25 million per year for a new grant
[[Page H3049]]
program within the Justice Department providing 50-50 matching grants
to State and local law enforcement agencies. These grants would be
targeted to jurisdictions where most officers do not currently have
access to vests, and they are designed to be free of the red tape that
often characterizes other grant programs. In order to make sure that no
community is left out of the program, half of the funds are reserved
for jurisdictions with fewer than 100,000 residents.
In closing, our legislation is intended to create a partnership with
State and local law enforcement agencies in order to make sure that
every police officer who needs a bulletproof vest gets one.
Mr. Speaker, this Friday the Nation will come together to mourn the
loss of its slain officers on National Police Memorial Day. We pass
this bill with the hope that next year, when our Nation's police
officers meet in Washington, D.C. to mourn the loss of their fallen
colleagues, there will be fewer names added to the wall. There will be
more children who still have a mother or father because of what we do
today.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stand up in support of police
officers everywhere and vote for passage of H.R. 2829.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Buyer), a member of the committee.
Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time.
I want to commend my colleagues, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
LoBiondo) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) for seeing the
need of our law enforcement communities and addressing it. I also am a
cosponsor of this measure and I appreciate the gentleman's work. We
also share Lake County, Indiana, so I thoroughly understand the need in
the northern part of the county.
This bill will provide local communities with the means to provide
its law enforcement officers with bulletproof vests. It also addresses
those who are on the lines everyday. The bulletproof vests, as was
stated by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler), and I agree with
him, the vests should be as much a part of the equipment when officers
are issued their badge, when they get their night stick, when they get
their sidearm, when they are issued an automobile and they get a
shotgun. Why they also do not get a bulletproof vest is beyond me. I
think it is completely unfortunate.
Let me share one other thing. Even though I am a cosponsor of this
bill, what I do not want to do is to build a constituency for that
which communities should be doing in the first place. I agree with the
50-50 match, and I kind of look at this in my own mind as an
opportunity to send a really good message out across the country, and
that is to ensure that the county councils, the city councils are doing
the job, providing the funding and the standard operating equipment,
and we believe here in Congress that a vest is part of that standard
operating equipment.
So I am interested, I want to move forward; and I want Congress to
pass this bill and provide the money. But in the long run, I am not
interested in growing the Federal Government, in growing a
constituency. I want to ensure that jurisdictions across the country do
their job.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this bill.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Johnson).
Mr. JOHNSON of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) and the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) on this legislation, H.R. 2829, and to lend my
support to protect police officers.
Earlier this year I traveled around the 13 counties in my district,
met with sheriffs, chiefs of police, law enforcement officers, all
across northeast Wisconsin to discuss the need for better access to
bulletproof vests. These are the men and women who protect us literally
with their lives. They get up every morning with the sole purpose and
incredible responsibility of keeping our families and neighborhoods
safe. They are our everyday heroes.
To a person, these local sheriffs, deputies and officers applauded
our effort to help State and local law enforcement departments purchase
bulletproof vests and body armor. They told me they need them, they use
them, they want them, and even, yes, in rural areas they are shot at;
yet, it is one of the most expensive items on their law enforcement
budget.
Our police officers put their safety at risk, their lives on the line
every day to protect us and keep our communities safe. If they need new
resources to purchase bulletproof vests and it would make their jobs
just a little easier and a little safer, it is a worthy investment. It
is the reason I signed my name as an original cosponsor of this bill.
It is why I will vote today in favor of its passage.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman
from Iowa (Mr. Latham).
Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bill H.R.
2029, to help safeguard the men and women in law enforcement who
protect us and our families every day.
This $25 million a year matching grant program will provide
bulletproof vests for our Nation's 150,000 law enforcement officers
that are currently not protected. In fact, to make sure that no
community is left out of the program, the matching requirement could be
waived for jurisdictions that demonstrate financial hardship in meeting
their half of the match. That is what makes this bill so important to
rural areas across the Nation like my district in Iowa where small
towns have such small budgets that they cannot afford to hire more than
a few law enforcement officers, let alone bulletproof vests.
However, because of the growing methamphetamine problem in Iowa and
throughout the Midwest, even rural, small town police are encountering
well-armed narcotics dealers. Our rural officers need this protection
in order to effectively confront this wave of violent crime sweeping
across the heartland.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in
supporting this legislation to protect our men and women in law
enforcement.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I too support H.R. 2829, the Bulletproof
Vest Grant Partnership Act. Our law enforcement officers deserve every
protection available. Mr. Speaker, 62 percent of the officers killed in
the last 10 years were not wearing bulletproof vests. This program
helps police in every jurisdiction, large and small, to purchase body
armor.
In the face of the epidemic of gun violence in this country, there
are, in fact, things we can do, and I sincerely hope that this
legislation sparks other congressional action to make our law
enforcement officers and the communities they serve safer.
One area that I hear from law enforcement officials in my community
is the access of crooks to getting body armor themselves. Another area
deals with the safe storage of guns. Guns are kept in nearly half the
homes in America, and a large percentage of these gun owners keep their
guns loaded and ready for use. A million and a half children have
access to guns when they get home from school every day.
We can do more to ensure that children learn the lesson early that
guns are dangerous and should be stored safely in lockboxes. The
children accused of killing their classmates in Jonesboro, AR, tried to
open a lockbox with a blow torch and failed, only to find other guns
that were unlocked. If all of the guns had been locked away, these
children may have gotten discouraged and their classmates and teacher
might still be alive.
If more guns were stored safely, think of all of the children who
might still be alive today, some of whom might grow up to be police
officers themselves. Think of the officers whose body armor might not
be put to the test.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. McInnis).
Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time and the courtesy of
the gentleman from Florida. Unfortunately, I think the previous speaker
kind of sidelined this issue into a second amendment issue. That is not
what this is about.
[[Page H3050]]
I used to be a cop. I was a police officer, and I can tell my
colleagues my first day on the job actually was not on the job; I had
to go to the police academy. The first day I was at the academy, they
came up to me and said, as they were explaining the benefits of a
police officer, what you signed up for, they said, by the way, the
cheapest life insurance you can buy in this country is a bulletproof
vest. The cheapest life insurance you can buy. Go out and buy it. And I
went out and bought it. It makes a difference, and it is an important
issue. It is an issue that obviously is bipartisan.
Take a look at that clock up there. Twenty-four hours from now when
that clock is right where it is today, 2 more police officers in this
country will have been shot. If we pass this bill, if we pass this
bill, we will save 1 police officer's death, 1 police officer a week
from dying if we pass this bill and those officers wear these vests.
{time} 1615
I can tell you from experience that some of the officers I worked
with, good, close friends of mine, did get into that habit of, well, it
won't happen to me, or it is uncomfortable in the heat of the summer.
So we have to take this a step further. We can supply this for them,
but we have to urge those officers to wear the darned things. They do
not do you any good if you do not wear them. It does not guarantee us
that we are going to save that officer a week, but if these officers
wear these vests that we are going, together, jointly with the local
communities, going together to supply, if they wear them, that clock
will run 1 extra week before another officer dies. We can save the life
of a police officer once a week.
I think it is a terrific bill. I think it does exactly what we should
do, and that is sharing with the community, cost-sharing. It gives them
an incentive to go out and buy their officers vests. I could never
figure out why it was not standard issue to give out a bulletproof
vest.
Those who say these things are expensive, they are outrageously
inexpensive. A good vest you can buy for under 700 bucks. That seems
like a lot of money, until you figure out your life is on the line. As
they told me that first day in the Police Academy, it is the cheapest
life insurance you can buy.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Klink).
Mr. KLINK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to
me.
Mr. Speaker, let me take us back in our mind's eye to a tiny town
called Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Settled by hardworking German
immigrants, it is the kind of picturesque farm town, an affluent
community, a safe community, that all of us would like to live in and
all of us would like to raise our children in.
Back in 1980, the chief of police in that town was a young man named
Greg Adams. Greg Adams had patrolled the streets of Washington, D.C.,
and had taken his two young sons and his wife back home to Saxonburg.
As he was patrolling the town on December 4th of 1980, Greg Adams
pulled a car over for a traffic violation into the parking lot of an
Agway store. He did not know at that time that the man behind the wheel
was a career criminal who had found his way to Saxonburg, Pennsylvania,
who was wanted on interstate flight to avoid prosecution. No one knows
exactly what happened, but when it was over, Greg Adams was shot. As he
was bleeding and losing life, he was beaten to death.
I arrived at the scene, as a television reporter, within minutes of
the time he was assaulted, and within minutes of the time that he
finally breathed his last gasp of breath. His last words were ``Pray
for me,'' as he died.
Those who investigated that shooting incident will tell you that if
Greg Adams had had a bulletproof vest, his wife would not have become a
widow, his young children would not have lost their father in this
safe, picturesque farm town where you would not expect danger to prowl
the streets.
This is a good bill. It is a good bill not only for those officers
who are on the streets today, but for those who will patrol the streets
and protect us in small towns, in rural communities, and in cities
across this Nation, and in communities like Saxonburg, Pennsylvania.
I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 2829. In a day and age when
gangsters and gang members have bulletproof vests, it only makes sense
that police officers like Greg Adams would be able to have that kind of
protection when they are on the streets.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fox).
Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to rise in support of this forward-
thinking legislation. I commend the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
LoBiondo) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) for their
superb leadership on this issue.
The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act will provide local police
organizations with the much-needed resources that will make sure all
officers have the protection of body armor they should have. We need to
do everything we can to provide these heroes with the tools they need
to protect their lives as they work each day to protect our lives.
These vests can literally mean the difference between life and death.
Since 1980, Mr. Speaker, there have been 1,182 felonious deaths of
police officers due to firearms. Of that number, 389 were due to shots
to the torso area which could have been mitigated by body armor. The
risk of fatality increases 14 times when an officer is not vested.
We should do all we can to keep our police as safe as possible. Since
1980 we could have possibly prevented 42 percent of these deaths. I see
no reason why we can not turn that 42 percent loss into 42 percent
saved with the adoption of this important legislation.
The district attorney in my district of Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania, Michael Morino, like most DAs across the United States,
have endorsed this legislation, saying that there is no higher priority
in government than to support and protect our law enforcement
professionals.
Nowhere is that more clear than the story of Ed Setzer of my
district. On September 30, 1988, Lower Merion Township Officer Setzer
responded to an emergency without the protection of a bulletproof vest.
He was shot and killed, leaving his children without a father, and his
wife Julie to raise them alone. He was an outstanding police officer,
husband, and father whom we will miss forever.
For me, the Officer Ed Setzer is the inspiration for the Bulletproof
Vest Grant Act, which is designed to assist State and local law
enforcement agencies, and provide officers with the protection of
bulletproof vests by authorizing up to $25 million per year for a new
Justice Department program that would help local law enforcement
agencies defray the costs of bulletproof vests, and require State and
local governments to split the costs of these vests 50-50 with the
Federal Government, and further, to give preference in awarding grants
to jurisdictions where officers do not currently have vests.
I take great pride in cosponsoring this bill and in supporting it,
and hope that all my colleagues in the House will join the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr.
Visclosky) in making sure this bill becomes law as soon as possible.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Florida, Mr. Rothman.
Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, my colleague makes a joke. I am proud to be
from New Jersey.
Today, with the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act, Congress is
taking a major step forward in protecting the safety of our law
enforcement officers. Bulletproof vests should become standard issue
for every police officer in America. By paying half the cost of the
vests for our police and corrections officers, the Federal Government
will help save the lives of the people we ask to protect us.
What do we ask from them? We ask from them a lot. Whether it is
pulling over a speeding car, responding to a domestic violence call or
walking a beat, our officers can be confronted by an armed assailant at
any time. They can be just as soon shot in the head as being said hello
to on the highway. If
[[Page H3051]]
we are asking them to protect us, then we must give them the best
protection available.
As has been said many times before, our law enforcement officers
represent the thin blue line separating civilized society and the good
and decent, law-abiding citizens from anarchy and the law of the
jungle.
I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) and the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) for their leadership on this
issue. I have been delighted to work on this issue as a member of the
Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary, and I urge my
colleagues to support H.R. 2829.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Nevada (Mr. Gibbons).
(Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the
time. I also want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for
their collective and outspoken support on this issue.
As we all know, this legislation serves one very important purpose,
saving lives. We have all heard the stories about these vests saving
peace officers from armed criminals, but I think it is also very
important and very useful to understand, and I want to take this
opportunity to point out, that providing protective vests to our law
enforcement personnel has saved lives over the years in many
nonshooting instances as well.
For example, in 1978, Deputy Gary Bale of the Washoe County Sheriff's
Department was struck by a drunk driver while responding to a call for
assistance from another officer. After sorting through the wreckage, it
was determined that Deputy Bale's vest saved his life by absorbing the
impact of the horrific accident.
Again, in 1987, Deputy Douglas Brady was directing traffic when he
was struck by a vehicle. He was thrown off the road and over a
guardrail, yet survived, because, it was again determined, his
protective vest absorbed the potential lethal impact.
In another example, Deputy Earl Walling was working as a guard in the
Washoe County Jail when an inmate attacked him with a sharpened object.
Had Deputy Walling not been wearing his vest, he would have suffered
life-threatening injuries.
Mr. Speaker, we need to realize that our law enforcement personnel
are not just dodging bullets. It is my hope that by bringing each of
these potentially fatal occurrences to mind, we can further stress the
importance of providing vests to these officers.
Passage of this bill will allow the families of our law enforcement
officers to each year look forward to celebrating another Mother's Day
or another Father's Day together with their family. I urge a yes vote
on H.R. 2829.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Reyes).
Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2829. As a former
law enforcement officer for 26 years, I know firsthand how our men and
women that are peace officers put their lives on the line every day.
They courageously defend our borders, our States, our cities, and our
neighborhoods. The well-being of our Nation's peace officers should
therefore be the highest priority for all of us.
As a Border Patrol chief, my officers confronted numerous criminals
who were armed and often dangerous. Bulletproof vests provided my
officers with additional protection from firearms and reduced injuries
and saved lives. Nonetheless, today many of our Nation's police and
sheriff's departments are without this vital piece of equipment. The
Justice Department estimates that 150,000 officers nationwide do not
have access to these vests. Some communities simply cannot afford them.
This, in my mind, is simply unacceptable. In my opinion, every
officer should be provided with a vest. This bill will address this
goal. I am personally grateful for this legislation that will authorize
$25 million in grant money to help pay for the purchase of bulletproof
vests.
As we celebrate this week, National Police Week, let us remember
those officers who died in the line of duty by honoring their memory
and unanimously passing this legislation. Let us give our officers this
important protection. Therefore, I strongly support this bill, and ask
this Congress to unanimously support its passage.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
New York (Mrs. McCarthy).
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong
support of H.R. 2829, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act. I
want to thank the gentleman from Indiana for sponsoring this
legislation and for all the hard work on behalf of our country's law
enforcement officers. I also want to thank the gentleman from New
Jersey, as well as the ranking member and the chairman of the
Subcommittee on Crime, for their leadership in bringing this important
legislation before us.
As everyone knows, this week we are celebrating Police Week all
across America. It is time to say thank you to all of the law
enforcement officers who keep our streets safe. It is also a time to
remember and honor those officers who have given their lives for our
safety.
Mr. Speaker, it is time for Congress to let our policemen and women
know that we stand with them, and that we are committed to making their
jobs as safe as possible. That is what this bill is all about. The FBI
reported that 64 law enforcement officers were murdered in the line of
duty nationwide in 1997. That is an increase over 1996, when 56
officers were murdered. Clearly, it is a dangerous time for those who
help to protect our families. However, the Department of Justice
estimates that 150,000 of American law enforcement officers do not have
bulletproof vests.
We can do a better job protecting our law enforcement officers. H.R.
2829 will establish a grant program through the Department of Justice
to help local police departments purchase bulletproof vests. The bill
requires local law enforcement agencies to match the Federal funds.
This is legislation that will help pay for as many as 100,000
bulletproof vests.
I know that bulletproof vests do not guarantee the safety of our
policemen and women. I personally believe we need to do more to get
weapons off the street and make sure our law enforcement officers are
not outgunned.
We can and should do a better job of keeping guns out of the hands of
criminals, and improve our efforts to tracking and tracing firearms
used in crime. However, that is a debate for another day. Today, in
honor of our police and in honor of those officers killed in the line
of duty, I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2829. It is the least
that we can do for the dedicated law enforcement officers of America.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Stupak).
(Mr. STUPAK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to
me. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to compliment both sides on the
issue being brought up here today, and the scope of the debate that is
going on here. It is great to see so many people supporting law
enforcement on this issue.
I would like to go back, when I was in law enforcement back in 1973,
in 1974, when vests started to get really sort of popular. We have
heard some comments here that the first thing you should buy is a vest,
because it is a good life insurance policy. We often wonder why our
departments, why don't they just go ahead and provide the vests?
{time} 1630
Back in 1974, when we were just getting going with the bulletproof
vests, they were quite expensive, and being a young police officer, and
I was, you live from paycheck to paycheck. You are trying to support
your family and get things going. The gentleman from Indiana (Mr.
Visclosky), the main sponsor here, mentioned about rural areas.
While I was in the Michigan State Police then, we were up in Alpena,
Michigan, an area that I represent now, we were tracking some safe
crackers and it was December of 1974, and I guess I will probably never
forget this. While were sitting there working and
[[Page H3052]]
trying to work these guys and trying to catch them, unfortunately when
the squad car stopped them, the individual State trooper that stopped
them was gunned down as he stepped from his car. The sad part about the
story is that he actually had a bulletproof vest; it was at home. It
was a Christmas present from his wife.
It still took us another 10 years to get our department to provide
bulletproof vests for members of the Michigan State Police. Actually
that came about not because management wanted it, but it was because we
finally got collective bargaining rights and we then made it part of
our negotiations and our contract that we would give up pay and other
incentives to have bulletproof vests issued to each and every member.
So when we talk about the need for this, there are about 600,000 law
enforcement officers right now who do not have access to bulletproof
vests for whatever reason. So if we certainly could get these vests,
not only would we save a lot of lives but I think we would save a lot
of heartache and a lot of other problems throughout this Nation.
Since we are here and it is Police Officers Memorial Week and we will
be doing a number of things and today, actually, we have three bills on
the floor supporting law enforcement, I hope we just do not stop here
today and do this one shot. Being the founder and cochairman of the Law
Enforcement Caucus for several years, we have been working on several
pieces of legislation to benefit law enforcement. I hope with everybody
here that they listen well and that we actually take up H.R. 959, the
body armor bill, which would prevent mail orders of body armor to
unknown individuals so we do not have the criminals armed as well as
the police officers are protected.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2829, the Bulletproof
Vest Partnership Grant Act. Since bulletproof materials became
available to law enforcement, the lives of more than 2,000 police
officers have been saved, and this bill will help make bulletproof
vests available to more officers.
This bill creates a new Department of Justice grant program which
will assist state and local law enforcement agencies in providing their
officers with the protection of bulletproof vests. The bill would
authorize up to $25 million for this new program, and would require the
federal government to split the costs of these vests with state and
local governments.
As a former law enforcement officer, I know first hand the necessity
of bullet proof vests for the men and women who put their lives on the
line every day. Unfortunately, 25 percent of the nation's 600,000 state
and local law enforcement officers do not have access to bulletproof
vests.
The Department of Justice has reported that between 1985 and 1994,
709 police officers were killed while on duty, 92 percent of them
killed by a firearm. Studies by the ATF show that no officer killed
during that time period died because a bullet penetrated a bulletproof
vest. It is clear that bulletproof vests play an important role in the
safety of law enforcement officers, and saves lives.
As founder and the Co-Chairman of the Law Enforcement Caucus, I have
worked for several years to inform my colleagues about the value of
bulletproof vests and the dangers of body armor when it gets in the
hands of armed criminals. This bill will go a long way to help protect
the men and women who protect us. With the passage of this bill, police
departments will be able to provide vests to more officers, and we will
be able to reduce the number of officers that are killed each year. I
urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2829, and support our law
enforcement officers.
Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding the time
to me and I rise to commend the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky)
as the principal sponsor of this legislation; also the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. McCollum) and others on the committee who have worked on
this legislation. This is truly bipartisan legislation which is aimed
at trying to make our law enforcement officers safer.
We ask some Americans to do an extraordinary thing; that is, to put
on a badge, put on a uniform or in plain clothes to protect us every
day, to face the most dangerous people in our society who would
undermine our safety, would take our property, and place at risk our
families and our neighbors. This bill is a bill that will, I think,
enjoy overwhelming support. It is appropriate that we tell local
subdivisions, both State and local, municipal, that we will participate
with them in trying to ensure further the safety of those we ask to
defend what is vital in any democracy, and that is peace and good
order.
Obviously, democracy cannot flourish in a society if law and order is
not also present in that society. So the very essence of a police
officer's duty is to preserve and protect the Constitution and the
democratic way of life. So this is a very, very important piece of
legislation.
It is appropriate that we pass it this week when we make note of the
contributions and the sacrifices and the courage shown by so many in
law enforcement throughout this country. I am pleased to be a supporter
of this legislation.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I do not believe that I will consume all of it. I just want to
comment about this at the end of the debate and say once again how
important this bill is. We have had a number of Members speak on both
sides. It is, as the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) said, a truly
bipartisan piece of legislation.
But this is an exceedingly important piece of legislation because it
does present us an opportunity to save lives and save the lives of the
people out there protecting our kids and our families every day by
putting their lives on the line. It is not very often we get a chance
to do that. Usually we are up here after the cow is out of the barn or
the horse is gone or whatever and trying to do some remedial correction
to help law enforcement.
Today we have a chance to do something in advance to help people who
are on the street every day to provide a new grant program, a grant
program carefully tailored only to those communities in this country
that are not able or have not used their local community block grant
monies to provide these vests or those very small communities that do
not qualify otherwise, but nonetheless tailored to assure that every
community can provide and is providing vests, bulletproof vests for
their police officers.
I urge passage of the bill. Again, I commend its authors, the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo) and the gentleman from Indiana
(Mr. Visclosky). I think it is tremendous that they brought it forward.
I have been proud to bring this out of the Subcommittee on Crime and
urge its adoption.
Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 2829, the
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act. I am proud to be a cosponsor of
this bill that will help save the lives of men and women who serve and
protect our communities--our law enforcement officers.
Under this legislation, the Justice Department will administer grants
to assist state and local authorities in purchasing bulletproof vests
for their officers. The grant would provide up to 50% of the cost of
the vest with local and state governments matching the remaining costs.
Right now, in my home state of Wisconsin, many officers are either
wearing secondhand vests not fitted properly to protect them, paying
for their own vests, or wearing vests that have passed the 5-year
expiration date. In Milwaukee, even though each officer receives a vest
at no cost to them, many of them are past the 5-year expiration date,
putting the officers' lives in danger. In addition, the vests'
integrity is often compromised when they get wet, rendering them
useless.
We should not be sending our police out on the streets with
bulletproof vests that only work some of the time. The average cost of
a bulletproof vest is about $500. Aren't our law enforcement officers'
lives worth that?
This bill has been endorsed by numerous groups, including the
Fraternal Order of Police and the Wisconsin Professional Police
Association. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this
lifesaving bill.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 2829, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act. According to the
Justice Department about 150,000 law enforcement officers nationwide do
not have access to bulletproof vests. That is one out of four of the
nation's 600,000 state and local law enforcement officers. Even though
a bulletproof vest is a terrible thing to need, the reality of life is
that our officers of the law often have to stare death in the eye in
order to protect all of us from danger. Our law enforcement officers
need every advantage, protection and privilege related to the
performance
[[Page H3053]]
of their duties that we can give them. To this regard, the matching
grant program in H.R. 2829 is a fabulous way to achieve this objective.
Under the provisions of the bill, local law enforcement agencies need
only supply half of the costs of the equipment that they need. At
present, a vest costs about $500, so this $25 million allocation of
funds could provide up to 100,000 vests to those who do not currently
have them. Furthermore, the priority for the distribution of the funds
provided for under the bill has two conditions. First of all, local
police agencies with high numbers of unprotected officers in heavy
crime areas are given first priority, as well as those agencies that do
not have a local law enforcement grant program to assist them.
The need for this legislation is unquestionable; nearly 1900 officers
have been saved from death or serious injury because of wearing body
armor. But this legislation, we can prevent a repeat of the 600+ police
officers that were killed in the line of duty with a firearm between
1985 and 1994. These numbers equate to two officers being shot in the
United States every twenty-four hours; frankly, a chilling statistic.
But the pace has not slowed; in 1997, 160 more law enforcement officers
were killed in the line of duty, most of which with a firearm. With
this kind of rampant crime and lawlessness abounding, we need to
protect those who dedicate their lives to protecting us. I sincerely
hope that by passing H.R. 2829, we will not need to use resolutions
like H. Res. 422 very often. So I urge all of my colleagues to join
with me, and support the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act, H.R.
2829.
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this vitally
important legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join with me in
voting to pass it.
As we in North Carolina know all too well, violent crime can strike
anywhere. All too frequently, that violence is aimed at our men and
women in uniform as they patrol our communities. Last year alone, five
officers in and around the Second Congressional District of North
Carolina were gunned down in the line of duty.
I believe Congress has a duty to help protect our officers. Last
November, I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues in introducing
H.R. 2829, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act. This legislation
will provide $25 million in matching grants through the Department of
Justice to help local law enforcement agencies purchase vests for their
officers. This bill has been endorsed by the National Fraternal Order
of Police, the National Sheriffs Association, the International Union
of Police Associations, the National Association of Police
Organizations and other law enforcement groups. H.R. 2829 enjoys the
support of more than 300 cosponsoring Members of this House, and the
Senate recently passed a companion bill.
On March 23, I participated in a live-fire demonstration of the life-
saving usefulness of bulletproof vests to bring attention to the need
for this equipment. This event demonstrated in dramatic terms the
effectiveness bulletproof vests can have in protecting our officers.
The national statistics are compelling. Since the introduction of
modern bulletproof material, the lives of more than 2,000 police
officers have been saved because they were wearing bulletproof vests or
some other form of body armor, according to the Department of Justice.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms reports that between 1985
and 1994, no police officer who was wearing a bulletproof vest was
killed by a gunshot wound penetrating the officer's vest. The FBI tells
us the risk of fatality from a firearm while not wearing body armor is
fourteen times higher than for officers wearing body armor. Since 1980,
924 officers were killed while not wearing a vest. Of those 924
officers, 389 (42 percent) were shot in the torso area and could have
been saved by a bulletproof vest. Approximately 150,000 of the nation's
600,000 state and local law enforcement officers (25 percent) do not
currently have access to a vest. On March 25, I testified in front of
the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime in support of this important
legislation.
In my Congressional District, I have been surveying local
jurisdictions to assess law enforcement needs. Although there is
universal recognition of the importance of bulletproof vests, small
towns and rural counties in North Carolina are having a difficult time
providing them to their officers. Of the 1,619 officers in law
enforcement agencies in my District, 299 officers--almost one in five--
either have no vest or only have an expired vest which cannot guarantee
protection. The need is particularly acute in smaller communities. In
law enforcement agencies with forces of less than ten officers, more
than one in three officers do not have a vest or only have an expired
vest.
Despite the difficulty of equipping officers with bulletproof vests,
their utility has been vividly on display in recent days. In March,
Kenly Police Officer Todd Smith was shot at point-blank range by a
suspect he had pulled over for missing tags. According to the physician
who attended to Smith, without his vest, he would have died on the
spot. One police chief wrote in response to my survey, ``I can't think
of a better use of our tax dollars, and our officers deserve no less.''
Mr. Speaker, I believe Congress has an obligation to help protect the
men and women who put their lives on the line each and every day to
keep our streets and communities safe and free of crime and violence.
H.R. 2829 will make a big difference in my District and across America.
I urge the House to pass this bill.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2829, the
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act. This legislation will authorize
the Bureau of Justice assistance to establish grants to local and State
governments to purchase bulletproof vests.
The Department of Justice released statistics which stated that
approximately 25 percent of State and local law enforcement officers do
not have access to bulletproof vests. That is unacceptable. With the
extent of violent crime that occurs in our Nation each year, we need to
do something to help protect the men and women who put their lives on
the line for our citizens each and every day.
This bill authorizes up to $25 million per year for this new grant
program which the Department of Justice will oversee. The program will
consist of matching grants to help State and local law enforcement
groups purchase bulletproof vests and body armor to be used by their
officers. This bill also provides for the matching provision to be
waived in certain instances of jurisdictions which cannot pay their
half of the costs of the vests.
Additionally, this measure would prohibit any group which
participates in this program from purchasing equipment and products
which were made by prison labor. It also urges these State and local
agencies which receive assistance through this program, to purchase
American-made enforcement products.
It has been demonstrated that bulletproof vests do help save lives.
Since 1980, 1,182 police officers have been killed by a firearm in the
line of duty. The FBI has stated that, had those officers been wearing
vests, 42 percent of them would have survived. More than 2000 law
enforcement officials have been saved by wearing a bulletproof vest
while on duty. This legislation will help protect and save more lives
of our dedicated police officers who protect us all.
I applaud Mr. Visclosky for bringing this important piece of
legislation before the House, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R.
2829. Passage of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act illustrates
a deep commitment to protecting the lives of our Nation's dedicated law
enforcement officers.
Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of HR 2829, the
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 1997. I believe this
legislation takes an important step towards providing badly needed
funds to law enforcement officers in communities facing violent crime.
According to the Uniform Crime Reports, between 1987 and 1996, nearly
700 officers were killed in the line of duty. Of those officers, 63
were feloniously killed by firearms.
We cannot bring back those brave officers who gave their lives to
protect us. But we can take action today for those police officers who
continue to risk their lives in the line of duty. We should pass this
legislation to offer needed protection from gunfire. Bulletproof vests
will not prevent all deaths; but they will prevent many and provide a
means of mitigating the danger that our officers face on a daily basis.
This bill will make grants to units of local government to purchase
bulletproof vests for use by law enforcement officers, while giving
preferential consideration to communities with the greatest need, a
mandatory wear policy, and a violent crime rate at or above the
national average. I believe this is a fair and sensible approach to
protecting our officers to better help them protect and serve.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my
support for H.R. 2829, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act. This
legislation is essential to the survival of our police officers who
risk their lives daily. Mr. Speaker, this is a measure that I believe
all law abiding citizens should strongly believe in and support.
H.R. 2829 addresses the issue of improving officer safety. Between
1985 and 1994, 709 police officers were killed while on duty. Ninety-
two percent of those murders were committed with a firearm. Since the
introduction of modern bulletproof material, the lives of more than
2,000 police officers have been saved because they were wearing
bulletproof vests. From these invaluable statistics, we can obviously
see the impact that bulletproof vests have on saving the lives of our
police officers.
Thus, the need to provide every police officer with a bulletproof
vest is obvious and necessary. The Bulletproof Vest Parthnership
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Grant Act is a legislative measure that will assist police departments
in providing their officers with such protection. This bill would
authorize up to $25 million per year for a new matching grant program
to help state and local law enforcement authorities purchase
bulletproof vests and body armor. Furthermore, the bill makes
preferences in granting awards toward jurisdictions where officers do
not currently have vests, and reserves half of the money for
jurisdictions with fewer than 100,000 residents. This legislation is
very important in light of the fact that on the average, two officers
are shot every twenty-four hours. This is disturbing news simply
because these figures indicate that approximately 150,000 of the
nation's 600,000 state and local law enforcement officers do not
currently have access to bulletproof vests.
In consideration of the dangers that today's officers face, I
strongly support the passage of H.R. 2829, the Bulletproof Vest
Partnership Grant Act. This legislation is needed by the men and women
who risk their lives daily for our protection. For their commitment and
service, we owe every police officer our support on this issue. As the
Representative of the Thirty-Seventh Congressional District of
California, I am in strong support of this important legislation. This
legislation has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, the
National Sheriff's Association, the International Union of Police
Associations, the Police Executive Research Forum, the International
Brotherhood of Police Officers, and National Association of Police
Organizations, the Long Beach Police Officer's Association and the
Compton Police Officer's Association.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hefley). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2829, as amended.
The question was taken.
Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the
chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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