[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 69 (Thursday, May 13, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H3151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        POLICE OFFICER APPRECIATION DURING NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Maloney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
strong support and appreciation of our nation's police officers. This 
week we celebrate National Police Week, in honor of law enforcement 
officers who have given their lives in the course of their duty, and in 
honor of those who are giving us their lives in service now.
  On Tuesday this House marked National Police Week by unanimously 
passing House Resolution 165, a resolution recognizing police officers 
killed in the line of duty. Tonight there is a candlelight vigil at the 
National Law Enforcement Memorial where the names of those officers 
killed in the line of duty will be read.
  Later this week, the Capitol Police Force is hosting the 18th annual 
National Police Officers Memorial Service at the Capitol. Police 
officers from my district in Connecticut will be playing a prominent 
role in those services, and I want to especially thank them for their 
participation.
  These commemorative events, coupled with the administration's 
announcement yesterday that we have reached our national goal of 
providing 100,000 additional police officers to the streets through the 
COPS program, and also coupled with our call for a further 50,000 
police officers on the beat over the next 5 years, strongly signify the 
important and dedicated role that the law enforcement community plays 
in our lives.
  Community policing in particular represents a shift from the reactive 
approach of policing to a proactive approach which emphasizes the 
prevention of crime before it starts, and partnership between law 
enforcement and the community.
  Since our bill in 1994, since that legislation passed, violent crime 
has gone down substantially, a 7 percent decrease in the 1996-1997 
period, over 20 percent in total since the passage of that legislation. 
Murder rates, for example, in 1996-1997 are down 8 percent, and are now 
at their lowest level in three decades.

                              {time}  1600

  Testimonials from law enforcement agencies around the country reveal 
that community policing efforts have had a critical impact on the 
recent drop in crime. Community policing efforts have also expanded 
beyond the neighborhood to our schools as well.
  The recent tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado 
has left our Nation in shock and disbelief once again and serves as a 
potent reminder that school violence can happen anywhere and that, 
unfortunately, violence and crime, although down, are still very real 
fears and concerns in our communities.
  To combat school violence, school districts and law enforcement 
agencies have formed partnerships to place a specially trained police 
officer, known as a school resource officer, or SRO, in schools to 
protect students, to educate students about violence prevention, and to 
act as a counselor and mentor.
  I introduced legislation last year which was enacted to codify the 
definition of school resource officers and in support of our first 
dedicated school resource officer funding.
  That effort was later expanded to become the COPS in Schools program, 
which provides funding. Approximately $60 million was dedicated for 
that program. The first round of grants were offered just last month.
  National Police Week reminds us of the vital service that our 
Nation's law enforcement officers provide to us through their hard work 
and dedication in keeping our neighborhoods, our communities, and our 
schools safe.
  I am also reminded of the important role that community policing 
initiatives have played in reducing crime and in offering our 
communities access to resources necessary to hire and train these 
police officers to continue their dedicated efforts within our 
communities.
  I applaud the dedication and hard work of our Nation's police 
officers, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and with the 
law enforcement community to ensure that our officers continue to 
receive the support and recognition that they so clearly deserve.

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