[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 10 (Tuesday, February 8, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S479-S480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CAPITOL HILL POLICE SECURITY

  Mr. REID. Before the Senator from Minnesota leaves the floor, I would 
like to have a brief colloquy with the Senator.
  I say to my friend, I have watched very closely your public statement 
regarding law enforcement on Capitol Hill. I want to be as direct and 
forthright as I can be in underscoring the work you have done. I think 
I am the only U.S. Senator who has served as a Capitol policeman. I 
worked, when I went to law school, on the night shift and went to law 
school in the daytime. I think I have some familiarity with what the 
Capitol Police go through.
  I have to acknowledge and admit the work they do today, compared to 
when I was a Capitol policeman more than 30 years ago, is much more 
dangerous, much more terrorist threatened. They face many more dangers 
than I have. I said on many occasions the most dangerous assignment I 
had was directing traffic. But the fact of the matter is, I carried a 
gun and was responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the 
U.S. Capitol. I am very proud of that. I still have my badge that I 
carried. I still have that in my office in the Hart Building.
  The Senator from Minnesota has recognized that these men and women 
work in harm's way every day. What the Senator from Minnesota has 
stated is when we have these doors, and these men and women are there 
alone, it is dangerous. Two of our law enforcement officers were killed 
as a result of a terrorist act, the act of a madman. I think the people 
who maintain the Capitol Police should come to us. We are in an 
appropriations cycle. If they need more money, let them tell us they 
need more money. We are in a period of time where we need to get the 
real facts.
  I say also to my friend from Minnesota, I am very concerned we have 
waited all these many years and we still do not have a visitors center.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Yes.
  Mr. REID. We have taxpaying people who come to the U.S. Capitol and 
spend hours standing in the cold and the heat waiting to get in, 
without the opportunity to use a bathroom. There are no

[[Page S480]]

parking facilities around here, so they have all had to walk or take 
public transportation for a long period of time.
  I think it is below the dignity of the United States of America that 
people wanting to visit this beautiful Capitol do not have a place 
where they can come and have a soft drink, a cup of coffee, a doughnut, 
or go to the bathroom. That is also a law enforcement issue. One of the 
reasons these Capitol policemen who protect us and the American public 
are threatened every day is because we don't have a visitors center 
where people can be screened, away from these doors.
  So I commend, I applaud the Senator from Minnesota for standing up 
for the American public and basically standing up for these people who 
have no voice, the Capitol Police who protect us.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, if I might respond to my colleague, I 
appreciate his words. I think he is right. Senator Reid from Nevada is 
actually the only Senator who actually served on the Capitol Police.
  I think on the question of appropriations, you are right. This is 
timely. My own view is the police have a union so they do have a voice. 
This is, of course, new. I think the union leadership is very involved. 
I also say Sergeant at Arms Zeiglar has been very good about this and 
he thinks this is unacceptable and has to change. I don't think there 
is any question, whether it is an appropriations matter or whether it 
is reprogramming and having enough overtime pay so people can staff up 
that way, I don't know the answer. But I do know this, I think my 
colleague would agree, I don't believe any Senator or Representative 
can credibly say to the Capitol Hill police, these law enforcement 
officers: No, we can't spend the additional resources. It costs too 
much to make sure there is the security for them and the public. We 
cannot say that.
  My God, we have gone through a living hell here. If you think of 
Officer Chestnut and think of Agent Gibson and think of their families, 
I think the commitment we made to one another--of course you could 
never come up with a 100-percent certainty that you could prevent this 
from happening again. But we want to do everything we can.
  I appreciate what the Senator from Nevada said because it is true. 
When you have these posts, especially when there are lots of people 
coming in, you cannot have one officer there. I appreciate the Senator 
from Nevada speaking out on this. The Capitol Police--I did not expect 
it necessarily would be this way, but everywhere I have gone the last 
couple of days people have come up and been very gracious and said: 
Thank you very much for doing it.
  I think they feel in their hearts that it is important to get the 
support. For the Senator from Nevada to come out here and speak makes a 
big difference. I thank him.
  Mr. REID. If I may also say to my friend before he leaves the 
Chamber, I hope it is more than just talk. I acknowledge Mr. Ziglar is 
doing a wonderful job, and I appreciate that. But I want him to come 
forward with a program to accomplish what we need accomplished. After 
the two officers were murdered at a door coming into the Capitol, 
protecting us, there was a hue and cry that we had to start 
construction of a visitor's center.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Yes.
  Mr. REID. Isn't it interesting, the colder they get in their graves, 
the less talk there is about trying to take care of that problem. Had 
it been there, their lives would not have been snuffed out.
  I am so appreciative of the Senator speaking out for people who have 
no voice.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Senator.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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