[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 50 (Thursday, March 27, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H2446-H2447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THE LACK OF FEDERAL RESOURCES ALLOCATED TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, 
              AMERICA'S FRONT LINE IN THE WAR ON TERRORISM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Cardoza) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the lack of Federal 
resources being allocated to local law enforcement officials, our front 
line in our war on terrorism.
  Several weeks ago, I sent out an e-mail asking first responders from 
my district to attend a brown bag lunch to discuss the challenges they 
face. With less than 24 hours' notice, nearly 60 law enforcement 
officials and fire professionals changed their schedules and attended 
this meeting.
  While in nearly every case they support the administration's efforts 
on terrorism, as do I, to an individual they were disappointed in the 
lack of resources provided by their Federal

[[Page H2447]]

Government. These men and women are made of the same mettle as the 
first responders who were on the scene September 11 in New York City 
and in Washington, D.C., but they need the tools to do their jobs. They 
have communication systems that are woefully inadequate for the jobs 
they need to do.

                              {time}  1415

  Fire and police are unable to communicate on the same radios. 
Regrettably, the supplemental the administration just sent over does 
not address these needs. While it provides overall increases for 
homeland security, it contains no funds to provide interoperable 
communication equipment so that police, firefighters and emergency 
workers can talk to one another during an emergency.
  I am hopeful that these concerns are addressed as the debate on the 
supplemental bill progresses. Our first responders must have enhanced 
communications equipment to respond adequately to emergencies. If 
police, firefighters and other first responders are unable to 
communicate with each other, lives will be lost due to lack of 
coordination; and that simply should not happen.
  Let me also say that I am sympathetic to the needs of our big cities, 
especially those that have suffered from terrorist attacks in the past. 
We should work together to make certain that law enforcement and other 
first responders in those cities have the resources they need to 
respond to future threats and attacks.
  At the same time, we should not neglect the needs of first responders 
in smaller communities. Let us not forget, the second largest act of 
terrorism committed in the United States soil occurred in Oklahoma 
City, which did not rank high on any list of targets that we have seen 
recently.
  Quite simply, acts of terrorism, by either domestic or international 
sources can occur anywhere at any time, and our local first responders 
must have the tools necessary to respond.
  In my district, preparing for potential attack also means recognizing 
the threat posed by agriterrorism or the use of disease or outbreak to 
cripple the agricultural industry. As we have seen with the outbreak of 
bovine TB, exotic Newcastle disease, the introduction of an organism 
that can be devastating to the industry and a threat to the Nation's 
food supply.
  To further highlight the challenge facing our first responders, I 
want to focus on one of the local law enforcement agencies in my 
district, the sheriff's department in Stanislaus County.
  I recently spoke with our sheriff, Les Weidman, who has got his hands 
full, not only dealing with the threat posed by future terrorist 
attacks but also trying to deal with the methamphetamine crisis in 
California's central valley. Like sheriffs across the country, Sheriff 
Weidman has seen a dramatic increase in meth labs in our area.
  Sheriff Weidman recently held a news conference where he uncovered a 
link between drug production and terrorist groups. Mr. Speaker, this is 
a disturbing turn of events. He announced that millions of dollars of 
profits from drug deals had been diverted to Middle Eastern terrorist 
organizations. While his efforts are laudable, his small force of 450 
officers is barely enough to do the job.
  No matter how dedicated they are, without adequate tools they will 
not be able to get the job done alone. In fact, Sheriff Weidman 
recently told me that his department cannot afford the most basic 
protective gear for his deputies because of the cost. Only 35 out of 
the 450 officers that he has on duty have been issued protective kits 
against the use of chemical or biological weapons.
  Addressing the threats posed by terrorism is a Federal issue with 
national implications, but dealing with the immediate effects of a 
terrorist attack will most likely be performed by local law enforcement 
officers and other first responders. What sort of message is the 
Federal Government sending to the local men and women on the front 
lines in our home districts if we cannot even provide them with the 
basic tools and resources necessary to carry out the most pressing 
national concern?
  I would submit today that we are not doing nearly enough, Mr. 
Speaker. As we move forward this year and in this session of Congress, 
I hope we can work together to provide our law enforcement officials 
with the resources they need to protect our communities. This is not, 
nor should it be, a partisan issue.
  I have been pleased to meet with a number of administration officials 
since taking office, and I am impressed with the level of commitment 
and dedication they place in protecting our homeland; but when local 
law enforcement officials tell me that communications capability is 
locally inadequate, it is clear to me that we must do more.
  Working together, I am confident that we can, in fact, do this. If we 
mean what we say about providing homeland security for our Nation, we 
must start by providing support to our local first responders.

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