[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 18 (Thursday, February 12, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE BADGE AND UNIFORM SECURITY TRUSTWORTHINESS [BUST] 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 11, 2004

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, six months ago tomorrow, a man with a 
fake FBI vest and fake badge killed a man and wounded another. Today, I 
am introducing the Badge and Uniform Security Trustworthiness Act of 
2003 in honor of the victims--Raymond L. Batzel and Joseph B. Doud.
  On August 12, 2003, a man carrying a sawed-off shotgun, wearing a wig 
and bulletproof vest with the printed initials ``FBI'', and carrying 
what looked like a law enforcement badge walked into the Xerox employee 
credit union and killed one man and shot another. This man posing as a 
federal law enforcement officer turned a robbery into a murder. FBI 
officials believe that the vest and the badge were fakes. Six months 
later, the killer has still not been caught. Would this have happened 
if the murder did not have access to a fake badge and bulletproof vest?
  Mr. Speaker, this bill will expand the current federal criminal ban 
on fake police badges to include police uniforms and other insignia. 
Right now it is legal for people to buy, sell, or own fake FBI insignia 
or badges used by Customs officials at our borders. As never before, 
Americans are facing the possibility of terrorism and violence within 
our borders. We are increasingly relying on our local, state, and 
federal law officials to keep the public safe. However, we must be able 
to depend on them without worrying that the ``officer'' is an 
impersonator. Law enforcement needs for us to trust them without 
hesitation, but the trust cannot be complete unless we take steps to 
stop the flow of fake public safety officer uniforms.
  Unfortunately, the threat goes beyond the terrifying reality of this 
case in which a man in a fake FBI bulletproof vest tried to rob a bank. 
The threat reaches out to land border crossings, airports, and 
seaports. Officers with the Bureau of Customs and Border Security and 
the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement work to keep 
terrorists from entering or staying in the country and to prevent the 
dangerous materials and weapons used by terrorists from entering the 
country. We cannot afford to have a man with fake credentials standing 
on the Peace Bridge at the US-Canadian border, allowing terrorists or 
their weapons to enter the United States. By prohibiting the buying, 
selling, and use of false safety officer badges and other insignia, we 
are not only increasing domestic security, but also honoring the lives 
of Raymond L. Batzel and Joseph B. Doud. We must learn from the 
terrible events of August 12, 2003, and keep law enforcement insignia 
out of the hands of other would-be criminals or terrorists. Otherwise 
we are vulnerable to potential menace from within our borders and 
outside of our borders.

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