[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 138 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S11888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SUPPORT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, as a former Sacramento County, CA, 
sheriff's deputy, I have, throughout my congressional career, zealously 
sought to ensure the safety and effectiveness of America's Federal, 
tribal, State and local law enforcement officers. I have also worked 
hard to promote a better understanding and appreciation of law 
enforcement's extraordinary service and sacrifice by the American 
public.
  Underscoring this commitment, I was proud to have authored a number 
of important laws, including the National Law Enforcement Museum Act 
(P.L. 106-492); the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2003 (P.L. 
108-277); the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Act (P.L. 106-517); the Cops 
in School Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-302) and the resolution passed each 
year to designate May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day. I 
want to take this opportunity to also commend my deputy chief of staff 
and legislative director, Larry Vigil, for all of his good work in 
getting these important initiatives passed on behalf of law 
enforcement.
  As I conclude my tenure in the U.S. Senate, I challenge my colleagues 
and those who will follow in my footsteps to continue this valuable and 
necessary work to support those brave individuals who are putting their 
lives at risk each and every day for our safety and protection. There 
are currently some 870,000 sworn law enforcement officers serving our 
Nation. Each year, on average, 167 officers are killed in the line of 
duty--that is one officer killed somewhere in America every 53 hours. 
Roughly 58,000 officers are assaulted each year, resulting in about 
17,000 injuries. It is the most dangerous profession in our Nation, and 
also one of the most important.
  An inscription on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, 
just a few blocks from here in a place called Judiciary Square, says it 
best: ``In valor there is hope.'' As long as there are men and women 
among us who are willing to put their lives on the line for others, 
there is indeed great hope for this Nation of ours.
  But, it must be remembered that our officers cannot do their job 
effectively or safely without the necessary resources. This means the 
best possible training and equipment, especially bullet-resistant vests 
for every officer. Studies have clearly shown that these vests save 
police lives. In fact, nearly 3,000 police lives have been saved by 
bullet resistant vests since they first started being used some 30 
years ago.
  But, another vital resource that our officers need is the trust and 
support of the American public they serve. That is why one of my 
proudest achievements as a legislator and former law enforcement 
officer was authoring the law to establish a National Law Enforcement 
Museum here in our Nation's capital. The U.S. Department of Justice has 
determined that only about one out of five Americans has any direct 
contact with a law enforcement officer during the course of a normal 
year, and most of those contacts are traffic stops. The fact is that 
most of our citizens draw their conclusions about law enforcement from 
the fictional works of Hollywood and the often sensationalized 
reporting by the media. Most Americans do not truly understand, nor 
fully appreciate the tremendous worth of the law enforcement profession 
to our Nation.
  But all of that will soon change when the doors of the National Law 
Enforcement Museum open, which is expected to happen in 2009. Finally, 
we will have a popular destination here in Washington, DC, devoted to 
telling law enforcement's true story of selfless service and supreme 
sacrifice. Through some of the most entertaining and stimulating 
exhibit ideas I have ever seen for a museum, visitors will experience 
what it is like to walk in the shoes of a police officer, and to make 
split-second, life-or-death decisions. They will understand the vital 
roles our officers played in every pivotal moment of our Nation's 
history, including the taming of the Wild West, and the wars against 
gangsters, drug lords and now, terrorists. In short, this museum will 
vastly increase public understanding and support for law enforcement, 
and the museum's research repository will contribute greatly to 
promoting police safety. It will truly be a must-see destination in our 
Nation's capital and, appropriately, it will be located right across 
the street from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
  I want to commend Craig W. Floyd, the chairman of the National Law 
Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, his talented staff and dedicated 
board of directors for working so hard to make this museum a reality, 
just like they made the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial a 
reality in 1991. Neither of these projects would be successful, though, 
without the generous funding provided by citizens and corporations 
across this country and I am grateful to see that support pouring in 
for the museum.
  I pledge my continued full support for this museum project and I 
challenge my colleagues to do the same. That means ensuring that during 
the public approval process the integrity and importance of this museum 
as a major visual presence in Judiciary Square must not be compromised 
in any way.
  Those dedicated public servants of the law enforcement profession--
especially the more than 16,500 officers who have made the ultimate 
sacrifice in the performance of duty, and their families--deserve no 
less.

                          ____________________