[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 114 (Tuesday, September 13, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S9981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTER ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 35th 
anniversary of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, commonly 
known as FLETC. Since its inception in 1970, FLETC has provided primary 
and advanced law enforcement training for at least 81 Federal agencies. 
It also serves as the project manager for the International Law 
Enforcement Academies. Over the past three and one-half decades, FLETC 
has grown from a fledgling organization into the world's premier law 
enforcement training center. For this, and for the countless lives that 
have been saved by the proud graduates of FLETC, I extend my heartfelt 
congratulations.
  When FLETC was first conceived 35 years ago, the training of Federal 
law enforcement agencies suffered from varying levels of quality. The 
costs of providing high-quality training were far too high for any 
single agency to bear. It was in these prevailing circumstances that 
people started to talk about standardizing and consolidating training 
operations for law enforcement agencies with similar operational 
skills. That FLETC has managed to save taxpayers dollars by creating 
high-quality and cost-effective training programs is a tribute to its 
leaders, instructors, and graduates.
  I have a personal connection to FLETC because there is a FLETC campus 
in my home State of New Mexico. The town of Artesia in the southeastern 
section of New Mexico has played a special role in the history of 
FLETC. First opened in 1989, FLETC-Artesia is one of three full-scale 
residential training facilities currently in operation. Although 
originally a small college campus, FLETC-Artesia is now a 2,540-acre 
site that includes grounded aircraft, large classrooms, drug and 
fingerprint labs, physical techniques facilities, outdoor firearms 
ranges, vehicle proficiency courses, and a number of dormitory 
buildings.
  These and other training tools have proven valuable to multiple 
Federal law enforcement agencies. In the weeks and months following the 
devastating attacks on September 11, 2001, the training environment at 
FLETC was reoriented to address the American people's demands for 
greater in-flight security. The number of students being trained at 
FLETC-Artesia swelled from an average of 150 per day to 700 per day as 
part of this mobilization. Air marshals continue to be trained by FLETC 
and the Federal Flight Deck Officer training module was transferred to 
Artesia in the fall of 2003. The Border Patrol has also consolidated 
its training activities in New Mexico. It is therefore no stretch of 
the imagination to say that FLETC-Artesia is at the forefront in 
protecting our Nation's skies and borders.
  Mr. President, I offer my congratulations to those who have worked at 
FLETC over the past 35 years. They have done their country a great 
service. The fact that FLETC trainees continue to excel is a tribute to 
their hard work. I am proud to have played a role in establishing a 
FLETC campus in my home State and I look forward to working with FLETC 
in the future.

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