[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 11 (Friday, January 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E163-E164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO KANSAS BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION DIRECTOR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 19, 2007

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
dedicated public servant and individual of the highest integrity, Larry 
Welch, who has announced he is retiring after 12 years as director of 
the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and a lifetime of public service in 
law enforcement.
  A graduate of the University of Kansas, with undergraduate and law 
degrees, and of the FBI Academy, Larry Welch served as an FBI agent and 
supervisor from 1961-1986 in Tennessee, Washington, Florida, Puerto 
Rico, Texas, Missouri and Kansas. From 1986-1989, he served as deputy 
director of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, where he also 
served as director from 1989-1994. In 1994, he was named director of 
the Kansas Bureau of Investigation; his longevity in that post is 
exceeded only by the first director, Lou Richter, who served from 1939-
1956.
  The KBI has approximately 300 employees, including about 80 agents 
posted across Kansas. It has four forensic labs, with 53 forensic 
scientists at the labs in Topeka, Great Bend, Pittsburg and Kansas 
City. The labs provide technical support to local police agencies in 
areas including DNA analysis and fingerprint analysis.
  Larry and Shirley Welch have three grown children and eight 
grandchildren. During my twelve years as District Attorney of Johnson 
County, I worked closely with Larry in his capacity as administrator of 
the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. He is a public servant of 
unquestioned dedication and skill. The people of Kansas have been 
extraordinarily lucky that he has served them in a series of sensitive, 
important law enforcement positions in our state.
  Madam Speaker, I include with this statement a column by the editor 
of the Lawrence Journal-World, Dolph Simons, Jr., entitled ``Welch has 
run KBI with integrity and professionalism.'' I couldn't have said it 
better myself, and I commend the career of Larry Welch to all of my 
colleagues in the House of Representatives.

                   [From LJWORLD.COM, Jan. 13, 2007]

      Simons: Welch Has Run KBI With Integrity and Professionalism

                       (By Dolph C. Simons, Jr.)

       Kansas and the residents of the state are losing the 
     services of an excellent lawman.
       At the end of May, Larry Welch will step down as director 
     of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
       He has done a superb job as KBI director since assuming the 
     role in 1994 at the invitation of then-Attorney General Bob 
     Stephan. Welch became the KBI's 10th director and served in 
     this position under four Kansas attorneys general, including 
     the recently sworn-in Paul Morrison.
       Whether Welch's decision to leave at this time has anything 
     to do with the new attorney general is anyone's guess. 
     However, his announcement about plans to retire said nothing 
     to indicate he has any differences with the new leadership in 
     the AG's office.
       The KBI does not have a high public profile, and it is 
     obvious Welch has directed the agency with the goal of being 
     an excellent arm of the law enforcement business, conducting 
     its affairs and efforts in a professional manner, not trying 
     to capture headlines and public attention. Welch and his 
     associates have been far more interested in capturing those 
     who violate the law rather than tooting their own horns or 
     patting themselves on the back.
       Welch is a professional and served as a Federal Bureau of 
     Investigation agent before moving into the KBI director's 
     office. He has put together an effective, efficient and lean 
     staff and has gained the respect and high regard of Kansas 
     legislators. He has kept lawmakers informed about KBI 
     activities, and his annual reports detail the work of his 
     agents, scientists and other members of the KBI team.
       In his latest report, he notes the success of the KBI in 
     identification and seizure of meth labs in 2006. Over the 
     past five years, the number of meth labs seized and put out 
     of operation has dropped from a high of 846 in 2001 to an 
     estimated 155 for 2006. He attributed this success to the 
     support of Kansas legislators and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and 
     the legislation that provided funding and manpower to 
     discover, seize and destroy the labs.
       He points out, however, ``Before we form a circle, hold 
     hands and sing `Kumbaya,' let me hasten to admit that even 
     one meth lab, with all its dangers and attendant dire 
     consequences is too many, and let me also remind you that, as 
     I have been advising you since 1997, the majority of 
     methamphetamine in Kansas, probably more than 80 percent, has 
     always been of foreign origin, mostly Mexican, and not 
     manufactured locally.''
       Welch tells the lawmakers the effort to seize and shut down 
     meth labs ``remains one of the most dangerous of all law 
     enforcement activities.''
       He added there still will be meth labs to seek out, 
     investigate, seize and prosecute, but with the effectiveness 
     of the current program, KBI agents will be able to spend more 
     time on efforts to reduce the importation, trafficking and 
     interdiction of methamphetamine in Kansas. He noted, ``We 
     will not completely solve our state's methamphetamine 
     problem, of course, until our nation's Southern and 
     Southwest borders are better secured, in my opinion. If 
     that's ever possible.''
       Not only has Welch's professionalism added stature and 
     respect to the KBI, but also his personal manner has 
     reflected credit on the organization.
       The public must have respect for those in the law 
     enforcement business. They don't have to like a local police 
     officer, a member of the sheriffs staff, a local judge, a KBI 
     agent or judges on high state and federal benches, BUT it is 
     essential that citizens respect these men and women. Those in 
     the law business, at whatever level, must perform in a manner 
     that reflects credit on their respective agencies if our 
     system of laws is to work and be effective.
       Larry Welch certainly has done this in how he supervised 
     and led the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. All law-abiding 
     Kansans are better off and safer today because of the efforts 
     of Welch and his fellow agents.
       The state will miss Welch, and it is important he be 
     succeeded by an equally committed, effective and professional 
     individual.

[[Page E164]]

     This is no place for political games to be played; the KBI 
     office should never be used as a means of passing out a 
     payback or IOU for some previous political or monetary favor.

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