[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 31 (Saturday, February 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 JUSTICE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAVID DREIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 16, 2007

  Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, on January 9, 2007, Armando Garcia, the 
primary suspect in the murder of Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputy 
David March, was extradited to the United States. It was four years, 
eight months, and ten days that the family and colleagues of Deputy 
March were forced to wait for his killer to face extradition.
  We know that when our public safety officers perform their duties 
every day, whether patrolling their neighborhoods, protecting the 
courts, riding in an ambulance, or fighting a fire, they are working to 
ensure the protection of all of us. Because they are constantly putting 
their lives on the line, we must do everything we can to ensure that 
criminals who harm or threaten those who protect the public receive a 
punishment that matches the seriousness of the crimes they commit.
  Madam Speaker, it is with these dedicated public safety officers in 
mind that I am proud to introduce the Justice for Public Safety 
Officers Act with my friend from Pasadena, Congressman Adam Schiff. 
This bill, which is based upon legislation that Mr. Schiff and I 
introduced in the last Congress, sends a clear message that justice 
will no longer be abused by fleeing murderers.
  As we know, under Federal law, it is a crime to kill a Federal, 
State, or local public safety officer if they are engaged in a Federal 
investigation. It is also a Federal crime to flee to another country to 
avoid prosecution. However, the crime of fleeing is punishable by no 
more than five years in prison, and as little as merely paying a fine. 
The Justice for Public Safety Officers Act takes an important step 
toward establishing stiffer penalties by imposing a mandatory minimum 
of 30 years in prison for murdering a public safety officer and an 
additional mandatory minimum of 10 years for traveling between States 
or countries with the intent to avoid prosecution.
  When Deputy March was brutally slain execution-style during a routine 
traffic stop, Armando Garcia, an illegal immigrant, fled to Mexico 
within hours of Deputy March's murder to avoid prosecution by U.S. 
authorities.
  At the time of the murder, Mexico refused to extradite individuals 
who may face the death penalty or life imprisonment, therefore 
hindering efforts to bring Armando Garcia back to the United States to 
face prosecution for his crime. The same border that Garcia illegally 
crossed to enter our country served as a wall of protection for almost 
5 years.
  I joined many of my colleagues and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee 
Baca in efforts to see that Armando Garcia and other fugitives accused 
in killings on our soil are returned to the United States to face 
justice. We met with officials from the Department of Justice and the 
State Department. We urged President Bush to call for aggressive action 
to change Mexico's extradition policy. I met with then President 
Vicente Fox and other high officials of the Mexican government, 
including their Supreme Court, in an effort to impress upon our 
neighbor that its extradition policy is intolerable.
  We reached a critical turning point in 2005 when the Mexican Supreme 
Court issued a decision that allowed consecutive prison terms for 
certain murders. This decision ultimately paved the way for Armando 
Garcia's arrest in Tonala, Jalisco, Mexico, on February 23, 2006 and 
his extradition to the United States on January 9.
  For those of us who were involved with this case, January 9 will 
always have conflicting emotions. On the one hand, we know that this 
day marked a victory for the rule of law, sending a clear message that 
no one should be allowed to commit an act of murder and flee to another 
country to avoid prosecution. And yet, it also stands as a painful 
reminder of the loss of Deputy March and the danger that all public 
safety officers face on a daily basis.
  Madam Speaker, the handcuffs that hung from Deputy March's belt the 
day he was killed were shackled to Armando Garcia as he was brought 
into U.S. custody last month. I am encouraged that Deputy March's 
killer has finally been extradited to the United States. But we must 
continue to work to ensure that the service performed by this Nation's 
public safety officers is honored by making certain that those who wish 
to do them harm face stiff penalties for their actions. Passage of this 
bill will guarantee that perpetrators of heinous crimes against public 
safety officers will be brought to justice.

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