[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 15, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H4972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   DEMOCRATS WORK TO RESTORE COPS PROGRAM SO THAT WE CAN CUT DOWN ON 
                                VIOLENCE

  (Mr. CARNAHAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CARNAHAN. Madam Speaker, in the war to fight crime in this 
country we need more than just rhetoric. We need results.
  During the 1990s, thanks to the initiatives of the Clinton 
administration and the Democratic Congress, we significantly reduced 
crime nationwide after enactment of the COPS program. We put 100,000 
new cops on our streets, and crime rates fell. But over the past 
decade, Republicans have cut the program. As a result, crime rates have 
increased nationwide.
  The Police Executive Research Forum recently released a report that 
found violent crime rates have risen by double-digit percentages over 
the last 2 years. Among the cities surveyed, 71 percent had an increase 
in homicides, and 80 percent saw robberies rise.
  Today, this House has an opportunity to show it is serious about 
protecting our neighborhoods by passing the COPS Improvement Act. This 
legislation will restore the strong anti-crime measures we enacted in 
the 1990s by providing funding to hire 50,000 new police over the next 
6 years.
  Madam Speaker, the new Democratic majority isn't just talking about 
keeping our Nation secure; we are producing real results.

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