[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 40 (Thursday, March 18, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        GOOD IDEA FROM KANSAS BENEFITS PUBLIC SAFETY NATIONWIDE

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                            HON. JERRY MORAN

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 18, 2010

  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Madam Speaker, sometimes good things come from 
the darkest, most difficult moments. I rise today to share one such 
story.
  In the summer of 2002, a promising young lady named Ali Kemp came 
home for the summer after her freshman year at Kansas State University.
  Ali had a summer job at a neighborhood pool in Leawood, but one day 
she didn't come home. Her father, Roger Kemp, found her body in the 
pump room at the pool; she had been attacked and strangled.
  John Walsh of America's Most Wanted, who lost his son Adam at age six 
to crime, tells us that ``closure'' is fleeting or non-existent. Mr. 
Walsh calls Roger Kemp one of his heroes.
  Roger Kemp--like John Walsh--has honored his child's memory by 
working to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
  First, the Ali Kemp Foundation has sponsored self-defense training 
for thousands of women. Some have put their training to use, fending 
off attacks.
  Second, Roger Kemp encouraged law enforcement to try a new idea, to 
display ``wanted'' information on billboards. It worked in the Ali Kemp 
case, producing a tip that led to an arrest in 2004 and later a 
conviction.
  Roger Kemp figured that this tactic could be broadly applied to help 
law enforcement. He was right. Now, billboards are a tool for police at 
all levels.
  Police in Kansas say billboards are an asset to public safety. The 
FBI is using donated high-tech digital billboards coast to coast, even 
in Times Square. U.S. Marshals report dramatic results.
  Lamar Advertising in Kansas has teamed up with Crime Stoppers to 
provide the service free of charge. Bob Fessler with the company said, 
``It goes back to the old days, to Western days, when they put posters 
up for wanted people. It's the same concept. We hope something happens 
quickly.''
  To that analysis, I would add that effective modern ``wanted'' 
billboards are also the legacy of a special man from Kansas who is 
doing his part to make Kansans safer.

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