[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 80 (Wednesday, May 16, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2710-S2712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, on a separate note, for the last few days, 
we have been celebrating National Police Week, when we honor the men 
and women who help keep our communities safe. They have chosen a 
difficult and often dangerous life, dedicated to enforcing the law, 
defending our civil liberties, and protecting our cities and 
neighborhoods.
  Sometimes law enforcement officers intentionally put themselves in 
harm's way for our benefit, and sometimes they even sacrifice their 
lives for their fellow citizens. The police in my State are no 
exception. In fact, according to one FBI report, Texas had more law 
enforcement officers die in the line of duty in 2017 than any other 
State.

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  Because it is National Police Week, I would like to mention two 
important pieces of legislation that are high priorities for law 
enforcement groups, and I am happy to be the chief sponsor of both.
  The first is called the Justice Served Act. Its companion legislation 
passed just yesterday in the House. I am grateful to my colleague 
Representative  John Carter for helping to make sure that happened.
  The bill would provide grants for State and local governments to 
prosecute cold cases. These are older crimes that have languished but 
are reignited through DNA evidence, including evidence obtained from 
backlogged rape kits. By making sure that newly tested evidence is used 
to investigate and prosecute unsolved crimes, the Justice Served Act 
would ensure that vital criminals are brought to justice instead of 
remaining free and on our streets. This will give crime victims and 
their families closure and relief and deliver justice.
  Once new DNA evidence is used and the wrongdoers are prosecuted, the 
crime victims will know that their attackers no longer remain at large. 
The evidence can also help exonerate those who have been wrongfully 
accused or even convicted.
  Especially this week, I am proud to have the support of the Major 
County Sheriffs of America, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National 
Association of Police Organizations, the Major Cities Chiefs, and other 
law enforcement organizations. I am also grateful to have the support 
of various organizations that support sexual assault victims, as well 
as prosecutors' groups.
  Finally, I would just like to say that I appreciate my cosponsor, the 
senior Senator from Minnesota, who has helped this bill continue to 
move through the legislative process.
  Another bill I would like to mention as long as I can--seasonal 
allergies are getting to me, like so many of us--is the Project Safe 
Neighborhoods Authorization Act of 2018. We hope to have it hotlined 
this week because, like the Justice Served Act, it is a high priority 
for law enforcement groups across the country.
  Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide partnership among State, 
Federal, local law enforcement, and prosecutors that use data-driven, 
evidence-based, and trauma-informed practices to reduce violent crime.
  When I was the attorney general of Texas, then-Governor George W. 
Bush and I administered a program known as Texas Exile, in which we 
targeted felons who were carrying firearms as part of their carrying 
out some crime. We targeted those violent offenders by concentrating 
resources on the most important cases. This program involved multiple 
law enforcement agencies and allowed them to collaborate on a ``Smart 
on Crime'' approach, focusing efforts on high-level offenders who were 
responsible for tearing communities and families apart.
  Multiple jurisdictions in Texas participated in Project Exile, which, 
again, was focused on the most violent offenders and the ones who were 
carrying firearms, which they could not legally possess or use. The 
result was a staggering reduction in crime rates and homicides. Project 
Exile later became the basis for the Department of Justice's nationwide 
Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, which has been ongoing for more 
than a decade. I am happy that soon we will reauthorize it.
  Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, Federal, State, and local law 
enforcement cooperate and focus their enforcement efforts on organized 
criminal networks and repeat offenders who are driving crime rates in a 
particular area. One of those regions is Northern Virginia, where a 
regional task force composed of 13 local, State, and Federal law 
enforcement agencies has made tremendous strides in eradicating gang 
violence perpetrated by groups like MS-13. My colleague Barbara 
Comstock's district is in that region, and she has been the bill's 
biggest champion in the House.
  Since its inception in 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods has been 
deployed by both Democratic and Republican administrations to reduce 
violent crime. According to a Michigan State University study funded by 
the Department of Justice in 2013, Project Safe Neighborhoods was 
associated with a 13.1-percent decrease in violent crimes in cities 
with high rates of program participation, including double-digit 
reductions in total firearms, crimes, and homicides in every city 
examined by the study.
  Our bill will reauthorize the program through fiscal year 2021 in 
amounts consistent with current appropriations levels. Additionally, it 
will require participating entities to prioritize the investigation and 
prosecution of individuals with leadership roles in criminal 
organizations, and it will strengthen innovation and prevention 
initiatives on the local level.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about two related 
topics. The first is to recognize and honor the men and women of law 
enforcement across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and across our 
country. This week is National Police Week, and it is really an 
important opportunity for us to let the folks in law enforcement know 
how grateful we are to them for the service they provide and for the 
sacrifices they make every single day to keep us safe.
  It is also an important occasion to remember those who made the 
ultimate sacrifice. This week, the names of 129 law enforcement 
officers killed in the line of duty in 2017 alone were added to the 
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Among the fallen were two 
Pennsylvania officers: Patrolman Brian Shaw of the New Kensington 
Police Department and Trooper Michael Paul Stewart III of the 
Pennsylvania State Police.
  Given the clear and obvious dangers that our police officers face, it 
seems to me that we have an obligation to make sure they have the tools 
they need to protect themselves and the public, so I want to mention 
two efforts to do exactly that and urge my colleagues to support these 
efforts.
  The first is a Bureau of Prisons gun locker bill. This is legislation 
that I have introduced with Senator Manchin. We call it the Lieutenant 
Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act. What it 
would do is allow Federal prison guards to protect themselves on their 
commutes to and from work.
  Why is this a problem? Because in many cases, the prisons where the 
prison guards work do not have a secure place to secure firearms, so 
the guards cannot bring their firearms to work with them nor would they 
have them to go home. They often are unarmed going to and from work.
  Sadly, the fact is, Federal prison guards can often be targets of 
criminals when they are off duty. Let's be honest here. Some of the 
prisoners they are guarding get released and are still pretty bad guys.
  Unfortunately, the Department of Justice policy essentially makes it 
impossible for guards to protect themselves when they are going to and 
from work. Sadly, Lieutenant Albarati, of Puerto Rico, paid for the 
price for this policy. In 2013, he was driving home from work. He was 
unarmed. He was shot and killed. Three inmates from the prison where he 
worked had hired the killer.
  What our bill does is very simple. It requires the Federal Bureau of 
Prisons to provide officers with an onsite storage locker for their 
personal firearms so that when they get to work, they can secure them 
in a safe place or allow these prison guards to store their personal 
firearms in a lockbox that is in their cars. It is pretty simple. It is 
pretty straightforward.
  Yesterday, the House voted on a companion bill, and it passed 378 to 
0--378 to 0. Now is the opportunity for the Senate to act. We should 
act quickly. We should pass this. We should do it through our hotline 
and get this done. I am sure the President will sign this into law, and 
we will be providing a tool to enhance the safety of the prison guards 
who protect our security.
  There is another piece of legislation, which is the Lifesaving Gear 
for Police Act. I have introduced this legislation. What this would do 
is allow local law enforcement to continue obtaining the surplus 
defensive Federal gear they need to protect themselves and the public. 
It is based on a simple principle. The idea is that the police ought to 
at least have sufficient equipment. They should at least be as well-
equipped as criminals and terrorists who attack them and are a threat 
to

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all of us. We should make every effort we can to make sure that law 
enforcement officers have the chance to go home safely to their 
families at the end of their shifts.
  It was longstanding policy that surplus, leftover, military gear that 
was defensive in nature, when it was not wanted or in use by the 
military, would be made available to law enforcement. Unfortunately, in 
2015, the Obama administration severely restricted the ability of State 
and local law enforcement to obtain this surplus, leftover, in-storage 
gear.
  The restrictions by the Obama administration were rationalized on the 
completely false narrative that the police were a source of unrest and 
violence, as opposed to the truth that we all know, that they are brave 
men and women who defend us against unrest and violence. I think the 
American people know better. They know that the vast, overwhelming 
majority of people in law enforcement are good, honest, decent, hard-
working people who are motivated by their desire to do a good job and 
protect the public.
  Fortunately, President Trump reversed the Obama administration's 
flawed policy of denying our local police forces this equipment. But 
that only has the power of an Executive order, and the safety of our 
law enforcement officers and the public should not be subject to 
political whims. A new administration will arrive at some point, and 
when they do, they could reverse this unless we codify it in law. That 
is what our bill would do. It would ensure that State and local law 
enforcement can continue to obtain this lifesaving Federal gear, 
regardless of who occupies the Oval Office or Congress.

  So as we mark National Police Week, we should never forget the 
courage our law enforcement officers exhibit every day in keeping us 
safe. I would like to say to our country's law enforcement officers, 
including the more than 25,000 in Pennsylvania, we thank you for your 
service and your sacrifice.

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