[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 81 (Thursday, May 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4206-H4207]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THREAT ASSESSMENT AND PROTECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) is recognized for 
60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, imagine if someone came up and introduced 
himself to you and said: ``Hi, I am Nick. I am a school shooter.'' 
According to those who knew him, Nikolas Cruz, the deranged Marjory 
Stoneman Douglas High School murderer, was known to do just that.
  He attacked a neighbor's car. He shot their animals. He was known to 
vandalize and steal property. He made alarming social media posts and 
was expelled from school. There were multiple reports to local police 
and the FBI, and many other egregious red flags waving long before 17 
innocent lives were taken and another 17 wounded on February 14, 2018. 
In the 7 years leading up to the shooting, police visited Cruz' home 39 
times--incredibly.
  Mr. Speaker, the Parkland shooting should have never happened. Every 
warning sign was there. They were not missed. Officials just failed to 
connect the dots.
  I wish that I could say that this failure is unique to Parkland, but, 
sadly, it is not. Nearly 20 years ago, high school junior Brooks Brown 
came across a website where a fellow classmate threatened to kill him 
and his family. Brown's parents alerted the local police, who were 
already aware of concerning behaviors from that website's author and 
another involved student.
  Within only a few months, these same students, Eric Harris and Dylan 
Klebold, would murder 13 and wound 24 Columbine High School students in 
what has been called the first modern mass shooting. Again, the red 
flags were detected, but the appropriate steps were not taken.
  This is not a new phenomenon. In 1966, Charles Whitman sought help 
from a psychiatrist at the University of Texas for ``overwhelming 
periods of hostility,'' including wanting to, ``go up in the tower . . 
. and start shooting people.'' Six months later, he would carry out his 
sick fantasy exactly as he described: 16 dead and 31 wounded.
  Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, this list goes on and on: the Pulse 
nightclub, the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, the Boston 
Marathon, the Washington Navy Yard, the attack on Congresswoman Gabby 
Giffords in Tucson, Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Aurora theater, 
Virginia Tech, the Norwegian summer camp, West Nickel Mines Amish 
school, the Charleston church massacre, the attack on Republican 
Members of Congress at baseball practice, and even the YouTube and 
Tennessee Waffle House shooting just a few weeks ago.
  Mr. Speaker, all of these horrifying events on this nonexhaustive 
list have something in common: every single one of these attacks was 
carried out after someone close to the killer observed and reported 
concerning behavior to the authorities.
  The good news is there is something that we can do to fix this. These 
killers were under law enforcement's watch, but a proactive threat 
management structure, in large part, does not exist in the culture and 
fabric of contemporary law enforcement today.
  For starters, our local law enforcement is simply undertrained, 
understaffed, underequipped, and have no integrated system in place to 
effectively identify and address these types of threats. The lack of 
information-sharing capabilities between the local, State, and Federal 
law enforcement, school officials, mental health professionals, social 
services, and other community-based organizations prevent these key 
players from implementing an effective intervention strategy directed 
at those who are on the pathway to violence.
  For decades, there has been an effective system in place, pioneered 
by the Secret Service, that has successfully worked to protect our 
Presidents and other public figures. I believe that it is time to take 
a page out of the Secret Service's playbook and address this critical 
national security issue by implementing their established and proven 
threat management process for identifying, investigating, evaluating, 
and mitigating threats as a critical means to protecting our 
communities.
  Currently, threat assessment and protective intelligence is used as a 
method for gathering and evaluating information about a person who may 
have the motive, intention, and capability to mount an attack against 
public figures. The Secret Service will gauge a potential threat, 
assess the vulnerability of the targeted individuals, and guide an 
intervention when necessary. This proactive process leaves no stone 
unturned.
  This approach is entirely different from what the FBI and local law 
enforcement currently use because it compiles information from a 
variety of comprehensive sources to build out a threat assessment, and 
it works. Since the 1981 attempted assassination of President Reagan, 
nobody has even come close.
  If this system works to protect the life of the President, elected 
officials, foreign dignitaries, and even celebrities, why couldn't this 
also work to protect our children and local communities?
  Whether it is a shooting, a stabbing, a weaponized vehicle, or a 
bombing, mass casualty events are occurring more and more frequently at 
home and abroad. It is more important now than ever that we act.
  Incorporating threat assessment and protective intelligence into all 
facets of law enforcement will save lives. If we can properly recognize 
the warnings and act, we can prevent targeted violence. It is time that 
we put an end to

[[Page H4207]]

the politicized gun-grabbing rhetoric and start tackling the real root 
of this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. 
Cicilline).


                          National Police Week

  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening in support of National Police Week, 
an important celebration of the men and women who serve our communities 
as members of law enforcement.
  This week, we also observed Peace Officers Memorial Day and 
remembered all of those members of the thin blue line who have lost 
their lives so the rest of us can be safe.
  Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to work with so many 
brave Rhode Island police officers, and I am particularly proud that 
when I was mayor of the city of Providence, as a result of a citywide 
community policing model, we saw the lowest crime rate in the city in 
40 years. That was because of the wonderful trust that had been 
developed between the community and the police department, and the 
police department being willing to fully engage in the life of the 
community. Police officers served on housing boards and community 
center boards and became part of the community, and, of course, that 
work continues today.
  There are many, many stories about the extraordinary heroism and 
dedication and hard work of our men and women in uniform, but very 
often their really heroic work is in these untold stories.
  One of those stories I would like to talk about tonight is a story 
that really exemplifies the important work that police do in our 
communities that makes a real difference in the lives of those they 
serve.
  Earlier this year, the Pawtucket Police Department went above and 
beyond the call of duty to help a family in the city of Pawtucket. 
Hilary Bilbraut and her family were getting ready to celebrate their 
daughter, Destiny's, ninth birthday. Destiny, who suffers from a rare 
blood disorder that causes high fevers, had been eagerly waiting for 
her birthday trip to Legoland in Florida, where she could take pictures 
with her beloved camera.
  Instead, Destiny and her family came home to an apartment ransacked 
by thieves. They took everything they could get their hands on. They 
took the family television. They took Destiny's camera. They took her 
tickets to Legoland. They even took her birthday cake.
  In describing the aftermath to police, Hilary said the thieves stole 
more than just that: they stole Destiny's peace of mind. Since the 
break-in, she had been haunted by nightmares and constantly crying.
  Pawtucket Police Officer Brian Beech was the first to respond to the 
break-in. Officer Beech was heartbroken by Destiny's story. He 
immediately began reaching out to his fellow officers for donations to 
help replace the stolen items.
  Working together with Sergeant Kenneth Dolan, officers of the 
Pawtucket Police Department raised $400 to replace the television. One 
of the officers donated his camera.
  They contacted Queen B's Cakery in Johnston, who donated a birthday 
cake. They even reached out to Legoland, who put together a trip to 
replace Destiny's stolen tickets, complete with a limousine ride to the 
airport.
  Destiny was ecstatic. She was already talking about returning the 
gesture.
  When asked why they went above and beyond, Sergeant Dolan said: We 
wanted to show her that there are more good people in the world than 
bad.
  Mr. Speaker, this is just one example showing exactly why police 
officers do what they do. The men and women of our Nation's law 
enforcement deserve our utmost respect and our deepest gratitude.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues here in Congress, 
members of the Rhode Island State and local law enforcement agencies, 
and local community leaders on the ways we can continue to support our 
great men and women in uniform.
  I want to thank Congressman Knight for organizing this Special Order 
hour this evening. Our last evening had to get postponed, but I really 
appreciate, Mr. Speaker, the opportunity to offer a few thoughts this 
evening during National Police Week to say thank you again to the men 
and women who serve in our community to keep us safe, who do incredibly 
dangerous work and without whom we would not have safe communities.
  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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