[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



INTRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA POLICE COORDINATION AMENDMENT 
                              ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 14, 2001

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a bill to amend P.L. 105-
33, legislation that has done much to cure uncoordinated efforts of 
federal and local law enforcement officials in the nation's capital. 
The District of Columbia Police Coordination Amendment Act of 2001 
amends the Police Coordination Act I introduced in 1997, and that was 
signed that year, by allowing those agencies not named in the original 
legislation to assist the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) with 
local law enforcement in the District. Inadvertently, P.L. 105-33 
failed to make the language sufficiently open-ended to include agencies 
not mentioned in the original bill.
  Prior to the Police Coordination Act, federal agencies often were 
confined to agency premises and were unable to enforce local laws on or 
near their premises. Instead, for example, federal officers sometimes 
called 911, taking hard-pressed D.C. police officers from urgent work 
in neighborhoods experiencing serious crime. Federal officers were 
trained and willing to do the job, but lacked the authority to do so 
before the passage of the Police Coordination Act.
  Agencies have already signed agreements with the U.S. Attorney for 
the District of Columbia enabling them to participate. Federal agencies 
understand that the extension of their jurisdiction will enhance safety 
and security within and around their agencies while offering needed 
assistance as well to District residents. The Capitol Police and Amtrak 
Police, who have the longest experience with expanded jurisdiction, 
report that the morale of their officers was affected positively 
because of the satisfaction that comes from being integrated into 
efforts to reduce and prevent crime in and around their agencies and in 
the nation's capital. This non controversial technical amendment to the 
Police Coordination Act is another step to achieving my goal of 
assuring the most efficient use of all the available police resources 
to protect federal agency staff, visitors and D.C. residents.

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