[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7748]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2003

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the need for 
hate crimes legislation. On May 1, 2003, Senator Kennedy and I 
introduced the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, a bill that would 
add new categories to current hate crimes law, sending a signal that 
violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society.
  Three employees of the Office of Diversity and Dialogue in 
Scottsdale, AZ, were injured on February 26, 2004, when a bomb 
delivered through the mail exploded in their office. The Office of 
Diversity and Dialogue offers community training and outreach programs 
and handles various complaints from city employees and citizens, 
including racial and sex discrimination grievances. The explosion 
occurred when Don Logan, the director of Scottsdale's Office of 
Diversity and Dialogue, opened a notebook sized package addressed to 
him that was carrying a bomb. The blast left a 3\1/2\ inch-wide hole in 
Logan's desk and shot shrapnel into the walls, ceiling and floor. 
Logan, 48, suffered serious burns on his hands and arms.
  I believe that Government's first duty is to defend its citizens, to 
defend them against the harms that come out of hate. The Local Law 
Enforcement Enhancement Act is a symbol that can become substance. I 
believe that by passing this legislation and changing current law, we 
can change hearts and minds as well.

                          ____________________