[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9613]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF THE PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JIM MATHESON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 11, 2004

  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, this week, we honor the dedicated service 
of law enforcement officers across America as law enforcement officers 
and their families will participate in the 16th Annual Candlelight 
Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial located in 
Washington, DC and other events that recognize and honor the work and 
sacrifice of officers throughout the country. The memorial is a 
monument of remembrance that has the names of 14,000 law enforcement 
officers killed in the line of duty engraved on its surface.
  In my home state of Utah, we are particularly fortunate to have a 
number of dedicated individuals working to protect our citizens.
  These days, we all tend to focus on the armed forces, which are 
obviously a critical element of national defense. But it is also 
important to remember those on the front lines here at home. Local law 
enforcement officers need Congress' help to ensure that our streets 
stay safe for law-abiding citizens. That's why I support both the COPS 
grants and Byrne grants. I think that one of the best things the 
federal government can do for local law enforcement is to provide the 
tools for police officers to best carry our their duties.
  Every single day, acts of heroism and valor are performed by police 
officers across our nation. We have made tremendous progress in terms 
of crime prevention and crime solving, but we need to remember that 
there are only so many available law enforcement officers at a given 
time. As our society grows, the demands placed on these individuals 
have also increased tremendously.
  The falling crime rate has largely benefited urban and suburban 
areas, so it is important to remember our rural constituencies also 
need our help in fighting crime. Officer safety and the ability to 
investigate major crimes are often compromised by a lack of resources 
in rural areas. One of the local police chiefs in a small town in my 
district recently told me that his main concern at home is not Al Qaeda 
infiltrating the town--it's making sure that the middle school down the 
streets is drug free and safe.
  I truly thank the members of law enforcement across this nation for 
their service and I commit to working in support of both homeland 
security and domestic security.

                          ____________________