[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15967]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             IN TRIBUTE TO VENTURA COUNTY'S LAW ENFORCEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 29, 2012

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to the dedicated and 
professional members of the law enforcement community with whom I have 
had the privilege to serve during my more than 30 years of public 
service.
  It's impossible to name them all. When I was mayor of Simi Valley, 
California, I rode with patrol officers to see first-band the 
challenges our men and women in uniform face on a daily basis. Those on 
the front lines of public safety deserve our enduring thanks and 
respect.
  But over the years, I have established partnerships with certain 
extraordinary people, including Ventura County District Attorneys Greg 
Totten and Mike Bradbury and Sheriffs Al Jalaty, John Gillespie, Larry 
Carpenter, and Bob Brooks.
  Al Jalaty was Sheriff when I was first elected to the Simi Valley 
City Council. He set the standard for those to come after him, 
demanding compassion and common sense from those under his command. 
John Gillespie began the technological modernization of the department. 
Larry Carpenter helped lead the charge to change the California 
Constitution to ensure that the first function of government is to 
protect the public, and in passing a county ordinance to ensure proper 
funding. Bob Brooks continued to modernize the department, particularly 
after 9/11, and instituted Six Points of Honor that established the 
foundation for the department's core values.
  I worked closely with each and every one of these distinguished 
lawmen to ensure they had support from the federal government to 
provide the tools and training necessary to keep Ventura County safe. 
But it was their dedication, service, and vision that has kept Ventura 
County ranked among the safest counties in the nation.
  In addition to their role in prosecuting criminals, District 
Attorneys Mike Bradbury and Greg Totten are responsible for legislation 
I introduced that became federal law. Mike Bradbury was presented with 
a problem of prosecuting the makers of videos showing the killing of 
small animals. Because of jurisdictional issues, it was hard to prove a 
crime on a local level I introduced a bill making the interstate 
distribution of such videos a federal crime. It sailed through the 
House and Senate and was signed by the President in December of 1999. 
Prior to it becoming law, about 3,000 different videos were sold over 
the Internet. The next day, virtually none were available.
  Because of a 2004 law, DNA matches in cold cases skyrocketed, 
creating a huge backlog for prosecutors Greg Totten and I discussed the 
problem and I introduced a bill to provide federal grants to local 
prosecutors to help prosecute DNA cold cases. My bill was included in 
the Children's Safety Act of 2005 and signed into law the following 
year. Greg Totten not only tirelessly championed funding the grants, he 
also worked diligently to make the program a success. Consequently, 
murderers have paid for their crimes.
  Mr. Speaker, public safety is the number one responsibility of 
government. I have been honored to know and work with dedicated law 
enforcement professionals who I believe are among the best in the 
nation. I am honored not only to call each of them District Attorney 
and Sheriff, but friend. I know my colleagues join me in paying tribute 
to Ventura County District Attorneys Greg Totten and Mike Bradbury and 
Sheriffs Al Jalaty, John Gillespie, Larry Carpenter, and Bob Brooks, 
and all those in law enforcement who make our communities safe.

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