[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6438-6445]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      RAFAEL RAMOS AND WENJIAN LIU NATIONAL BLUE ALERT ACT OF 2015

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 665) to encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans 
throughout the United States in order to disseminate information when a 
law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of 
duty, is missing in connection with the officer's official duties, or 
an imminent and credible threat that an individual intends to cause the 
serious injury or death of a law enforcement officer is received, and 
for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 665

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu 
     National Blue Alert Act of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Coordinator.--The term ``Coordinator'' means the Blue 
     Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice designated 
     under section 4(a).
       (2) Blue alert.--The term ``Blue Alert'' means information 
     sent through the network relating to--
       (A) the serious injury or death of a law enforcement 
     officer in the line of duty;
       (B) an officer who is missing in connection with the 
     officer's official duties; or
       (C) an imminent and credible threat that an individual 
     intends to cause the serious injury or death of a law 
     enforcement officer.

[[Page 6439]]

       (3) Blue alert plan.--The term ``Blue Alert plan'' means 
     the plan of a State, unit of local government, or Federal 
     agency participating in the network for the dissemination of 
     information received as a Blue Alert.
       (4) Law enforcement officer.--The term ``law enforcement 
     officer'' shall have the same meaning as in section 1204 of 
     the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 
     U.S.C. 3796b).
       (5) Network.--The term ``network'' means the Blue Alert 
     communications network established by the Attorney General 
     under section 3.
       (6) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States, 
     the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States 
     Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of 
     the Northern Mariana Islands.

     SEC. 3. BLUE ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK.

       The Attorney General shall establish a national Blue Alert 
     communications network within the Department of Justice to 
     issue Blue Alerts through the initiation, facilitation, and 
     promotion of Blue Alert plans, in coordination with States, 
     units of local government, law enforcement agencies, and 
     other appropriate entities.

     SEC. 4. BLUE ALERT COORDINATOR; GUIDELINES.

       (a) Coordination Within Department of Justice.--The 
     Attorney General shall assign an existing officer of the 
     Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator of 
     the Blue Alert communications network.
       (b) Duties of the Coordinator.--The Coordinator shall--
       (1) provide assistance to States and units of local 
     government that are using Blue Alert plans;
       (2) establish voluntary guidelines for States and units of 
     local government to use in developing Blue Alert plans that 
     will promote compatible and integrated Blue Alert plans 
     throughout the United States, including--
       (A) a list of the resources necessary to establish a Blue 
     Alert plan;
       (B) criteria for evaluating whether a situation warrants 
     issuing a Blue Alert;
       (C) guidelines to protect the privacy, dignity, 
     independence, and autonomy of any law enforcement officer who 
     may be the subject of a Blue Alert and the family of the law 
     enforcement officer;
       (D) guidelines that a Blue Alert should only be issued with 
     respect to a law enforcement officer if--
       (i) the law enforcement agency involved--

       (I) confirms--

       (aa) the death or serious injury of the law enforcement 
     officer; or
       (bb) the attack on the law enforcement officer and that 
     there is an indication of the death or serious injury of the 
     officer; or

       (II) concludes that the law enforcement officer is missing 
     in connection with the officer's official duties;

       (ii) there is an indication of serious injury to or death 
     of the law enforcement officer;
       (iii) the suspect involved has not been apprehended; and
       (iv) there is sufficient descriptive information of the 
     suspect involved and any relevant vehicle and tag numbers;
       (E) guidelines that a Blue Alert should only be issued with 
     respect to a threat to cause death or serious injury to a law 
     enforcement officer if--
       (i) a law enforcement agency involved confirms that the 
     threat is imminent and credible;
       (ii) at the time of receipt of the threat, the suspect is 
     wanted by a law enforcement agency;
       (iii) the suspect involved has not been apprehended; and
       (iv) there is sufficient descriptive information of the 
     suspect involved and any relevant vehicle and tag numbers;
       (F) guidelines--
       (i) that information should be provided to the National 
     Crime Information Center database operated by the Federal 
     Bureau of Investigation under section 534 of title 28, United 
     States Code, and any relevant crime information repository of 
     the State involved, relating to--

       (I) a law enforcement officer who is seriously injured or 
     killed in the line of duty; or
       (II) an imminent and credible threat to cause the serious 
     injury or death of a law enforcement officer;

       (ii) that a Blue Alert should, to the maximum extent 
     practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in consultation 
     with law enforcement agencies of States and units of local 
     governments), be limited to the geographic areas most likely 
     to facilitate the apprehension of the suspect involved or 
     which the suspect could reasonably reach, which should not be 
     limited to State lines;
       (iii) for law enforcement agencies of States or units of 
     local government to develop plans to communicate information 
     to neighboring States to provide for seamless communication 
     of a Blue Alert; and
       (iv) providing that a Blue Alert should be suspended when 
     the suspect involved is apprehended or when the law 
     enforcement agency involved determines that the Blue Alert is 
     no longer effective; and
       (G) guidelines for--
       (i) the issuance of Blue Alerts through the network; and
       (ii) the extent of the dissemination of alerts issued 
     through the network;
       (3) develop protocols for efforts to apprehend suspects 
     that address activities during the period beginning at the 
     time of the initial notification of a law enforcement agency 
     that a suspect has not been apprehended and ending at the 
     time of apprehension of a suspect or when the law enforcement 
     agency involved determines that the Blue Alert is no longer 
     effective, including protocols regulating--
       (A) the use of public safety communications;
       (B) command center operations; and
       (C) incident review, evaluation, debriefing, and public 
     information procedures;
       (4) work with States to ensure appropriate regional 
     coordination of various elements of the network;
       (5) establish an advisory group to assist States, units of 
     local government, law enforcement agencies, and other 
     entities involved in the network with initiating, 
     facilitating, and promoting Blue Alert plans, which shall 
     include--
       (A) to the maximum extent practicable, representation from 
     the various geographic regions of the United States; and
       (B) members who are--
       (i) representatives of a law enforcement organization 
     representing rank-and-file officers;
       (ii) representatives of other law enforcement agencies and 
     public safety communications;
       (iii) broadcasters, first responders, dispatchers, and 
     radio station personnel; and
       (iv) representatives of any other individuals or 
     organizations that the Coordinator determines are necessary 
     to the success of the network;
       (6) act as the nationwide point of contact for--
       (A) the development of the network; and
       (B) regional coordination of Blue Alerts through the 
     network; and
       (7) determine--
       (A) what procedures and practices are in use for notifying 
     law enforcement and the public when--
       (i) a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously 
     injured in the line of duty;
       (ii) a law enforcement officer is missing in connection 
     with the officer's official duties; and
       (iii) an imminent and credible threat to kill or seriously 
     injure a law enforcement officer is received; and
       (B) which of the procedures and practices are effective and 
     that do not require the expenditure of additional resources 
     to implement.
       (c) Limitations.--
       (1) Voluntary participation.--The guidelines established 
     under subsection (b)(2), protocols developed under subsection 
     (b)(3), and other programs established under subsection (b), 
     shall not be mandatory.
       (2) Dissemination of information.--The guidelines 
     established under subsection (b)(2) shall, to the maximum 
     extent practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in 
     consultation with law enforcement agencies of States and 
     units of local government), provide that appropriate 
     information relating to a Blue Alert is disseminated to the 
     appropriate officials of law enforcement agencies, public 
     health agencies, and other agencies.
       (3) Privacy and civil liberties protections.--The 
     guidelines established under subsection (b) shall--
       (A) provide mechanisms that ensure that Blue Alerts comply 
     with all applicable Federal, State, and local privacy laws 
     and regulations; and
       (B) include standards that specifically provide for the 
     protection of the civil liberties, including the privacy, of 
     law enforcement officers who are seriously injured or killed 
     in the line of duty, is missing in connection with the 
     officer's official duties, or who are threatened with death 
     or serious injury, and the families of the officers.
       (d) Cooperation With Other Agencies.--The Coordinator shall 
     cooperate with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
     Secretary of Transportation, the Chairman of the Federal 
     Communications Commission, and appropriate offices of the 
     Department of Justice in carrying out activities under this 
     Act.
       (e) Restrictions on Coordinator.--The Coordinator may not--
       (1) perform any official travel for the sole purpose of 
     carrying out the duties of the Coordinator;
       (2) lobby any officer of a State regarding the funding or 
     implementation of a Blue Alert plan; or
       (3) host a conference focused solely on the Blue Alert 
     program that requires the expenditure of Federal funds.
       (f) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
     Coordinator shall submit to Congress a report on the 
     activities of the Coordinator and the effectiveness and 
     status of the Blue Alert plans that are in effect or being 
     developed.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson 
Lee) each will control 20 minutes.

[[Page 6440]]

  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous materials on S. 665, currently under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  This week in Washington, D.C., we are celebrating National Police 
Week. This annual tradition, which draws tens of thousands of law 
enforcement officers from around the country, is a time to celebrate 
the critical role that police play in maintaining a free and safe 
society. It is also a time to mourn our Nation's fallen heroes.
  Last year, 127 men and women gave their lives while protecting 
Americans' public safety, including three officers in my home State of 
Virginia. The average age of these fallen officers is just 40 years 
old, which is too young to be taken from their loved ones.
  The Blue Alert system, which is currently in place in 20 States, is a 
cooperative effort among local, State, and Federal authorities, law 
enforcement agencies, and the general public.
  S. 665, the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of 
2015, seeks to expand on these existing programs by encouraging an 
enhanced nationwide system for the distribution of time-sensitive 
information to help identify and locate a violent suspect when a law 
enforcement officer is injured or killed in the line of duty or when 
there is an imminent and credible threat against an officer.
  Similar to the AMBER Alerts for missing children and Silver Alerts 
for missing seniors, Blue Alerts broadcast information about suspects, 
including a description of an offender who is still at large and, if 
available, a description of the offender's vehicle and license plate 
information. Like AMBER Alerts, Blue Alerts are intended to hinder the 
offender's ability to escape and will facilitate their capture.
  S. 665 directs the Justice Department to designate an existing 
employee as the Blue Alert national coordinator, who will establish 
voluntary guidelines for the program and encourage those States that 
have not already done so to develop Blue Alert plans.
  The House has passed similar versions of this legislation in the past 
two Congresses, but those bills were not taken up by the Senate.
  The version of the Blue Alert bill that we consider today is 
different for two important reasons:
  First, unlike the Blue Alert bills from prior Congresses that passed 
this body only to wither away in the Senate, S. 665 will be sent 
directly to the President's desk for signature following House passage. 
I urge him to sign this legislation without delay.
  Second, S. 665 is named after New York City Police Officers Rafael 
Ramos and Wenjian Liu, who, in December 2014, were murdered in cold 
blood by a malevolent killer who traveled from Baltimore to Brooklyn 
with the stated intention of shooting police officers.
  Officer Ramos left behind a wife and 13-year-old son. Officer Liu 
left behind his wife of just 2 months. This bill, a tribute to their 
service and sacrifice, will hopefully spare other families from the 
pain of losing a loved one.
  I thank Senator Cardin, Mr. Reichert of Washington, and the many 
bipartisan cosponsors of both the House and Senate bills for their work 
on this important legislation. I also thank the many outside law 
enforcement organizations that have tirelessly promoted the Blue Alert 
program over the past several years.
  This bill reaffirms Congress' commitment to ensure the safety of the 
men and women in our Nation's law enforcement communities and the 
citizens they serve and protect every day.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Let me thank Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers of the 
Judiciary Committee for this timely presentation and the offering of 
this legislation on the floor this week, which is a time to commemorate 
and mourn and to uphold the Nation's law enforcement. It is a very 
important statement that we make today on the floor of the House.
  As a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, a ranking member 
of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and 
Investigations, and yes, as a Member of Congress from Houston, which 
has one of the Nation's most effective police departments, and as a 
cosponsor of the House companion measure, I rise in strong support of 
S. 665, the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of 
2015.
  I, too, thank Senator Cardin, Congressman Reichert, and my colleague 
and friend, Congressman Pascrell. I am also a cosponsor. I thank them 
for their particular leadership on this bill.
  Every day, more than 900,000 officers protect and serve the people of 
the United States. On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in 
the line of duty every 58 hours. Each year, there is an average of 
58,930 assaults on our law enforcement officers, resulting in 15,404 
injuries.
  Just yesterday, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the community held a 
memorial for two dedicated public servants fatally shot during a 
traffic stop on Saturday night.
  Married and the father of two, Benjamin Deen, a 34-year-old canine 
officer, was recognized in 2012 as the Hattiesburg Officer of the Year. 
Liquori Tate, just 25 years old, fulfilled a childhood dream when he 
graduated from the police academy and joined the police force less than 
1 year ago. Many of us heard the sympathetic and emotional outpouring 
by his family of his love of being a law enforcement officer.
  For the community of Hattiesburg, the senseless deaths of on-duty 
officers are the first in three decades. Hattiesburg is not alone, 
however, in these tragic developments. Law enforcement fatalities in 
the U.S. rose 24 percent in 2014, reversing 2 years of significant 
decline.
  The number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty 
rose from 102 in 2013 to 126 in 2014. Statistics released yesterday by 
the FBI show that 51 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed 
in the line of duty in 2014. This is an increase of almost 89 percent 
when compared to the 27 killed in 2013. Of those 51 felonious deaths, 
offenders used firearms in 46 of them.
  Just 1 day before this tragedy in Mississippi, Officer Brian Moore 
was laid to rest thousands of miles away in Long Island, New York. 
After 6 p.m. on a Saturday, Moore and his partner came upon the gunman. 
After identifying himself as a police officer and asking the gunman 
about the object in his waistband, the gunman fatally shot Moore in the 
face.
  Moore was 20 years old when he joined the New York Police Department. 
After over 5 years of service, he earned two Meritorious Police Duty 
medals and two Excellent Police Duty medals. He died several days after 
he was shot.

                              {time}  1730

  The killing of Officer Moore in New York City comes on the heels of 
the December killings of New York Police Department Officers Rafael 
Ramos and Wenjian Liu, for whom this legislation before us 
memorializes. These officers were killed on a Saturday afternoon while 
sitting in their parked patrol car by a man who shared his intent to 
kill police officers on social media.
  This man traveled from Maryland to New York to execute his plan; and, 
unfortunately, at the same time Maryland authorities were warning the 
NYPD of this threat, Officers Ramos and Liu were being assassinated.
  Benjamin Deen, Liquori Tate, Brian Moore, Rafael Ramos, and Wenjian 
Liu and other fallen heroes join the more than 20,000 U.S. law 
enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since the 
first known line-of-duty death in 1791, nearly 1,700 of whom hail from 
my home State of Texas and 121 from the Houston Police Department.

[[Page 6441]]

  The brave men and women who risk their lives to keep the peace and 
keep us safe are too often taken by the violence they are working to 
prevent. When a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed, 
rapid dissemination of information about the suspected criminal is 
critical to ensuring justice for that officer and keeping the public 
safe.
  Here lies the opportunity for this important legislation. The Blue 
Alert System is modeled after the AMBER Alert and the Silver Alert. 
Currently, 22 States, including my home State of Texas, have local Blue 
Alert programs in operation.
  The gist of this legislation is to provide for the coordination and 
the provisions for other States to participate and to help other States 
participate in a Blue Alert plan. This Blue Alert plan, I hope, will 
save lives or will, in essence, save and protect law enforcement 
officers or bring their perpetrator, tragically, of their death, to 
justice.
  This is an important statement this week as we mourn those who have 
fallen in the service of their country as law enforcement officers. 
This is an important action, if you will, to tell the families of these 
officers that we care. I hope my colleagues will join us in supporting 
this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as 
he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert), the 
chief sponsor of the companion House legislation.
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding generous 
time for my comments. I also want to thank you for your strong support 
for this legislation, and I take a moment also to thank Ms. Jackson Lee 
for her strong words of support. Her passion was evident and felt in 
her words.
  This is a very close topic to my heart, very near and dear to me. I 
think, as most Members in this body know, I spent 33 years in law 
enforcement before I came to Congress. I have been here 10 years; I 
tell people I just look like I have been here 40 years, but I have had 
the blessing of serving in many different ways, first in the Air Force 
and now in Congress.
  Today is just an honor to stand here in support of this legislation 
because, this week, we have families from all across the country. When 
I arrived at the airport this afternoon, at 3:30, motorcades were lined 
up to escort the survivors of the fallen officers, honor guards 
standing at the gates where people are coming off the airplanes, to 
escort the families of the fallen officers.
  These men and women risk their lives every day across this great 
Nation to protect our communities, protect our families, protect our 
children, and we need to help them. This bill does just that because, 
when they leave home, they don't know if they are coming back. The 
families don't know if they are coming back home that day or that 
evening.
  My own family has had that experience watching me being wheeled into 
a hospital room with stab wounds in the side of my neck. They learned 
about it on TV. That was back in the seventies, so it was a little bit 
different time back then, but it is still a dangerous job.
  We worked hard to work with the New York Police Department, the 
Sergeants Benevolent Association, and the Federal Law Enforcement 
Officers Association to rename this bill after the two New York police 
officers, Ramos and Liu, because this is a story where this Blue Alert 
could have made a difference.
  It could have made a difference because the suspect in this case shot 
his girlfriend in Maryland at 5:45 in the morning, and then at 2:45, 3 
in the afternoon, showed up in New York, after posting on social media 
that he was going to make ``angels out of police officers that day.'' 
As Ms. Jackson Lee said, the information came to NYPD too late.
  We think Blue Alert can make a difference. We think Blue Alert can 
save lives. We think Blue Alert can keep our officers safer on the 
streets.
  In Seattle, Washington, there is a community called Lakewood; and it 
is just a half an hour, 40 minutes, south of Seattle, the city of 
Lakewood. In 2009, there were four police officers sitting in a coffee 
shop.
  They were having a squad meeting, a sergeant and three police 
officers--Sergeant Renninger, Officer Owens, Officer Griswold, and 
Officer Richard--just sitting there, having coffee, talking about what 
was going to happen that day, what they were going to focus on that day 
to keep that community safe.
  A man walked in and assassinated all four officers. A 2-day manhunt 
occurred looking for that suspect, for that murderer, for that 
monster--2 days. If we had had Blue Alert--and during those 2 days, 
that suspect is on the loose. He is not only a danger to other police 
officers, he is a danger to the entire community. We need to find these 
people as soon as possible.
  A Blue Alert--because we knew who this guy was, and in the New York 
case, we knew who this guy was--all we need to do is put the 
information out there sooner, quicker, faster, immediately so we could 
capture these people and put them behind bars and keep the community 
safe.
  Also, a number of years ago, in 1982, I lost a friend, my best friend 
and my partner, and he was shot and killed chasing a murder suspect. I 
was one of the cops out there for 3 days searching for this guy in the 
foothills of the Cascade Mountains, about 45 minutes southeast of 
Seattle. In 1982, of course, we didn't have this technology. I know the 
feeling of losing a good friend, a good cop, a father of five, 
dedicated, would do anything for his community.
  We have got to do everything we can to show support across this 
country for our cops on the street, for their families, and this week 
especially, when you see a police officer walking around the Capitol 
Grounds, make sure you say thank you. Make sure you say thank you to 
the family because this is a loss they will never, ever forget; and 
neither will we.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
  I also want to make mention of a good friend who has worked with me 
on law enforcement issues here in this body, who was the mayor of 
Paterson, New Jersey. I always tell Bill Pascrell that he would have 
made a good sheriff. He is a strong supporter of law enforcement, first 
responders, and firefighters.
  He and I co-chair the Law Enforcement Caucus together. He is here in 
this body today, and I know he is going to be speaking on some of these 
issues this evening.
  He has been a good friend to law enforcement, and I appreciate all 
the hard work that he has put into this bill and others to help support 
our law enforcement officers across this country.
  I appreciate the time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Reichert for his 
belief in this bill and for his statement of the preciousness of life 
of our law enforcement officers and our families who depend upon them.
  This bill, of course, in particular, would work with States to ensure 
the regional coordination of various elements of the network, which 
speaks directly to the heinous crime committed against the two New York 
police officers and someone who traveled from Maryland to New York.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Pascrell), a gentleman who lives in the region and who we have had the 
privilege of working with, from COPS on the Beat to the Blue Alert and 
many other bills dealing with our first responders, and a cosponsor of 
this bill.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman.
  Anyone who listened to the gentleman from Washington State, 
Congressman Reichert, if they have any doubt as to the significance, 
not only of this piece of legislation and the other three pieces of 
legislation that we will pursue after this, I don't know what it is 
going to take because he was on the front lines. He doesn't have to 
conjecture.
  I personally thank Chairman Goodlatte. I personally thank Ranking

[[Page 6442]]

Member Conyers and, of course, our brothers in the Senate, Senator 
Cardin, Senator Lindsey Graham.
  We had a press conference in April and introduced this legislation. 
At that press conference was Gina Miller. Gina Miller was the fiancee 
of a Washington State trooper, Tony Radulescu, who was shot at a 
traffic stop in Washington State and killed.
  He went to high school in New Jersey. He was a vet from the gulf war, 
as many of our police officers are. I promised Gina I would not take 
off the wristband she gave me until we pass this legislation. It is 
fitting in this month, when we honor all law enforcement, it is fitting 
that we move this through the House of Representatives.
  I am honored to stand with Mr. Reichert as we present this, and I am 
honored and thank you all for coming on this piece of legislation.
  We have heard the numbers about how many police officers were killed 
in the line of duty in 2013 and 2014. It is a grave reminder that these 
attacks are too common in our communities.
  Last year, we mourned the loss of Jersey City Officer Melvin 
Santiago, who was killed in the line of duty responding to a gang-
related robbery. Officer Santiago's death set off a series of targeted 
threats against the Jersey police officers from the assailant's fellow 
gang members.
  The grave risk that our law enforcement officers face was tragically 
confirmed this past Christmas when on-duty New York Police Department 
Officers Ramos and Liu were murdered while simply sitting in their 
squad car.
  When threats like this occur, the rapid dissemination of critical, 
time-sensitive information is essential, and the national Blue Alert 
system would provide that in New Jersey and across our Nation.
  Regardless of what aspect you talk of about police work, law 
enforcement, talk must be followed by action.

                              {time}  1745

  So cops, the police officers just don't need a pat on the back from 
us while we place our grandchildren in the back of the car to see what 
it is like to sit in a police car. They need our actions here in 
Washington to help communities throughout America.
  So I thank Chairman Goodlatte for putting this bill before us tonight 
and the other bills that will follow.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to 
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen), another distinguished 
gentleman who has worked on these issues and is now the ranking member 
of the Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee of the House 
Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking member for the 
time; I want to thank the chairman for scheduling these bills; and 
particularly I want to thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. 
Reichert) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) for bringing 
them.
  My first job out of law school was attorney for the Memphis Police 
Department, and I served 3\1/2\ years working as the attorney for the 
Memphis Police Department. I know that police are on the front lines of 
democracy in seeing that we have a society that can function and that 
we have people's rights protected in a most direct way.
  The ranking member talked about the losses of the lives in New York 
of Officer Davis; the two officers this bill is named for, Officers 
Ramos and Liu; and then there were the two officers killed in 
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, each of which is tragic and each of which 
caused me to grieve and be mournful about the loss of these men's lives 
in the course of duty.
  While we have some issues with law enforcement in certain areas, we 
need to have law enforcement; and the loss of any life of a law 
enforcement member in the actions of their duties or because of their 
position is wrong, and we should have a system in place to apprehend 
and arrest somebody who, with probable cause, committed that crime.
  I also want to thank the chairman of the committee for scheduling a 
hearing next week on civil rights issues. These issues go together. No 
one should lose their life wrongfully. We must deal with these issues, 
and it is commendable.
  There are some good things happening in Congress. So many times I go 
home, and people talk about the acrimony and don't we get along. Well, 
we get some things done, and we get some things done together, and the 
Judiciary Committee is doing some of those things.
  I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member, who is not here, 
for that.
  I am a proud sponsor of this bill. I hope everybody will vote for it 
and pass it. It will save some law enforcement people's lives.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and if the 
gentlewoman from Texas is prepared to yield back, I am prepared to do 
the same.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I was moved by all of the presentations that have been 
made here today, statements on the floor, by passionate Members of 
Congress. It reminded me of my time as a municipal court judge, seeing 
officers in clothing that would not be recognizable because they were 
undercover officers, seeking what we call probable cause warrants and 
trying to save communities.
  I think this legislation is extremely important in this week because 
what it says is that we can all get along, that we can pass legislation 
that deals with the pain of our law enforcement officers and commits us 
to the statement that we want them to go home to their families. At the 
same time, we can use the words ``criminal justice reform'' and not 
offend by saying it is to help everyone: our law enforcement officers 
and our civilians.
  I am also grateful that next week we will have the opportunity to 
hear a myriad of issues on this particular point.
  But as we come together this week, officers of the law will be coming 
to Washington, D.C., from all parts of the Nation. This legislation 
will make the statement that we want to coordinate, we want to 
establish advisory groups, we want to establish guidelines for States, 
and we want to provide assistance to have the Blue Alert plans.
  As we have saved children through the AMBER Alerts and helped find 
senior citizens through the Silver Alerts, I want to make sure that we 
bring more officers home to their families by ensuring that heinous 
criminals who are out to do them harm are caught before they do more 
harm.
  I also want to say that I look forward to working on legislation that 
deals with bringing us together and making sure that we address all of 
the concerns.
  So I join today with the Fraternal Order of Police, the National 
Association of Police Organizations, and the National Sheriffs' 
Association in supporting this legislation, S. 665. But more 
importantly, Mr. Speaker, I stand today mourning those who have been 
lost and joining our officers as they converge upon the United States 
Capitol, standing shoulder-to-shoulder. I want to say to them that 
America cares. We honor you; we mourn you; and we stand in assistance 
to you.
  I would like to introduce into the Record a list of officers killed 
in the line of duty in my own hometown of Houston, Texas, from the 
Houston Police Department.

     Houston Police Department Officers Killed in the Line of Duty


                        Line of Duty Deaths: 112

       Assault: 1
       Automobile accident: 10
       Fire: 1
       Gunfire: 69
       Gunfire (Accidental): 2
       Heart attack: 2
       Motorcycle accident: 9
       Stabbed: 2
       Struck by vehicle: 5
       Vehicle pursuit: 1
       Vehicular assault: 10


                                By Month

       January: 12
       February: 7
       March: 12
       April: 10
       May: 7
       June: 15
       July: 5

[[Page 6443]]

       August: 14
       September: 9
       October: 6
       November: 6
       December: 9


                               By Gender

       Male: 109
       Female: 3
       Police Officer Kevin Scott Will, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Sunday, May 29, 2011, Cause: Vehicular assault.
       Police Officer Eydelmen Mani, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, Cause: Automobile accident.
       Police Officer Henry Canales, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Tuesday, June 23, 2009, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Timothy Scott Abernethy, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Sunday, December 7, 2008, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Gary Allen Gryder, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Sunday, June 29, 2008, Cause: Vehicular 
     assault.
       Officer Rodney Joseph Johnson, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, September 21, 2006, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer Reuben Becerra DeLeon, Jr., Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Wednesday, October 26, 2005, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Frank Manuel Cantu, Jr., Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Thursday, March 25, 2004, Cause: Vehicular 
     assault.
       Police Officer Charles Roy Clark, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Thursday, April 3, 2003, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Keith Alan Dees, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, March 7, 2002, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
       Police Officer Alberto ``Albert'' Vasquez, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Tuesday, May 22, 2001, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer Dennis E. Holmes, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Wednesday, January 10, 2001, Cause: Heart attack.
       Police Officer Jerry Keith Stowe, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Wednesday, September 20, 2000, Cause: 
     Assault.
       Police Officer Troy Alan Blando, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, May 19, 1999, Cause: Gunfire.
       Sergeant Kent Dean Kincaid, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Saturday, May 23, 1998, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Cuong Huy ``Tony'' Trinh, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Sunday, April 6, 1997, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Dawn Suzanne Erickson, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Sunday, December 24, 1995, Cause: Struck by 
     vehicle.
       Police Officer David Michael Healy, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Saturday, November 12, 1994, Cause: 
     Automobile accident.
       Police Officer Guy P. Gaddis, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Monday, January 31, 1994, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Michael P. Roman, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, January 6, 1994, Cause: Vehicle pursuit.
       Sergeant Bruno David Soboleski, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Friday, April 12, 1991, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer John Anthony Salvaggio, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Sunday, November 25, 1990, Cause: Vehicular 
     assault.
       Police Officer James Bruce Irby, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, June 27, 1990, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer James Charles Boswell, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Saturday, December 9, 1989, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer Fiorentino M. Garcia, Jr., Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Friday, November 10, 1989, Cause: Motorcycle 
     accident.
       Officer Elston Morris Howard, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, July 20, 1988, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer Andrew Winzer, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Thursday, February 18, 1988, Cause: Automobile accident.
       Officer Maria Michelle Groves, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Friday, April 10, 1987, Cause: Vehicular assault.
       Officer William Moss, Houston Airport Police Department, 
     EOW: Monday, September 12, 1983, Cause: Automobile accident.
       Police Officer Charles Robert Coates, II, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Wednesday, February 23, 1983, Cause: Struck 
     by vehicle.
       Police Officer Kathleen C. Schaefer, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Wednesday, August 18, 1982, Cause: Gunfire 
     (Accidental).
       Officer James D. Harris, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Tuesday, July 13, 1982, Cause: Gunfire.
       Detective Daryl W. Shirley, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Wednesday, April 28, 1982, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Winston J. Rawlins, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Monday, March 29, 1982, Cause: Fire.
       Police Officer William Edwin DeLeon, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Monday, March 29, 1982, Cause: Vehicular 
     assault.
       Police Officer Jose A. Zamarron, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Saturday, April 18, 1981, Cause: Vehicular assault.
       Detective Victor R. Wells, III, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, October 2, 1980, Cause: Gunfire.
       Deputy City Marshal Charles H. Baker, Houston City 
     Marshal's Office, EOW: Thursday, August 16, 1979, Cause: 
     Gunfire.
       Police Officer Timothy Lowe Hearn, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Thursday, June 8, 1978, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer James F. Kilty, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, April 8, 1976, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer George G. Rojas, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, January 28, 1976, Cause: Stabbed.
       Police Officer Richard H. Calhoun, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Friday, October to, 1975, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer Francis Eddie Wright, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Saturday, August 2, 1975, Cause: Struck by vehicle.
       Police Officer Johnny Terrell Bamsch, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Thursday, January 30, 1975, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Jerry Lawrence Riley, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Tuesday, June 18, 1974, Cause: Automobile 
     accident.
       Police Officer David Huerta, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, September 19, 1973, Cause: Gunfire.
       Patrolman Antonio Guzman Jr., Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Tuesday, January 9, 1973, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Jerry L. Spruill, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, October 26, 1972, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer David Franklin Noel, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Saturday, June 17, 1972, Cause: Stabbed.
       Police Officer Claude R. Beck, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Friday, December 10, 1971, Cause: Struck by vehicle.
       Police Officer Robert Wayne Lee, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Sunday, January 31, 1971, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Leon Griggs, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Saturday, January 31, 1970, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Kenneth L. Moody, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, November 26, 1969, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Bobby L. James, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, June 26, 1968, Cause: Vehicular assault.
       Police Officer Ben Eddie Gerhart, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Wednesday, June 26, 1968, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Louis R. Kuba, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, May 17, 1967, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Louis L. Sander, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Saturday, January 21, 1967, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Floyd T. DeLoach Jr., Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Wednesday, June 30, 1965, Cause: Gunfire .
       Police Officer Herbert N. Planer, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Thursday, February 18, 1965, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer James Franklin Willis, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Wednesday, July 1, 1964, Cause: Automobile 
     accident.
       Sergeant Charles R. McDaniel, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Sunday, August 4, 1963, Cause: Automobile accident.
       Police Officer James T. Walker, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Friday, March 8, 1963, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
       Police Officer Gonzalo Q. Gonzalez, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Sunday, February 28, 1960, Cause: Automobile 
     accident.
       Police Officer John W. Suttle, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Monday, August 3, 1959, Cause: Struck by vehicle.
       Police Officer C.E. Branon, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Friday, March 20, 1959, Cause: Vehicular assault.
       Police Officer Noel R. Miller, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Friday, June 6, 1958, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Robert Schultea, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Saturday, August 25, 1956, Cause: Gunfire.
       Auxiliary Officer Frank L. Kellogg, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Wednesday, November 30, 1955, Cause: 
     Gunfire.
       Captain Charles R. Gougenheim, Houston Police Department 
     EOW: Saturday, April 30, 1955, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Jack B. Beets, Houston Police Department 
     EOW: Saturday, April 30, 1955 Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Fred Maddox Jr., Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Wednesday, February 24, 1954, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Smith Anderson ``Buster'' Kent, Houston 
     Police Department, EOW: Tuesday, January 12, 1954, Cause: 
     Motorcycle accident.
       Police Officer Howard B. Hammond, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Sunday, August 18, 1946, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer George D. Edwards, Houston Police 
     Department, EOW: Friday, June 30, 1939, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer M.E. Palmer, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Thursday, March 24, 1938, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer A.P. Martial, Houston Police Department EOW: 
     Monday, November 8, 1937 Cause: Automobile accident.
       Police Officer James T. Gambill, Houston Police Department 
     EOW: Tuesday, December 1, 1936 Cause: Heart attack.
       Detective Rempsey H. Sullivan, Houston Police Department 
     EOW: Saturday, March 9, 1935 Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer Harry T. Mereness, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Wednesday, October 18, 1933, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
       Officer J.D. Landry, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Wednesday, December 3, 1930, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
       Officer Willie Bonner Phares, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Tuesday, September 30, 1930, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer Edward D. Fitzgerald, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Saturday, September 20, 1930, Cause: Gunfire.

[[Page 6444]]

       Motorcycle Officer C.F. Thomas, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Tuesday, December 17, 1929, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
       Detective Ed Jones, Houston Police Department, EOW: Friday, 
     September 13, 1929, Cause. Gunfire.
       Detective Oscar Hope, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Saturday, June 22, 1929, Cause: Gunfire.
       Detective A. Worth Davis, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Sunday, June 17, 1928 Cause: Gunfire.
       Detective Carl Greene, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Wednesday, March 14, 1928, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer R. Q. Wells, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Saturday, July 30, 1927, Cause: Automobile accident.
       Officer Perry P. Jones, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Sunday, January 30, 1927, Cause: Gunfire.
       Detective E. C. Chavez, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Thursday, September 17, 1925 Cause: Gunfire.
       Detective Pete Corrales, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Sunday, January 25, 1925, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer J. Clark Etheridge, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Saturday, August 23, 1924, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
       Police Officer George Benard Crawford, Magnolia Park Police 
     Department, EOW: Saturday, September 17, 1921, Cause: 
     Motorcycle accident.
       Police Officer Dave Murdock, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Monday, June 27, 1921, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer Jeter Young, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Sunday, June 19, 1921, Cause: Vehicular assault.
       Detective Johnnie Davidson, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Saturday, February 19, 1921, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Ira Raney, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Ross Patton, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Horace Moody, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer E. G. Meinke, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Rufus E. Daniels, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
       Detective Isaac Parson, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Sunday, May 24, 1914, Cause: Gunfire (Accidental).
       Detective Joseph Robert Free, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Friday, October 18, 1912, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer John M. Cain, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Thursday, August 3, 1911, Cause: Gunfire.
       Deputy Chief William E. Murphy, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Friday, April 1, 1910, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer John C. James, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, December 12, 1901, Cause: Gunfire.
       Police Officer Herman Youngst, Houston Police Department, 
     EOW: Thursday, December 12, 1901, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer William F. Weiss Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Tuesday, July 30, 1901, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer James E. Fenn, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Sunday, March 15, 1891, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer Henry Williams, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Monday, February 8, 1886, Cause: Gunfire.
       Patrolman Richard Snow, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Friday, March 17, 1882, Cause: Gunfire.
       Officer C. Edward Foley, Houston Police Department, EOW: 
     Saturday, March 10, 1860 Cause: Gunfire.

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I will close with a prayer that those 
who are already lost will know that we pray for their eternal rest, and 
for those who live, that we pray for their continued service to this 
Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, as a senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee; as 
the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland 
Security, and Investigations; as the representative from Houston, which 
has one of the Nation's most effective police departments; and as a co-
sponsor of the House companion measure, I rise in strong support of S. 
665, the ``Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of 
2015.''
  Every day, more than 900,000 officers protect and serve the people of 
the United States. On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in 
the line of duty every 58 hours. And, each year, there is an average of 
58,930 assaults on our law enforcement officers, resulting in 15,404 
injuries.
  Just yesterday, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a community held a 
memorial for two dedicated public servants fatally shot during a 
traffic stop on Saturday night. Married and the father of two, Benjamin 
Deen, a 34-year-old K-9 officer, was recognized in 2012 as the 
Hattiesburg ``Officer of the Year.'' Liquori Tate, just 25 years old, 
fulfilled a childhood dream when he graduated the police academy and 
joined the police force less than one year ago. For the community of 
Hattiesburg, these senseless deaths of on duty officers are the first 
in three decades.
  Hattiesburg is not alone in these tragic developments. Law 
enforcement fatalities in the U.S. rose 24 percent in 2014, reversing 
two years of significant decline. The number of law enforcement 
officers killed in the line of duty rose from 102 in 2013 to 126 in 
2014. Preliminary statistics released yesterday by the FBI show that 51 
law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 
2014. This is an increase of almost 89 percent when compared to the 27 
killed in 2013. And, of those 51 felonious deaths, offenders used 
firearms in 46.
  Just one day before this tragedy in Mississippi, Officer Brian Moore 
was laid to rest thousands of miles away in Long Island, New York. 
Around 6 p.m. on a Saturday, Moore and his partner came upon the 
gunman. After identifying himself as a police officer, and asking the 
gunman about the object in his waistband, the gunman fatally shot Moore 
in the face. Moore was just 20 years old when he joined the New York 
Police Department and, over five years of service, he earned two medals 
for meritorious police duty and two for excellent police duty.
  The killing of Officer Moore in New York City comes on the heels of 
the December killings of NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, 
for whom the legislation before us memorializes. These officers were 
killed on a Saturday afternoon, while sitting in their parked patrol 
car, by a man who had shared his intent to kill police officers on 
social media. This man traveled from Maryland to New York to execute 
his plan. Unfortunately, at the same time Maryland authorities were 
warning the NYPD of this threat, Officers Ramos and Liu were being 
assassinated.
  Benjamin Dean, Liquori Tate, Brian Moore, Rafael Ramos, and Wenjian 
Liu--these fallen heroes join the more than 20,000 U.S. law enforcement 
officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since the first known 
line-of-duty death in 1791, nearly 1,700 of whom hail from my home 
state of Texas and 121 from the Houston Police Department.
  The brave men and women who risk their lives to keep the peace and 
keep us safe are too often taken by the violence they are working to 
prevent. So when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or 
killed, rapid dissemination of information about the suspected criminal 
is critical to ensuring justice for that officer and keeping the public 
safe.
  These officers deserve more than just a response after violence, they 
deserve an effective, nationwide system that can widely disseminate 
advance warnings when an imminent and credible threat is made against 
them.
  Having in place such a system could be the difference between life 
and death. And, for Officers Ramos and Liu, having such a system in 
place may have given them a fighting chance. The measure before us 
seeks to meet these safety challenges by putting in place such a 
system.
  The Blue Alert system is modeled after the Amber Alert and the Silver 
Alert programs, which have been very successful in finding abducted 
children and missing seniors. Currently 22 states, including my home 
state of Texas, have local Blue Alert programs in operation. There is 
no national system, however, to coordinate alerts across multiple state 
lines.
  This legislation addresses this gap by directing the Attorney General 
to establish a national communications network within the Department of 
Justice to disseminate information when an officer is seriously injured 
or killed in the line of duty, or the target of an imminent, credible 
threat to do the same, and assign a Department of Justice officer to 
act as the national coordinator of the Blue Alert Network.
  The National Blue Alert Coordinator will--
  (1) provide assistance to states and local governments using Blue 
Alert plans;
  (2) establish voluntary guidelines for states and local governments 
for developing these plans; develop protocols for efforts to apprehend 
suspects;
  (3) work with states to ensure regional coordination of various 
elements of the network; and
  (4) establish advisory groups, to assist states, local governments, 
law enforcement agencies and other entities in initiating, 
facilitating, and promoting Blue Alerts through the network.
  The Coordinator will also determine what procedures and practices to 
use in notifying law enforcement and the public when a law enforcement 
officer is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty, or is the 
target of an imminent, credible threat to do the same, and which 
procedures and practices are the most cost effective to implement.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to expand this excellent program nationwide. 
Passage of S. 665

[[Page 6445]]

will not prevent the loss of all brave law enforcement officials in the 
future, but it can help. Even if it saves one life, and enables one 
officer to return safely home to his or her loved ones, this 
legislation will have proven its value.
  It is particularly timely that we consider this measure during 
National Police Week.
  This week is a special occasion during which we recognize our law 
enforcement officers and honor those who lost their lives in the line 
of duty. But it would be careless not to also reflect on the events 
that are unfolding across the Nation in response to tragic incidents 
involving the use of lethal force against unarmed citizens.
  The measure before us will enhance officer safety, which should 
always be one of our major concerns, but the issuance of alerts alone 
is not enough. The safety of law enforcement officers and community 
members are undeniably intertwined, but recent events have made it 
clear that the mutual trust and respect necessary for this relationship 
needs to be strengthened.
  If we are to succeed in the vital mission of building trust and 
mutual respect between law enforcement and the communities they serve, 
we must work to really see each other. We must also work to understand 
each other's reality.
  Citizens need to see the risks and dangers the men and women of law 
enforcement experience when they put on their badge. Law enforcement 
needs to see the same risks and dangers men and women in their 
communities experience when they walk down the street or drive their 
cars. We must see that we are not enemies and we must commit to 
addressing these problems in a productive and nonviolent manner.
  In order to fully see each other, we need to gain a clear picture of 
what is happening in our communities. The lack of comprehensive and 
reliable data feeds into this distrust and is an obstacle to moving us 
forward.
  As stated by FBI Director Comey, we cannot effectively address 
concerns about ``use of force'' policies and officer-involved shootings 
if we do not have a firm grasp on the demographics and circumstances of 
such incidents.
  That is why I have introduced H.R. 1810, the CADET Act, which would 
mandate the data collection and analysis necessary to properly educate 
and train law enforcement. We simply cannot have an informed discussion 
about sound policy if we do not improve the way we collect and analyze 
data.
  But it does not stop there. If we are to truly succeed in this 
mission, we in Congress must have a frank conversation about the 
policies we have enacted that have caused and exacerbated this 
distrust.
  We must recognize the role that our actions have played in 
constructing a criminal justice system that creates more criminals and 
victims than justice. And, we must do our part by taking up the task of 
reforming our criminal justice system so that it is fairer and delivers 
equal justice to all persons.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this bipartisan legislation because it 
increases safety for us all and it is an important step towards 
repairing the relationship between law enforcement and the communities 
that they serve.
  Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to join me, the Fraternal Order of 
Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the 
National Sheriffs Association in supporting S. 665.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this good 
and important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Young of Iowa). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 665.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________