    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [May 30, 1991]
    [Pages 581-584]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy Commencement
    Ceremony in Quantico, Virginia
    May 30, 1991

        Thank you all very much. And Mr. Attorney General, Dick Thornburgh,
    thank you, sir. May I salute Director Sessions, a friend of long
    standing, a man in whose service I take great pride. I'm delighted that
    our drug czar, Bob Martinez, former Governor, is with us here today. I
    salute all the members, top-level members, of the law enforcement
    community that are with us here today.
        I'm delighted to see our landlord, General Al Gray, who heads the
    Marine Corps and to whom we all owe a vote of gratitude and thanks for
    the way he and those Marines performed in Desert Storm. Al, we're
    delighted to see you here. And I'm delighted to be here, though I think
    that, on my way in, I may have spotted Hannibal the Cannibal in the
    audience. [Laughter] For those parents and others, that's an inside joke
    that I'm not sure I understand myself, but nevertheless--[laughter].
        And of course, a special congratulations to today's newest Special
    Agents, the class of '91-6th. And given my doctors' orders, current
    orders, I'm glad it was you and not me who had to make it through the
    ``Yellow Brick Road'' in order to be here today. [Laughter] But my
    heartfelt congratulations to you. And I share in the pride that your
    families all have in you today.
        Speaking of my health, which I am reluctant to do, but you might
    know that I just received a note--a true story--from a farmers'
    organization. And it said: ``This wouldn't have happened if you had
    eaten your broccoli.'' [Laughter] I don't want to get in a fight with
    them; just give me thyroid problems any day. [Laughter]
        But I'm very proud to be here saluting the FBI for its ``fidelity,
    bravery, and integrity.'' And I'm proud to salute this class for its
    ``courage, commitment, and common sense.'' But I've got a problem. I
    don't want to embarrass a fellow Texan, but tell me, Bill, how come,
    under the jurisdiction of the Director of the FBI, there's a little
    Virginia town that has the highest crime rate in the Nation? And after
    looking around there today--and, Tony, thank you so much for you and
    your able compatriots showing me all this. But after looking around
    there today, there's one thing I know for sure: No matter how persuasive
    you are, after I leave the White House, I am not retiring to Hogan's
    Alley. [Laughter] Once is enough.
        But you young men and women graduating today have already solved
    your share of these Hogan's Alley crimes. And now you're going out to
    face the real thing. And we are grateful to you. You're joining an FBI
    that plays an essential role in preserving the peace of our country:
    investigating violations of Federal law in criminal and civil and
    counterintelligence fields. But there's something else very special
    about the FBI, beyond its crimefighting role. The Bureau sets an example
    for the country in showing how citizens and different levels of
    government can work together to meet our most important challenges.
        The concept of teamwork between individuals and the various levels
    of government lies at the heart of the FBI's mission.

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    And frankly, we need to work together across this land to battle the
    scourge of violent crime that threatens our homes, our families, and our
    future.
        Last year, six million American citizens--six million--fell victim
    to violent crime. Violent crime claimed the lives of over 20,000
    Americans. Look at the statistics and a frightening fact emerges: Our
    streets posed a greater threat to our own service men and women than did
    the foes in the Middle East. We deserve better than that as a nation.
    Our children--God bless our children, and they deserve better than that.
    And we will, with your help and your leadership, take back our streets.
        In May of 1989, I stood in the rain on the steps of the Capitol with
    some of the law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line for
    all of us. Together, we called on the United States Congress to pass our
    crime package, legislation designed to protect our cops by giving them
    the tools they need to get their job done. And yes, it was tough
    legislation, but it was fair legislation. Today, almost exactly 2 years
    later, I stand here in the midst of another group of law enforcement
    officers. Two years have passed, and Congress still has not acted on our
    request.
        Earlier this year, the Attorney General and I convened an
    unprecedented crime summit. We called upon the finest minds in American
    law enforcement. And in March, following the summit and taking into
    account what we learned there, we sent a crime bill to Congress. Our
    Comprehensive Violent Crime Control Act of 1991 will confront the
    terrifying spiral of lawlessness. It will strengthen our nation's
    criminal justice system, too often unfairly loaded against dedicated law
    enforcement officials.
        The act has four major elements. First, habeas corpus reform. We're
    determined to free the courts from frivolous, repetitive delays,
    gimmicks and challenges from people who have already exhausted their
    legal appeals. Our bill will ensure that convicted felons will no longer
    evade punishment by drowning justice in a sea of legal challenges
    unrelated to guilt or innocence.
        The second major element is exclusionary rule reform. It is simply
    intolerable that armed criminals go free when law enforcement officers
    have collected solid evidence in good faith efforts to follow court
    guidelines.
        Our bill limits the possibility of releasing violent criminals on
    the basis of legal technicalities. It permits juries to consider
    evidence that's been gathered by officers acting in good faith. This
    will avoid situations like that of the DC drug squad. At a bus station,
    they seized a bag they believed contained cocaine. They called the
    prosecutors and were told that they didn't need a warrant to search.
    Sure enough, they found a large supply inside. And sure enough, the
    evidence was ruled inadmissible, even though they'd acted in total good
    faith. Our bill would assure that such evidence survives in court. In
    addition, it allows introduction into evidence of firearms seized from
    dangerous criminals, no matter how officers obtain those weapons. And
    that makes sure, then, that those who misuse firearms are caught and
    punished, plain and simple.
        And third, more categories of firearm offenses and penalties. Under
    this bill, drug traffickers and violent felons who use semiautomatic
    weapons will face stiff mandatory sentences. First-time felons caught
    with firearms will spend 5 years behind bars. No plea bargains. No early
    release. Our bill also creates new Federal offenses for firearms, theft,
    and smuggling. We will silence the illegal guns that blast away in our
    streets, in our homes, and around our schools by punishing the violent
    criminals who misuse guns.
        And our fourth core provision is for the restoration of the Federal
    death penalty. We need an enforceable Federal death penalty for the most
    heinous crimes--for the senseless murder of a Federal judge or the
    terrorist killing of civilians or the cold-blooded execution of a law
    enforcement officer or Federal witness. We should give juries the option
    of imposing the death penalty for such depraved crimes. And we must send
    the strongest possible message to those who would commit such crimes. We
    must tell them that our society will protect itself from violent
    predators.
        And for more than a decade now Congress has talked about reinstating
    the Fed-

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    eral death penalty. And now, frankly, Congress should act. In that way,
    we will be telling victims and the families of victims that we will not
    forget their suffering, their loss. We will be telling them there that
    we're doing everything we can to ensure that others don't suffer similar
    fates.
        But crime victims deserve more than compassion. They also deserve
    action. And that's why I take particular pride in the fact that, working
    with Congress, we have already not only reauthorized the 1984 Victims of
    Crime Act but have also boosted its annual victims compensation and
    assistance fund to $150 million. Those are dollars that come not from
    taxpayers but, as you all know, from the fines and penalties levied
    against criminals.
        But of course, the best way, the best way to help the victims of
    crime is to make sure that they don't become victims in the first place.
    And so, in our crime bill we've strengthened the core proposals with
    some potent new additions. Our act includes sections designed to curb
    terrorism, racial injustice, sexual violence, and juvenile crime. It
    requires appropriate drug testing as a condition of post-conviction
    release for Federal prisoners. It outlines protections for witnesses and
    for abused kids. The bill makes it easier for Federal officials to
    prosecute those who commit acts of sexual violence involving children.
    It provides for HIV testing of accused sex offenders. And it guarantees
    a victim's right to address the court at sentencing.
        Listen to these words: ``The land is full of bloody crime and the
    city is full of violence.'' The prophet Ezekiel wrote that over 2,000
    years ago. The battle between good and evil still rages. But our crime
    bill will strengthen the hand of good--that's your hand, the hand of our
    nation's law enforcement professionals.
        The American people, frankly, are tired of talk. I believe they want
    action. In March, we asked the Congress to pass a crime bill within 100
    days; I challenged them at a joint session up there. And so far, 85 days
    have passed, and neither House has chosen to take up our crime package.
    The 100 days will expire on June 14th, but as you know, the crime issue
    will not. America wants real, comprehensive action against crime.
    America wants it done right, and it wants it done now. And I assure you,
    so do I.
        Finally, there's another more subtle threat to the peace, and that's
    racial strife. For the past couple of years, the issue of civil rights
    has divided Americans. Our position as an administration is clear, and
    believe me, I'm telling you this from the heart. I want to sign a civil
    rights bill. I am proud of my record on civil rights, and I'm proud of
    my administration's record on civil rights. But we want to sign a bill
    that advances the cause of equal opportunity. We want to sign a bill
    that advances the cause of racial harmony. And we want to sign a bill
    that encourages people to work together.
        Unfortunately, congressional leaders again want to pass a bill that
    would lead employers to adopt hiring quotas and unfair job preferences.
    This week, they proposed an antiquota amendment to take care of the
    problem, the quota problem they said didn't exist.
        This shouldn't fool anyone. If you look closely at the amendment,
    you'll see that it endorses quotas. Even the section that supposedly
    outlaws quotas endorses quotas. It defines the ``Q'' word--as it's come
    to be known--it defines the ``Q'' word so narrowly that it would allow
    employers to establish personnel systems based on numbers, not on merit.
    Other sections rig the rules against employers. If their numbers aren't
    right, the employers are essentially helpless to defend themselves in
    court. And another section of the bill forbids many victims of illegal
    quotas from even getting their day in court.
        If you listen to proponents of this bill, you'll hear another
    interesting thing. You'll hear them boast their approach makes it easier
    to prosecute and sue people. Well frankly, this is hardly the road to
    racial harmony. It's the road to lawsuits and discord.
        And so, let's start over. Let's make harmony our goal. A good place
    to start is our own bill, the administration's civil rights bill. You
    see, our bill would punish vigorously those who practice prejudice in
    the workplace. It would not offer a blank check to lawyers and special
    interests. It frankly

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    would offer a helping hand to victims of racism, sexism, and other forms
    of discrimination. It would build on the strong and just laws that we
    already have. And I'd like to sign it, along with our crime bill, and
    I'd like to sign it soon.
        I'm very proud to be with you law enforcement officials. And I want
    you to know that you have the public's support--never doubt that--you
    have the public's support and gratitude. You have all of our support.
    And very candidly, you've earned it. You deserve our admiration, our
    respect, and the best, toughest anticrime package your grateful nation
    can give you. No more loopholes, no more rolls of the dice. It's time.
    It's long past time.
        So, once again, I was just delighted when the Attorney General and
    the Director asked me to come down here to see you in action, to salute
    this graduating class. Congratulations to the graduates, to their
    families on this very special day. And the best of luck to all of you.
    And may God be with you.
        Thanks to all the FBI and DEA Agents here, to the State, and to the
    local and international police officers and the FBI National Academy
    and, again, to your landlords, the United States Marines. May God bless
    you all. And may God bless the United States of America.
        Thank you very, very much.

                        Note: The President spoke at 2:10 p.m. in the
                            auditorium of the administration building. In
                            his remarks, he referred to Attorney General
                            Dick Thornburgh; William S. Sessions and Anthony
                            E. Daniels, Director and Assistant Director
                            (Training Division) of the Federal Bureau of
                            Investigation; Bob Martinez, Director of
                            National Drug Control Policy and former Governor
                            of Florida; and Gen. Alfred M. Gray, Jr.,
                            commandant of the Marine Corps.