[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[February 26, 1994]
[Pages 324-325]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
February 26, 1994

    Good morning. Today I'm speaking to you from the First Police 
District in Washington, DC, the base for hundreds of police officers 
under the command of Inspector Robert Gales. The men and women who are 
with me here today and the other police officers throughout our Nation 
are a lot like you; they're our neighbors and friends, they're mothers 
and fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons. The difference, 
though, is that it's their job to keep our streets, our workplaces, and 
our schools safe, and it's a dangerous job. In the last year alone, 
about 150 police officers were killed in the line of duty. Today I want 
to talk about two officers, one who died this week in Los Angeles, and 
the other, killed a few weeks ago just blocks from where I'm sitting 
now. Both followed in the footsteps of their fathers who also wore a 
badge. They served with idealism, dedication, and honor, and they died 
in the line of duty.

[[Page 325]]

    For Officer Christy Lynne Hamilton, becoming a policewoman was the 
beginning of a new life and the fulfillment of a dream, one she put off 
until after she raised her two children. She was 45 years old when she 
earned her badge in Los Angeles just last week. She said, then, the only 
thing she was afraid of was not doing a good job. No one else thought 
that was a possibility. She was voted the most inspirational person in 
her policy academy class. Then, in her first week on the job, she was 
murdered with a single round from an assault rifle, aimed by a 17-year-
old boy who had just killed his father.
    Officer Jason White was just 25 years old. He had a new wife, Joie, 
a new home, a job he loved. The officers here at the First Police 
District knew him well. He was on the force for 3 years, and every day 
he made a difference. He worked with young people at risk, he helped 
citizens set up community patrols, he took on the drug dealers on his 
beat. And then one night, 2 months ago, he was killed, shot six times 
with a handgun at point-blank range when he tried to question a suspect.
    These brave officers and their other fallen comrades across our 
Nation left behind people who loved them, respected them, and looked up 
to them. For them, their relatives, their friends, their coworkers, for 
all the people in this country who deserve protection, Congress must 
move to make our streets, our schools, and our workplaces safer.
    Last year Congress passed and I signed the Brady law after 7 years 
of hard struggle. And on Monday it will take effect. It will require 
background checks of anyone buying a gun. And that will help to keep 
guns out of the hands of people with prior criminal records and the 
mentally unfit. The law will prevent thousands of handgun murders.
    Consider these figures on firearm crimes that are being released 
today by the Justice Department. Between 1987 and 1992 about 858,000 
armed attacks took place every year. In 1991 and 1992, the annual rate 
of murder with firearms was 16,000 in each year. This is where the Brady 
law will help. Among criminals who used a firearm and had a prior 
record, 23 percent, nearly one-fourth, said they bought their guns 
retail. Among murderers, about 5,000 had prior records and were still 
able to buy a gun in a retail store. Among those who killed police 
officers, 53 percent had a prior conviction record and still were able 
to do that.
    If the Brady law had been in effect, none of these guns could have 
been purchased at a retail store. So it's a good start. But we need 
more, much more. We need a new crime bill that is both tough and smart. 
Our crime bill punishes serious criminals. It sends this message: Kill a 
police officer and you face the death penalty. It tells violent felons: 
Three violent crimes, three strikes, and you're out.
    Our crime bill also works to prevent crime. It will give us a 
stronger police presence, 100,000 more police officers in our 
communities in the next 5 years. It will help stop young criminals from 
being better armed than the police by banning assault weapons. And while 
we take these steps, we encourage all our people to work with officers 
in their communities to reclaim our streets.
    Here at the first district, a high premium is put on community 
policing. We know this works to reduce crime when officers know their 
neighbors, know the kids on the streets, when they do things like are 
being done here, where the officers organize citizen patrols and look 
after the children. Two officers here, Limatine Johnson and Joyce 
Leonard, run a safe house for kids where they can play games, watch 
movies, and learn away from the mean streets. I hear that the kids 
called Officer Johnson ``Officer Lima Bean.'' And they smile when they 
do.
    Police officers, it has been said, are the soldiers who act alone. 
But we can't let them be alone. The community must honor their service, 
respect their example, obey the laws they uphold, and walk beside them. 
If we do that, we can replace fear with confidence and help to make our 
country whole again.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the First District Police 
Headquarters.