    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [February 11, 1995]
    [Pages 191-192]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    February 11, 1995

        Good morning. Today I've asked Attorney General Reno and Drug
    Control Director Lee Brown to join me here at the White House. I want to
    discuss the crime and drugs that plague almost every community in our
    country.
        I ran for President because I believe it's the responsibility of our
    generation to work together to preserve the American dream for all
    Americans and to ensure that we move into the next century still the
    strongest country on Earth. The best way for us to do that is by
    building a new partnership in our country between Americans and their
    government, and especially between Americans and each other. I call that
    partnership the New Covenant.
        Essentially that means the Government's responsibility is to expand
    opportunity while shrinking bureaucracy, to empower people to make the
    most of their own lives, and to enhance our security not just abroad but
    here at home, too. At the same time, it means we must demand more
    responsibility from every citizen in return, responsibility for our
    country, for our communities, for our families and ourselves.
        Part of our job here in Washington is to help arm the American
    people to fight crime and violence. During the Presidential campaign I
    promised the American people that I would cut 100,000 Federal
    bureaucrats in Washington and use those savings to put 100,000 new
    police officers on America's streets. Last year, Democrats and
    Republicans joined together to pass the crime bill to keep that promise.
    We've been working ever since to put that crime bill into effect. It's
    been only 4 months since the crime bill became law, but already we've
    awarded over 16,000 new officers to half the police departments in
    America. We're under budget; we're ahead of schedule.
        Police departments all around the country are putting this effort to
    work, hiring, training, and deploying officers as fast as we can give a
    go-ahead. The last thing your local police department needs is
    Congressmen in Washington playing politics with their safety and yours.
    But the astonishing thing is, despite the urgent need for more police on
    our streets, despite our success in getting them there, some Republicans
    in Congress actually want to repeal this effort. They want to replace an
    initiative guaranteed to put 100,000 police on the street with a block
    grant program that has no guarantees at all.
        The block grant is basically a blank check that can far too easily
    be used for things besides police officers. That's why the law
    enforcement steering committee, representing over 450,000 police
    officers, is absolutely opposed to this block grant approach or to any
    other change that weakens our commitment to put 100,000 police on the
    streets.
        Undermining this commitment to law enforcement is not acceptable. I
    didn't fight to cut 100,000 Federal bureaucrats so we could trade them
    in for an old-fashioned pork-barrel program. I fought to trade 100,000
    bureaucrats for 100,000 police officers. Last year, Republicans

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    and Democrats passed the 100,000 cops bill, and I signed it. I made a
    commitment, a promise to put 100,000 more police on our streets, because
    there is simply no better crimefighting tool to be found. And I intend
    to keep that promise. Anyone on Capitol Hill who wants to play partisan
    politics with police officers for America should listen carefully: I
    will veto any effort to repeal or undermine the 100,000 police
    commitment, period.
        Of course, as crucial as these 100,000 police officers are, they
    can't do the job alone. Every citizen in America has to help in this
    fight, because no amount of police officers can replace people taking
    responsibility for their own lives and for their communities.
        This week, I announced our administration's 1995 drug control
    strategy. It involves cutting off drugs at the source, stiffer
    punishment for drug dealers, more education and prevention, and more
    treatment. But perhaps the most important part of this strategy will be
    to boost efforts to educate our young people about the dangers and
    penalties of drug use. Our children need a constant drumbeat reminding
    them that drugs are not safe, drugs are illegal, drugs can put you in
    jail, and drugs may cost you your life.
        Community-based education programs work. I saw them work in school
    when my daughter was younger. This morning I've been joined by some
    police officers who participate in community education programs and
    especially in the national drug abuse education and resistance program
    that you probably know as D.A.R.E. Every American should follow their
    example and accept the responsibility to join the fight against drugs
    and crime and violence.
        Parents must teach their children right from wrong. They must teach
    that drugs are bad and dangerous. And make no mistake about it, parents
    must set a good example for their children. Young people must have the
    courage to do what's right and stand up for what's right. That means not
    using drugs, staying out of gangs, studying hard, avoiding violence. It
    also means telling friends that drugs and gangs and guns aren't cool,
    and children that are involved in those things aren't going to be your
    real friends.
        That's what the New Covenant is all about: more opportunity, more
    responsibility. We've got to do our part here. But each and every one of
    you must take responsibility to join us. We can only win this fight
    together.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Oval Office at the
    White House.