[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 1 (Monday, January 11, 1993)]
[Pages 15-16]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6523--National Law Enforcement Training Week, 1993

 January 5, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The effectiveness of any Federal, State, or local law enforcement 
agency depends on knowledgeable, well-trained, and highly qualified 
personnel. Building such a force requires rigorous education and 
training, not only before an officer earns the badge, but also 
throughout his or her career.
    Whether intervening in a violent domestic dispute, apprehending a 
suspected drug dealer, or assisting at the site of a traffic accident, 
law enforcement officers are often required to make split-second 
decisions that could mean the difference between life and death. 
Therefore, in addition to knowledge of criminal statutes and fundamental 
rules of procedure, law enforcement training encompasses basic skills on 
which an officer's survival and other human lives depend. From physical 
conditioning and self-defense techniques to the safe use of firearms, 
such training ensures that an officer is prepared to maintain law and 
order while, at the same time, protecting the rights and safety of 
individual citizens.
    As law enforcement agencies employ increasingly sophisticated 
technology and techniques in the fight against crime, the need for 
highly specialized education and training continues to increase as well. 
Today an officer's training in traditional investigative methods may 
also include more advanced studies in ballistics, toxicology, computer 
science, psychology, and other complex fields. For the veteran as well 
as the rookie, for the administrator behind the desk as well as the 
officer on the beat--continuing education and training are essential to 
meeting new challenges in police work.
    All Americans benefit from programs that contribute to the 
knowledge, professionalism, and skill of our Nation's law enforcement 
officers, and this week we gratefully salute the dedicated individuals 
whose instruction and guidance assist officers in the performance of 
their duties. We also recognize the many rewarding career opportunities 
that are available to young people in law enforcement and related 
occupations, and encourage parents and teachers to make the observance 
of this week a rewarding learning opportunity for children--one that 
instills in them a healthy respect for the law and for the courageous 
men and women who are pledged to defend it.
    In order to heighten public awareness of the importance of law 
enforcement training and its related fields, the Congress, by Senate 
Joint Resolution 304, has designated the week of January 3 through 
January 9, 1993, as ``National Law Enforcement Training Week'' and has 
authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in 
observance of this week.
    Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of 
America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning January 3, 1993, as 
National Law Enforcement Training Week. I invite all Americans to 
observe this week with appropriate programs and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of 
January, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-

[[Page 16]]

three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two 
hundred and seventeenth.
                                                   George Bush

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 3:57 p.m., January 6, 
1993]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on January 
8.