[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 3 (Monday, January 20, 1997)]
[Pages 41-42]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

January 11, 1997

    Good morning. Today I want to talk about how to build upon the 
progress we've made together in working against crime and violence, and 
especially how we can fight against youth crime.
    Four years ago it seemed to many Americans as if the forces of crime 
and violence had gained an intractable hold over our country, and law-
abiding Americans were afraid that from now on they would just have to 
put up with the insecurity and loss that goes with rampant crime. I was 
determined to turn that around, to give people the tools they need to 
take back their streets and schools and neighborhoods, to reestablish a 
sense of security and true freedom in our country, and to restore our 
people's faith in the power of law and order.
    We had a comprehensive plan to fight crime, to put 100,000 new 
community police officers on the street and tough new penalties on the 
books, to keep guns away from criminals by passing the Brady bill and 
banning assault weapons, to steer young people away from crime, gangs, 
and drugs in the first place. This approach is working.
    This week the FBI reported that serious crime dropped another 3 
percent last year, dropping for the 5th year in a row, the longest 
decline in more than 25 years. This is great news, not because it gives 
us a chance to sit back and rest on our laurels but because it does show 
all of us that if we work together we can make a difference.
    Now that we've finally turned the crime on the run, we have to 
redouble our efforts. We have to drive the forces of violence further 
and further into retreat. And as we move forward, we have to remember 
that we're not just fighting against crime, we're fighting for the kind 
of nation we want to build together for the 21st century, for an America 
where people feel safe when they walk around the block at night and 
untroubled when they kiss their children goodbye in the morning, an 
America where nobody's grandmother lives across the street from a 
crackhouse and nobody's child walks to school through a neighborhood 
overrun by gangs. We're fighting for our children and for their future.
    As I begin my second term as President, the next stage in our fight 
must center on keeping our children safe and attacking the scourge of 
juvenile crime and gangs. I want every police officer, prosecutor, and 
citizen in America working together to keep our

[[Page 42]]

young people safe and young criminals off the streets. This should be 
America's top priority in the fight for law and order over the next 4 
years. I pledge it will be mine.
    We must help parents protect their children and bring order and 
discipline to their lives. That's why I support school uniforms and 
community-based curfews. That's why we made zero tolerance for guns in 
schools the law of the land and passed Megan's Law to demand that States 
tell a community whenever a dangerous sexual predator enters its midst. 
Now we must do more to give young people something to say yes to, after 
school, on weekends, and in the summer. And we must finish the job of 
putting 100,000 police on our streets.
    At the same time, young people must understand that if they break 
the law, they will be punished, and if they commit violent crimes, they 
will be punished severely. I am determined to break the backs of 
criminal gangs that have ruined too many lives and stolen too many 
futures by bringing the full force of the law against them.
    One of the most difficult problems facing law enforcement in this 
fight is the power of gang members to thwart the criminal justice system 
by threatening and intimidating the witnesses against them. Too many 
people in too many communities will not testify about gang crimes 
because they are afraid of violent reprisal. We must not allow the voice 
of justice to be frightened into silence by the violent threats of 
gangs.
    Today the Justice Department is releasing a report called 
``Preventing Gang And Drug-Related Witness Intimidation.'' This report 
is a handbook for police officers, prosecutors, and judges, to help them 
overcome the dangerous obstacle witness intimidation poses to the steady 
march of justice. It details the problems they face and helps to provide 
a blueprint for them to follow that will significantly help State and 
local gang investigation and prosecution. Starting today, the Justice 
Department will distribute this report to thousands of police 
departments, prosecutors, and judges across America.
    In the coming weeks, I will submit to Congress comprehensive 
legislation to combat youth violence and drug abuse. Together with all 
our other efforts against youth violence, this will be the top crime 
fighting priority of my second term. I've asked the Attorney General to 
closely examine the growing threat of witness intimidation by gangs and 
to recommend strong measures to stop it that can be included in this 
legislation. We must not allow the very gangs we're fighting to grind 
the wheels of justice to a halt.
    Over the past 4 years we've shown that we can roll back crime and 
violence. Now is no time to let up. There is still too much of it. But 
if we continue to work together, to stand up for what is right, to work 
with our community police officers, to take responsibility for ourselves 
and our families and the other children in our communities who need a 
guiding hand and an encouraging word, if we'll do all these things, we 
can keep the crime rate coming down and we can build the future our 
children deserve.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 4:55 p.m. on January 10 in the 
Roosevelt Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 
11.