Mike Thompson: “we are listening to a lot of rhetoric about crime and being tough on crime. But no matter how many cops we put on the…”

“we are listening to a lot of rhetoric about crime and being tough on crime. But no matter how many cops we put on the street, no matter how many laws we pass, unless we have strong law enforcement efforts at the very top of the Justice Department and the very top of the executive branch of this Government, we are going to be letting out the back door whatever we are putting in our prison system in the front door. In fact, the policies of an administration are much more important than any other component of our law enforcement system. An administration's decisions as to who to prosecute, how effectively to prosecute, what cases to appeal, and what positions to take, affect thousands and thousands of cases. They affect not only the specific cases that are brought but maybe even can determine what cases are brought in the future. In other words, an administration needs to be strong in its law enforcement position. It needs to advocate the legitimate interests of the Federal Government, when Federal criminal statutes are involved. The President has engaged in strong law enforcement rhetoric. The President states that he is for the death penalty. But it is my unfortunate duty to report that the rhetoric does not match the action.”