Robin Carnahan: “in the war to fight crime in this country we need more than just rhetoric. We need results. During the 1990s, thanks to…”

“in the war to fight crime in this country we need more than just rhetoric. We need results. During the 1990s, thanks to the initiatives of the Clinton administration and the Democratic Congress, we significantly reduced crime nationwide after enactment of the COPS program. We put 100,000 new cops on our streets, and crime rates fell. But over the past decade, Republicans have cut the program. As a result, crime rates have increased nationwide. The Police Executive Research Forum recently released a report that found violent crime rates have risen by double-digit percentages over the last 2 years. Among the cities surveyed, 71 percent had an increase in homicides, and 80 percent saw robberies rise. Today, this House has an opportunity to show it is serious about protecting our neighborhoods by passing the COPS Improvement Act. This legislation will restore the strong anti-crime measures we enacted in the 1990s by providing funding to hire 50,000 new police over the next 6 years. Madam Speaker, the new Democratic majority isn't just talking about keeping our Nation secure; we are producing real results.”