Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, the amendment before us tonight does not give the flexibility that H.R. 728 will do. H.R. 728, without this amendment, will in fact give each community the right to establish law enforcement block grants, the right to have such programs as community policing, which has worked so well in Pennsylvania, where the police are tied in closely with community leaders and each person on each block. Our town watch programs, where each community works with either walking patrols or walking operations where they keep in touch with law enforcement officials. Or drug courts, which specialize in prosecutions that deal with violent crime and those that are drug-oriented. Or crimes against the elderly and the programs that work with our senior citizen organizations. Or even the child-lure program, the ones that prevent the exploitation and abduction of children in our communities. All the law enforcement officers that I have spoken to in Pennsylvania feel that the block grant approach will give us the kind of flexibility that we need to truly fight the war against crime.”