Orrin Hatch: “this Commission will explore issues surrounding the future and mission of Federal law enforcement as we enter the 21st…”

“this Commission will explore issues surrounding the future and mission of Federal law enforcement as we enter the 21st century. Among other things, the Commission will assess our efforts to prevent and investigate future acts of domestic and international terrorism. It will consider the pressing issues facing law enforcement as crime rates rise and as criminals become more sophisticated. I appreciate the fact that the law enforcement community is sensitive to this sort of review, but this Commission is different in focus, and we made it different in focus in the conference from the House-passed version. What was once a Waco-Ruby Ridge Commission with subpoena power is now a Commission to help Congress set Federal law enforcement priorities for the 21st century. It is a Commission which, in my opinion, will help law enforcement. I must say to my friends in the law enforcement community that I only learned of their concerns after the report was filed. If there are specific areas of the Commission's scope which are truly troublesome, I will work with them to try to address their concerns. It should be noted that the last time a Commission looked at Federal law enforcement was over 60 years ago in 1931.”