Political Quotes

“Today Senator Campbell and I are introducing the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Act of 1998, along with Senators D'Amato, Dodd, Hatch, Hollings, Johnson, Kennedy, Reid and Torricelli. I am particularly pleased that the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Hatch, is an original cosponsor of this bill. Our bipartisan legislation is intended to save the lives of law enforcement officers across the country by helping state and local law enforcement agencies provide their officers with body armor. Far too many police officers are needlessly killed each year while serving to protect our citizens. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than 30 percent of the 1,182 officers killed by a firearm in the line of duty since 1980 could have been saved if they had been wearing body armor. Indeed, the FBI estimates that the risk of fatality to officers while not wearing body armor is 14 times higher than for officers wearing it. Unfortunately, far too many state and local law enforcement agencies cannot afford to provide every officer in their jurisdictions with the protection of body armor.”