Dave Reichert: “I am a cop. I wear a congressional pin, but I always will live and breathe and think like a cop. I have worked the…”

“I am a cop. I wear a congressional pin, but I always will live and breathe and think like a cop. I have worked the streets for 33 years. Up until January 3 of this year I was a police officer. In the early 1990s, gangs were a huge problem in this country; and we worked hard and passed local tough laws to address the gang issue. And we had success. The crackdown by cops across the Nation in the early 1990s did break the backs of gang activity. And today we need tough laws to continue fighting gang violence and the resurgence of gang activity. These gangs today are more violent. They are committing murders, rapes, and robberies. Cops need tough laws to help them. They need to know that local governments, State governments, and the Federal Government is behind them with tough laws to help them break the backs of gangs. A few years ago I lost a good friend, an officer who worked in the Seattle area. He stopped his police car, opened his car door, stood by the front of his police car, and was approached by three gang members. The job that night, the assignment that night by these gang bangers, kill a cop. And they did. They fired the bullet into the cop's head, and he died. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to pass this bill and protect the lives of citizens of this great country. Mr. Chairman, I am a cop. I wear a Congressional pin, but I will always think like a cop, live and breathe as a cop.…”