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Biden Unveils Most Comprehensive Anti-crime Legislation in Over a Decade
Fri, 10/26/2007 -
Biden Builds upon revolutionary approach of 1994 Biden Crime Bill while
promoting new, innovative programs to focus on today's problems
October 25, 2007 -- Washington, DC- Chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs and author of the landmark 1994 Crime Bill,
Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) unveiled today the most comprehensive
anti-crime legislation in over a decade. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill builds
upon the revolutionary approach of his 1994 legislation, while promoting
new, innovative programs to focus on today's problems.
In the 1990s, our nation was facing a coast-to-coast crime wave. As a
response, Sen. Biden authored the historic 1994 Crime Bill, which is
credited by many as driving down crime rates to the lowest in a generation.
Unfortunately, due largely to cuts to programs contained in the 1994 Bill,
our nation is now facing a similar crime crisis. Last month, the FBI
released its 2006 crime report based on data from the Uniform Crime
Reporting (UCR) database. For the second consecutive year, there were
measurable increases in violent crime nationwide. This is the first time the
crime rate has risen for two years in a row since the passage of the 1994
Biden Crime Bill, with violent crimes increasing 1.9 percent nationally. In
2005, the FBI found that murders were up 3.4 percent - the largest
percentage increase in 15 years - with 16,692 murders in 2005 - the most
since 1998.
"It should be a surprise to no one that crime is up for the second year in a
row," said Sen. Biden. "The federal government has taken its focus off of
street crime since 9/11, asking law enforcement to do more with less. Fewer
police on the street protecting communities, plus fewer FBI agents focused
on crime control, plus fewer federal law enforcement dollars equals more
crime - it's as simple that. We need to meet this problem head-on, with a
comprehensive approach that blends traditional crime-fighting tools with
2007 technology."
The 2007 Biden Crime Bill builds upon the three-part approach which reduced
crime in the 1990s: invest in prevention programs, dedicate federal support
to community-oriented policing, and ensure that offenders serve
tough-but-fair prison sentences. The bill also addresses the problems of
2007, such as computer hacking, on-line child exploitation, intellectual
property violations, and teenage prescription drug abuse. The bill focuses
on the new challenges everyday police officers face. For example, in a post
9/11 world, our nation is asking our police to shoulder increased homeland
security duties, with less and less federal resources. In addition, the Bush
Administration has transitioned approximately 1,000 FBI agents away from
traditional crime-fighting, to focus on terrorism. To help deal with these
new problems, the 2007 Biden Crime Bill authorizes funds to hire 50,000 new
police officers and 1,000 new FBI agents specifically to focus on
traditional crime.
"Fighting terrorism is and should be a top priority for the FBI," said Sen.
Biden. "But it's a false choice between fighting terrorism and fighting
crime - we can walk and chew gum at the same time."
"Since 1994, the COPS funding has assisted the Delaware State Police in
bringing many innovative policing initiatives to bear in the fight against
violent crime and, also, in ensuring that we protect the homeland," Delaware
State Police Lt. Col. Mark Seifert said. "We added countless tools to our
troopers' toolboxes - such as mobile data computers, automated fingerprint
analysis systems, in car cameras - and these tools are critical to success
in fighting crime and terrorism. With a gathering storm of violent crime
being evidenced nationwide, the Delaware State Police looks for further
federal assistance in expanding our ranks of troopers through the 'COPS
universal hiring' and 'Troops to COPS' programs. We've been fortunate to
keep pace and grow our organization through state allocated funds, but the
COPS office plays a critical role in helping the State Police to foster
innovation in meeting the demands of our communities."
Specifically, the 2007 Biden Crime Bill will:
Reauthorize the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). A
Brookings Institute study determined that for every $1.4 billion invested in
hiring law enforcement officers, society will get back $6 billion to $12
billion. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill revitalizes the Department of Justice
COPS program by authorizing $1.15 billion per year, with $600 million set
aside for hiring over the next six years - resulting in a benefit to society
of $15.4 to $30 billion. The legislation authorizes: $600 million per year
for the police hiring program - enough for up to 50,000 officers to combat
terrorism, school violence, and engage in community policing; $350 million
per year for police departments to acquire new technology and equipment to
track and fight crime; and $200 million per year to help local district
attorneys hire and train community prosecutors. Over the next six years we
can expect roughly a 5% reduction in the crime rate based on a Government
Accountability Office (GAO) study of the effect of COPS from 1993 to 2000.
Add 1,000 FBI Agents to Focus on Traditional Crime. Since 2001, between
1,000 and 2,400 FBI criminal investigators have been transitioned away from
traditional crime fighting to focus on terrorism - without being replaced.
The Bush Administration's budget calls for cutting more than 650 positions
from the criminal program while transferring hundreds more agents to
terrorism-prevention operations. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill authorizes
funding for an additional 1,000 FBI field agents to fight violent crime so
that the FBI does not have to continue to make the trade-off between
fighting crime and terrorism-they must do both. A total of $160 million per
year for the next four years is authorized for this purpose.
Add 500 Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Agents to Fight Drug Trafficking.
The DEA has been suffering from a hiring freeze that has crippled the agency's
ability to deny funding to drug trafficking organizations. The 2007 Biden
Crime Bill authorizes these desperately needed agents. Earlier this year,
DEA Administrator Karen Tandy testified to a House subcommittee about the
effect of the DEA hiring freeze: "[T]he impact of the freeze and the loss of
these positions is expected to amount to 180-plus fewer primary drug
organizations that we will be able to disrupt or dismantle, and most likely,
approximately $300 million less in revenue that we will be able to deny the
traffickers." While circumstances are slowly improving at DEA, there should
be a vigorous effort to restore the special agent positions lost through
attrition. This provision achieves that.
Reduce Recidivism. If we are going to reduce recidivism and crime, we
simply have to make concerted, common-sense efforts now to help the 650,000
ex-offenders released from Federal and State prisons every year successfully
re-enter and re-integrate into their communities. Currently, ex-offenders
make a real contribution to our rising crime rates - two-thirds of released
State prisoners will be rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor
within three years of release. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill provides more than
$1 billion for substance abuse treatment programs, academic and vocational
education programs, housing and job counseling programs, and mentoring for
offenders who are approaching release and who have been released.
Create A National Commission on Crime Intervention And Prevention
Strategies. There is a sea of information on intervention and prevention
strategies and we need a central source to identify intervention and
prevention programs that are most ready for replication around the country.
We also must provide resources and guidance in a direct and accessible
format to state and local law enforcement on how to implement those
strategies. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill will create a National Commission to
address these issues and provide this kind of information and resources.
Curb the Rise in Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse. Trends in
drug abuse are like a balloon: squeeze one side of the balloon, and the
other side expands. Recently reports show that abuse of prescription drugs,
including popular painkillers, are on the rise. 1 in 5 teens has abused a
prescription medication and 1 in 10 has gotten high off over-the-counter
cough and cold medicines. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill counters this movement
by restoring and ratcheting up critical funding for prevention and
treatment, authorizing new grant programs that are tailored to emerging drug
threats, and shutting down rogue, Internet pharmacies that distill these
dangerous drugs without a valid prescription.
Stop Senseless Gun Violence: Renewing the Assault Weapons Ban and Closing
the Gun Show Loophole. The Biden Crime Bill provides for a straight-forward
reauthorization of the assault weapons ban that became law in 1994 and it
closes the so-called gun show loophole by requiring all gun show sales
submit to federal background checks, just like any store-based firearm sale.
Update Current Law to Keep Up with Changing Technologies: The 2007 Biden
Crime Bill also updates federal laws relating to child exploitation and
violence against children, drug possession and trafficking, firearms,
computer crimes and intellectual property and victims rights.
The 2007 Biden Crime Bill enjoys the support of many leading law enforcement
groups, including the International Chiefs of Police and the National
Association of Police Organizations.
Sen. Biden was joined at a press conference unveiling this new legislation
by several Chiefs of Police and representatives of local law enforcement
from his home state of Delaware: Lt. Colonel Mark Seifert of the Delaware
State Police; Major Stewart Snyder of New Castle County Police; Jeff
Horvath, Chief of Dover Police; Mike Capriglione, Chief of Newport Police
and president of the Delaware Police Chiefs Council; Neal Strauss, Chief of
Elsmere Police; Trinidad Navarro of New Castle County Police; Billy
Toppings, Chief of Georgetown Police; and Martin Johnson, Coordinator of the
Delaware Police Chiefs Council and retired Major from the Delaware State
Police.
At the press conference, Sen. Biden also released a report called "Crime in
America: The Federal Government's Responsibility to Help Fight Crime in our
Communities."
Biden Unveils Most Comprehensive Anti-crime Legislation in Over a Decade
Fri, 10/26/2007 -
Biden Builds upon revolutionary approach of 1994 Biden Crime Bill while
promoting new, innovative programs to focus on today's problems
October 25, 2007 -- Washington, DC- Chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs and author of the landmark 1994 Crime Bill,
Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) unveiled today the most comprehensive
anti-crime legislation in over a decade. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill builds
upon the revolutionary approach of his 1994 legislation, while promoting
new, innovative programs to focus on today's problems.
In the 1990s, our nation was facing a coast-to-coast crime wave. As a
response, Sen. Biden authored the historic 1994 Crime Bill, which is
credited by many as driving down crime rates to the lowest in a generation.
Unfortunately, due largely to cuts to programs contained in the 1994 Bill,
our nation is now facing a similar crime crisis. Last month, the FBI
released its 2006 crime report based on data from the Uniform Crime
Reporting (UCR) database. For the second consecutive year, there were
measurable increases in violent crime nationwide. This is the first time the
crime rate has risen for two years in a row since the passage of the 1994
Biden Crime Bill, with violent crimes increasing 1.9 percent nationally. In
2005, the FBI found that murders were up 3.4 percent - the largest
percentage increase in 15 years - with 16,692 murders in 2005 - the most
since 1998.
"It should be a surprise to no one that crime is up for the second year in a
row," said Sen. Biden. "The federal government has taken its focus off of
street crime since 9/11, asking law enforcement to do more with less. Fewer
police on the street protecting communities, plus fewer FBI agents focused
on crime control, plus fewer federal law enforcement dollars equals more
crime - it's as simple that. We need to meet this problem head-on, with a
comprehensive approach that blends traditional crime-fighting tools with
2007 technology."
The 2007 Biden Crime Bill builds upon the three-part approach which reduced
crime in the 1990s: invest in prevention programs, dedicate federal support
to community-oriented policing, and ensure that offenders serve
tough-but-fair prison sentences. The bill also addresses the problems of
2007, such as computer hacking, on-line child exploitation, intellectual
property violations, and teenage prescription drug abuse. The bill focuses
on the new challenges everyday police officers face. For example, in a post
9/11 world, our nation is asking our police to shoulder increased homeland
security duties, with less and less federal resources. In addition, the Bush
Administration has transitioned approximately 1,000 FBI agents away from
traditional crime-fighting, to focus on terrorism. To help deal with these
new problems, the 2007 Biden Crime Bill authorizes funds to hire 50,000 new
police officers and 1,000 new FBI agents specifically to focus on
traditional crime.
"Fighting terrorism is and should be a top priority for the FBI," said Sen.
Biden. "But it's a false choice between fighting terrorism and fighting
crime - we can walk and chew gum at the same time."
"Since 1994, the COPS funding has assisted the Delaware State Police in
bringing many innovative policing initiatives to bear in the fight against
violent crime and, also, in ensuring that we protect the homeland," Delaware
State Police Lt. Col. Mark Seifert said. "We added countless tools to our
troopers' toolboxes - such as mobile data computers, automated fingerprint
analysis systems, in car cameras - and these tools are critical to success
in fighting crime and terrorism. With a gathering storm of violent crime
being evidenced nationwide, the Delaware State Police looks for further
federal assistance in expanding our ranks of troopers through the 'COPS
universal hiring' and 'Troops to COPS' programs. We've been fortunate to
keep pace and grow our organization through state allocated funds, but the
COPS office plays a critical role in helping the State Police to foster
innovation in meeting the demands of our communities."
Specifically, the 2007 Biden Crime Bill will:
Reauthorize the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). A
Brookings Institute study determined that for every $1.4 billion invested in
hiring law enforcement officers, society will get back $6 billion to $12
billion. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill revitalizes the Department of Justice
COPS program by authorizing $1.15 billion per year, with $600 million set
aside for hiring over the next six years - resulting in a benefit to society
of $15.4 to $30 billion. The legislation authorizes: $600 million per year
for the police hiring program - enough for up to 50,000 officers to combat
terrorism, school violence, and engage in community policing; $350 million
per year for police departments to acquire new technology and equipment to
track and fight crime; and $200 million per year to help local district
attorneys hire and train community prosecutors. Over the next six years we
can expect roughly a 5% reduction in the crime rate based on a Government
Accountability Office (GAO) study of the effect of COPS from 1993 to 2000.
Add 1,000 FBI Agents to Focus on Traditional Crime. Since 2001, between
1,000 and 2,400 FBI criminal investigators have been transitioned away from
traditional crime fighting to focus on terrorism - without being replaced.
The Bush Administration's budget calls for cutting more than 650 positions
from the criminal program while transferring hundreds more agents to
terrorism-prevention operations. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill authorizes
funding for an additional 1,000 FBI field agents to fight violent crime so
that the FBI does not have to continue to make the trade-off between
fighting crime and terrorism-they must do both. A total of $160 million per
year for the next four years is authorized for this purpose.
Add 500 Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Agents to Fight Drug Trafficking.
The DEA has been suffering from a hiring freeze that has crippled the agency's
ability to deny funding to drug trafficking organizations. The 2007 Biden
Crime Bill authorizes these desperately needed agents. Earlier this year,
DEA Administrator Karen Tandy testified to a House subcommittee about the
effect of the DEA hiring freeze: "[T]he impact of the freeze and the loss of
these positions is expected to amount to 180-plus fewer primary drug
organizations that we will be able to disrupt or dismantle, and most likely,
approximately $300 million less in revenue that we will be able to deny the
traffickers." While circumstances are slowly improving at DEA, there should
be a vigorous effort to restore the special agent positions lost through
attrition. This provision achieves that.
Reduce Recidivism. If we are going to reduce recidivism and crime, we
simply have to make concerted, common-sense efforts now to help the 650,000
ex-offenders released from Federal and State prisons every year successfully
re-enter and re-integrate into their communities. Currently, ex-offenders
make a real contribution to our rising crime rates - two-thirds of released
State prisoners will be rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor
within three years of release. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill provides more than
$1 billion for substance abuse treatment programs, academic and vocational
education programs, housing and job counseling programs, and mentoring for
offenders who are approaching release and who have been released.
Create A National Commission on Crime Intervention And Prevention
Strategies. There is a sea of information on intervention and prevention
strategies and we need a central source to identify intervention and
prevention programs that are most ready for replication around the country.
We also must provide resources and guidance in a direct and accessible
format to state and local law enforcement on how to implement those
strategies. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill will create a National Commission to
address these issues and provide this kind of information and resources.
Curb the Rise in Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse. Trends in
drug abuse are like a balloon: squeeze one side of the balloon, and the
other side expands. Recently reports show that abuse of prescription drugs,
including popular painkillers, are on the rise. 1 in 5 teens has abused a
prescription medication and 1 in 10 has gotten high off over-the-counter
cough and cold medicines. The 2007 Biden Crime Bill counters this movement
by restoring and ratcheting up critical funding for prevention and
treatment, authorizing new grant programs that are tailored to emerging drug
threats, and shutting down rogue, Internet pharmacies that distill these
dangerous drugs without a valid prescription.
Stop Senseless Gun Violence: Renewing the Assault Weapons Ban and Closing
the Gun Show Loophole. The Biden Crime Bill provides for a straight-forward
reauthorization of the assault weapons ban that became law in 1994 and it
closes the so-called gun show loophole by requiring all gun show sales
submit to federal background checks, just like any store-based firearm sale.
Update Current Law to Keep Up with Changing Technologies: The 2007 Biden
Crime Bill also updates federal laws relating to child exploitation and
violence against children, drug possession and trafficking, firearms,
computer crimes and intellectual property and victims rights.
The 2007 Biden Crime Bill enjoys the support of many leading law enforcement
groups, including the International Chiefs of Police and the National
Association of Police Organizations.
Sen. Biden was joined at a press conference unveiling this new legislation
by several Chiefs of Police and representatives of local law enforcement
from his home state of Delaware: Lt. Colonel Mark Seifert of the Delaware
State Police; Major Stewart Snyder of New Castle County Police; Jeff
Horvath, Chief of Dover Police; Mike Capriglione, Chief of Newport Police
and president of the Delaware Police Chiefs Council; Neal Strauss, Chief of
Elsmere Police; Trinidad Navarro of New Castle County Police; Billy
Toppings, Chief of Georgetown Police; and Martin Johnson, Coordinator of the
Delaware Police Chiefs Council and retired Major from the Delaware State
Police.
At the press conference, Sen. Biden also released a report called "Crime in
America: The Federal Government's Responsibility to Help Fight Crime in our
Communities."
