FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Good morning. My name is James Johnson. I am the Treasury Under Secretary for Enforcement and, along with my partner Acting Assistant Attorney General Bill Lann Lee, am a co-chair of the National Church Arson Task Force. I'm pleased to be here today to review the Administration's success in response to the problem of arsons at America's houses of worship.

To many, houses of worship are havens, places of comfort and inspiration. They are often the cornerstone of their community. Two years ago, the images of churches burning around the country struck a wellspring of national concern. President Clinton launched a three-pronged strategy to meet this challenge. He committed his Administration to investigating and prosecuting the arsonists, rebuilding burned houses of worship and preventing additional fires. He created the National Church Arson Task Force to investigate and prosecute the arsonists.

Our enforcement efforts have made tremendous progress. I am happy to report that the number of fires being reported has decreased. We believe that this is due to a number of factors including increased vigilance, well-publicized arrests and prosecutions and prevention efforts. As set forth in our Report, the Task Force has opened 670 investigations into arsons, bombings and attempted bombings at houses of worship. Three hundred and eight suspects have been arrested in connection with 230 of the 670 investigations. Two hundred thirty-five defendants have been convicted in connection with 173 fires at houses of worship. While federal authorities have responded to all reported fires, many of the prosecutions have been on state charges. The arrest rate -- 34 percent -- is more than double the 16 percent national rate for arrests in all arson cases.

Arsons are an extremely difficult crime to solve. Vigorous law enforcement efforts and increased coordination among federal, state and local agencies have been vital to our success.

Our task would have been much more difficult without the bipartisan support provided by the Congress. We would like to thank in particular Senators Kennedy and Faircloth, Representatives Hyde and Conyers, the sponsors of the Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996, and the members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Given the level of state involvement in the investigations and prosecutions, we relied heavily on the support of many governors and state and local officials throughout the nation. We were also helped by civil rights and religious groups who helped law enforcement reach out to the affected communities. We thank them for their leadership.

The Task Force drew upon the resources of its constituent agencies and the experience of state and local officials to address the problem we faced. ATF and FBI agents have worked side by side with prosecutors, US Attorneys, Community Relations Service personnel and state and local police and fire authorities in responding to the fires.

A number of important lessons have been distilled from the work of the Task Force and are set forth in the report we are issuing today. Among other things, our success hinged on a clear statement of mission from President Clinton, Vice President Gore, Secretary Rubin and Attorney General Reno, close coordination on the ground between investigators and prosecutors and constructive outreach to the affected communities. With these lessons in mind, the Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to expending the time, resources and effort necessary to solve church arsons and prosecute those who are responsible.