FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to be here with you today. Mayor Greco and Administrator Hutchinson it is a special honor to share the podium with you this afternoon. The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) is an organization that has stood united for 26 years with an unwavering commitment to bettering law enforcement across the nation. Your membership is a testament to your hard work and dedication to making our great nation a safer place. All that you do reflects your commitment to your valued members. The name, "NOBLE," is most befitting.

Today, we gather to acknowledge your efforts and to give due recognition to those chosen to receive scholarship awards. The students who will be honored are special in deed. They have proven through their achievements that they are deserving. Entitled to both the praise and support that comes with the pursuit of excellence.

I want to thank you, Ebony Ellis, Alicia Jane Johnson and Yvette Strong-Banks for exemplifying the traits that have made this country strong: dedication, determination, and an unbending spirit.

Ebony, your role as Vice President of the sophomore class and as a tutor of Project Discovery, speaks to your concern for making a difference. Alicia, your desire to open forensic labs in inner cities attests to your compassion and interest helping those disadvantaged economically. Yvette, as a former award recipient of the Humanitarian National Concerned Officers Organization, it is evident that your character is wealthy in kindness and a true concern for others. I applaud all of you.

In this free society, your beginnings do not dictate your endings- hard work creates its own rewards. This is simply your beginning. I encourage all of you to consider how, as American citizens, you can contribute to the well being of your nation. Clearly m you have not been fearful of being put to the test your accomplishments speak to thins. NOBLE has aided you in your progress and supported your efforts.

Just as you have been guided by caring public servants, so too must our country be guided. We need the contributions of those truly interested in this nation’s well being. You can continue the path of giving and providing service to your country.

You can do this individually or through organizations like the President’s USA Freedom Corps. Through the USA Freedom Corps the President wants to help every American answer to the call to service. By strengthening and expanding service opportunities, the Freedom Corps offers programs to Americans of all ages who are looking for ways to service their community, our country and the world. The USA Freedom Corps fosters an American culture. The opportunity to help our fellow citizens is the essence of the Corps. I encourage you to participate in the effort and lend a hand in spreading American compassion around the globe.

Our country needs energetic and creative minds that can assist in the resolution of critical national and domestic issues. It needs courageous and bright personalities to accomplish our nation’s objectives. It needs talent and people not afraid of challenge. As you transition form high school into the collegiate environment, it is not too soon to begin thinking of your future and all that you desire for it to hold. Deciding what it is you wish to do once you have completed your education will undoubtedly be an item of much contemplation. As you begin thinking about your future and what career you may wish to pursue, I ask that you consider public service. The benefits of serving your country are many. The people who serve, the best that our land has to offer- they are concerned, conscientious, and selfless.

Just take a look at our gracious hosts here today. There are heroes amongst us. These officers personify those traits that I speak of. They are the courageous men and women of law enforcement who risk their lives in order to protect us from danger and ensure domestic tranquility. I want to thank all of our officers- local, state and federal- for conducting your duties with integrity and professionalism. Thank you for reaching out to your communities and giving back. Thank you for remembering roads once walked while paving the way for those who follow.

I know that since the attacks of September 11^th, your workloads intensified and the burdens have grown. I want to recognize your efforts and commend your perseverance and loyalty. On that horrific day when our peace and sense of safety were so viciously attacked, the world changed forever in a fundamental way. Our national security is now under siege from a stateless enemy willing to use catastrophic means to create terror.

The United States will not permit our enemies to prevail in their quest to destroy the security of this country. Treasury Enforcement is dedicated to ensuring the disruption of terrorist financing, both proactively and preventatively. We are not wait for more lives to be lost, we are taking action now. We have gathered all of our experts in the intelligence, law enforcement, regulatory and financial arenas together. We have called upon them to ferret out those who support, facilitate, and fuel the activities of terrorist groups. With each passing day, we are making it more difficult for them to operate.

While twisted ideology fuel their fanaticism, money is the lifeblood of their activities. By freezing their funds we are striking at the heart of their operations. We must employ all of our assets to track and disrupt the financing of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. On September 23, 2001, the President issued Executive Order 13224 granting the Secretary of the treasury broad powers to freeze the assets of terrorist financiers and their supporters. This authority has given us the ability to attack the financial substructure of terrorist groups- not with bombs or prosecutions, but with financial actions based on the President’s constitutional authorities.

We have acted judiciously. From taskforce to strike force, we have moved to swiftly freeze the assets of 211 individuals and entities which comprise the support network for terrorism. World-wide we have frozen over $112 million of terrorist related funds and have cut channels of funding for future acts of violence and destruction. These blocking actions have been the most purloin of our activities and we think they have proven effective. We have received the support of nearly the entire world in this effort. Currently, 167 countries have blocking order in effect. The United Nations, under Security Council Resolution 1373, has made the freezing, without delay, of terrorist-related assets mandatory on all Member States. The process of identifying and investigating targets is ongoing. Until the al-Qaida and other terrorist factions are brought to justice, we cannot, and will not relent.

We live in perilous times which require new, creative strategies to secure our homeland. A new chapter in government is about to be opened. Good governance is the foundation of the President’s proposed New Department of Homeland Security. It is a practical and necessary appraoch to securing our borders with the full coordination of all of our assets. It is an important and critical step toward protecting our country from future attacks.

As the President noted, the U.S. government has no more important mission than protecting the homeland from future terrorist attacks. Yet the country has never had a comprehensive and shared vision of how best to achieve this goal." In order to address the needs of the country more effectively, the President announced June 6^th the creation of a new Department of Homeland Security.

The definition of "Homeland Security" is as follows: " concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage from attacks that do occur."

President Bush has been clear about what this means. "The terrorist threat to America takes many forms, has many places to hide, and is often invisible. Yet the need for homeland security is tied to our enduring vulnerability. Terrorists wish to attack us and exploit our vulnerabilities because of the freedoms we hold dear . . . We must rally our entire society to overcome a new and very complex challenge. Homeland security is a shared responsibility.

To meet this challenge, the Office of Homeland Security, at the President’s direction, has developed a National Strategy.

The National Strategy is built on six critical mission areas. These areas are: 1) improving our intelligence and warning capabilities; 2) toughening our border and transportation security; 3) strengthening our efforts to prevent domestic terrorism; 4) protecting our critical infrastructure; 5) defending against weapons of mass destruction; and 6) improving our ability to respond to emergencies.

The strategy highlights the importance of capitalizing on the synergy between state, local and federal resources. It also points out several key areas for long-term improvement, including using new technologies to better protect our homeland and launching a new emphasis on research and development in the fields of bioterrorism and detection of weapons of mass destruction.

The duplication of efforts will be eliminated, as will unnecessary jurisdictional disputes. Information sharing, a critical component of our war on terrorism, will be fostered and open communication will be a by-product of this new infrastructure. Enhanced cooperation and a one-team approach will facilitate the ultimate goal -saving the lives of the American people.

Congress is working on a fast track bill for the President’s signature as early as September 11^th- the 1^st year anniversary of the attacks. But enhancing homeland security cannot be accomplished through legislation alone. Soon you will be called upon to meet the demands that come with change and reorganization. I recognize that in these somewhat uncertain times, many of you may feel a degree of anxiety but rest assured that change that leads to improved government benefits all.

In order to ensure that this undertaking is successful, we must stand as a unified last enforcement front- a front free of territorial strife and fragmentation. Crucial to the protection of this great nation is cohesiveness and strength.

Each and every one of us can play a role in securing our nation and caring for our society. We must leave our children and generations to come with a country protected and safe. You are men and women who have honorably chosen to dedicate yourselves to the protection of your fellow man. I know that your will meet these new expectations with the fervor and skill that your have always exemplified. The goal of this mission is the same as that of your prestigious organization, "justice by action."

It is imperative that we remain a strong force- transcending all obstacles impeding unification and therefore progress. We must not allow terrorist penetration into the fiber of America. The cannot be allowed to join us as neighbors next door waiting to prey on our weakness and bring ruin to our great country.

Again, I thanks you for the opportunity to be here with our today. It has truly been a privilege. NOBLE has been, and I am confident will continue to be, a leading force in the representation of law enforcement officers across our nation. I thank you for your efforts and I wish you continued success.