When I was raising my family and attending law school, I also worked as a U.S Capitol Police officer.  Today, I still feel a special bond with those who protect our communities.  I have worked to provide more resources for our law enforcement community, meet the greater demands of homeland security since September 11, 2001, protect an officer’s right to carry firearms, fight the drug war domestically as well as internationally, and protect our children from harm.

Providing the Resources Law Enforcement Needs
Public safety is one of the most important jobs of any government.  That’s why securing adequate funds to fight crime in Nevada and to protect our nation from terrorist attacks is one of my top priorities. 

The law enforcement community should be proud that crime dropped across the nation in the 1990s.  In part, this drop was caused because of programs like the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), which gave local law enforcement agencies the resources to put more cops on the streets.  Today the Administration is trying to slash the resources that are needed to keep criminals on the run.  The Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2009 Budget would do away with COPS and most of the other federally funded law enforcement programs such as the Byrne grants, Justice Assistance Grants (JAG), and Juvenile Justice and Exploited Children funding.  Cutting this money would force states to eliminate important programs such as antidrug task forces, juvenile offender rehabilitation, drug courts, victim and witness protection program, and drug treatment centers.

Slashing $1 billion from local law enforcement won’t make our communities safer.  Nevada officers are working hard to meet the increased demands of homeland security and a rapidly growing population.  They need more resources, not fewer.  I have always supported increasing funding for the COPS program, which is why I’m a cosponsor of the COPS Improvements Act of 2007 (S.368).  And I will  keep fighting to ensure our communities receive the funding necessary to give local law enforcement the tools they need to protect us.

I am proud that through my position in the Senate I have been able to secure funding for our local law enforcement agencies.  Whether it’s life saving technology and equipment or funding for anti-drug programs, I will continue to do everything I can to protect Nevadans against crime.

Last year, I secured the following funds for community safety and law enforcement:

• $446,500 to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) for a Mobile Command Center to assist first responders in a crisis
• $89,300 to the LVMPD for gun range improvements that will allow our law enforcement officers to train more efficiently and effectively
• $580,450 to the Identity Theft and Financial Fraud Research Center, a partnership between the LVMPD and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to develop technology to combat identity theft
• $223,250 to the North Las Vegas Police Department for the Computer Aided Dispatch System to allow police to respond to incidents faster
• $399,500 to purchase a new Department Records Management System for the North Las Vegas Police Department
• $410,780 to the Henderson Police Department for crime lab equipment to address a serious backlog of DNA and other evidence processing
• $432,400 Henderson Police Department to purchase In-Car video systems and a license plate recognition system
• $178,600 to Nye County for a Remote Surveillance System, used in conjunction with the Amber Alert system, to detect wanted or stolen vehicles
• $893,000 to the Mills B. Lane Justice Complex for security upgrades after the tragic shooting of Judge Chuck Weller
• $223,250 to the City of Reno to fund the Reno Interoperability Project, an effort to create a communications network between various agencies so that they can better communicate in the event of an emergency
• $89,300 to the Washoe County Jail Diversion Initiative to create a program designed to help the community deal with non-violent mentally-ill offenders
• $44,650 for the Carson and Rural Elderly Program (CARE) Law to provide low-income seniors, including those residing in convalescent homes, assisted living facilities and visiting senior centers, access to legal services and representation
• $312,550 to the Partnership Carson City Anti-Meth Coalition to support several anti-methamphetamine task forces and to conduct treatment and counseling programs for adults and juvenile offenders

Fighting for Homeland Security Funding
The terrorist attacks of 9-11 changed our world, and nobody knows that better than our law enforcement officers. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security has placed new responsibilities on Nevada law enforcement agencies.

Resources are spread thin, yet there are new demands on communication, manpower, and equipment demands. I am working with each Nevada agency to ensure their highest priority needs are met. Since September 11, 2001, I have secured more than $80 million in grants and other funding for Nevada's law enforcement and homeland security efforts. Most of these funds go to state and local law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and other emergency responders.

I also helped establish the National Center for Combating Terrorism at the Nevada Test Site to better train America's counter-terrorism personnel and first responders. Since then I have secured more than $100 million for the Center to train nearly 10,000 first responders from around the nation.

Law Enforcement Weapons-Carry Bill
I worked to pass the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, which exempts qualified current and former law enforcement officers from state laws prohibiting the carrying of concealed handguns across state lines. This law ensures that officers who undergo the rigorous training to carry concealed weapons will have their experience recognized in every state. It makes our communities safer by allowing law enforcement officers to effectively fight crime wherever they go, and it protects officers from criminals who carry a grudge.  I also introduced a bill to make air travel safer by allowing local law enforcement to carry their firearms on aircrafts, the “Safer Skies Act of 2006.”  This legislation is needed to increase the safety of our airplanes, as well as to make it easier for local law enforcement to travel across the country.  Local law enforcement officers are our nation's first responders, but they are also the nation's early preventers. They are the first to identify local crimes that could turn into national attacks. They are the first to report suspicious behavior that could thwart a future terrorist attack. And they are the ones who can keep our nation safe by stopping a terrorist threat before it becomes an attack. Their eyes, ears and experience are critical to our national security, and that includes on airplanes.   This bill is another step forward in the war against terror.

Illegal Drugs and Methamphetamine
The Administration has shifted the focus of our efforts in the war on drugs by directing our resources outside of the United States.  Combating the supply of drugs from foreign countries may be an important piece in a comprehensive solution, but we can’t ignore the dangers closer to home.

I know many Nevada communities are reporting a drastic increase in the use and production of methamphetamine and other illegal drugs. Methamphetamine robs people of their health and ability to be productive members of society, and it causes increased criminal activity.  I’ve cosponsored the Combat Methamphetamine Enhancement Act of 2007 in order to fight meth right here at home.  This bill would help law enforcement ensure that the ingredients used to produce meth are not being sold to drug dealers.  I also worked to pass The Combat Meth Act and an amendment called the “COPS Hot Spots” to provide more resources to fight meth.
 
Additionally, I have supported the creation of task forces throughout our state to seek out and halt the manufacture of methamphetamine.  I secured funding in 2001 to create the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program in Southern Nevada that is now being expanded statewide.  I helped secure $250,000 to assist Nye County local law enforcement agencies to curb the drug's production and distribution, and I am committed to helping drug task forces throughout the state receive the funding they need.  I promise to continue supporting legislation that will help combat this horrible scourge.    

Preventing Gang Violence
Gang violence is a serious problem affecting communities across the nation.  The recent rash of shooting near Nevada schools forcefully reminded us that we are not immune from this problem.  I have consistently supported legislation to increase the penalties for gang-related crimes.  For example, in September 2007 the Senate passed the Gang Abatement and Prevention Act (S.456).  This bill provides police and prosecutors with the tools they need to clamp down on criminal street gangs, and provides the Department of Justice with grants to study more efficient ways to combat youth crime. 

I also supported the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1993 that made membership in a criminal street gang a federal crime and that provided block grants to help states and localities fight criminal street gangs, and I have worked to provide funds for several anti-gang programs such as the Gang Resistance Education and Training Act (GREAT), The Restitution Earned Accountability (REAL) program, and the Richard Steele Youth Boxing Club.  These programs provide much needed counseling and education for at risk youth.

Protecting Our Children
I have always supported strong measures to protect our children.  I have been active in working to stop child abduction. I coauthored the Mikey Kale Passport Notification Act which prevents international abductions by requiring both parents to give written permission before passports can be issued to minors.  I have also cosponsored the Family Abduction Prevention Act and the Bringing Our Children Home Act, secured funds for Nevada Child Seekers and the Nevada AMBER Alert program, supported a strong national sex offender registration and notification system, and supported fully funding the Adam Walsh Act.

I am committed to continuing to use my leadership position in the Senate to enact laws that provide greater protections against sex offenders.  I am pleased that the Senate passed the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and I will continue to push for this legislation to become law.  Once enacted, it will require states to have uniform sex offender registration Web sites, establish mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes against children, and tighten sex offender registry requirements.

Additionally, for 2006, I was able to secure $165,000 for the Henderson Community Foundation AMBER Alert. The funds will be used for the purchase and installation of a Dynamic Message Sign to get out important AMBER Alert messages regarding abducted children.

Juvenile Justice
I am committed to supporting programs that help Nevada’s youth stay away from crime, drugs, and gangs.  Throughout my career in Congress, I have supported funding programs that address the problems faced by at-risk youth including reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, the Violence Against Women Act, and the Department of Justice Reauthorization Act.

I have been able to secure the following funds for Nevada to support our youth:

• $150,000 for the Youth Advocate Program in Clark County to provide a low cost alternative to incarceration for juvenile offenders and help relieve overcrowding in correctional facilities
• $650,000 for the Family Development Foundation of Nevada to provide leadership and guidance to develop, expand, and enhance community responses to family problems
• $50,000 for the City of Henderson Underage Drinking Program
• $3,000,000 for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges that trains judges on how to handle juvenile offenders
• $80,000 for the City of Reno’s graffiti abatement effort

Identity Theft
Unfortunately, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States, affecting over 10 million individuals each year.  Most identity thieves steal personal information to establish credit in a victim’s name.  The same electronic methods that have eased many electronic transactions have also led to problems with the protection of personal information including Social Security numbers and credit card data. Currently, two federal laws limit access to consumer information including the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Gramm-Leach-Biley Act.  In 2007, the Senate passed another bill to help curtail this growing problem.  The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2007 (S.2168), will provide additional funds, penalties, and rights for victim compensation.  I will continue to fight for protection of consumer information, and I am committed to pursuing legislation that implements the newest and best ideas for combating identity theft.