Atlanta, GA
~ Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Remarks as prepared for delivery
Thank you Clarence [Cox], for that introduction, and for
your hard work to protect the children in Clayton County public schools.
I want to thank Perry Bryant as well for hosting us today,
along with Dwayne Crawford for the invitation.
And thank you Perry as well for your input on our Task Force on Reducing
Violent Crime. This is a top priority for the Department. I received the
recommendations of the task force last week and am very pleased with what I’ve
seen so far.
NOBLE is celebrating its 41st year this year. September
1976. That’s about the same time I got started as a federal prosecutor down in
Alabama. So I know—41 years is a long time ago! You have nearly 60 chapters and
represent over 3,000 members now. But NOBLE started as a symposium to discuss
issues like the high crime rate in urban communities, improving community
relationships with police, and the hiring and promotion of black police
officers. These were important issues 41 years ago. And they are critically
important and relevant issues today. I am honored to speak to you today.
Because the work you do here at NOBLE is an inspiration every day.
It is an honor to be with you, and to be with hundreds of
men and women who dedicate their lives, each and every day, every shift, at
great personal peril to keep our communities safe.
I was a federal prosecutor for 14 years, and during that
time, I was blessed to partner every day with federal, state, and local law
enforcement officers to protect the rights of all individuals. We might have been a small U.S. Attorney’s
office in Mobile, Alabama, but we took tons of drugs off our streets,
dismantled domestic and international fraud schemes, and prosecuted civil
rights offenders to the fullest extent possible. There is nothing I am more proud of than what
we accomplished in our district.
You all have that same kind of impact, and I can take
satisfaction in your noble work.
It is a facet of all modern societies that you cannot have
safety, comfort, and a thriving community without an effective police
department. In addition, it is of the utmost importance that the police
department reflect the society it is entrusted with protecting. You here at NOBLE have been key to ensuring
that this principle is not taken for granted or ignored. Unfortunately, your work—in many cases—is
becoming even more difficult and dangerous.
That’s because we are fighting a multi-front battle in our
communities against violent crime, murder, and drug overdoses—all of which are
on the rise.
After decreasing for nearly 20 years, violent crime is
making a comeback across America. The
murder rate has surged nearly 11 percent nationwide in just one year – the
largest increase since 1968. Per capita
homicide rates are up in 27 of our 35 largest cities. As described by the
media, Baltimore and Chicago have turned into killing fields.
Law enforcement officers like you are on the front
lines. You see these deaths up close;
you don’t have the luxury of looking away, changing the channel, or pretending
the problem doesn’t exist. As anyone
here knows, too often you not only don’t get the credit you deserve, but are
now in harm’s way more than ever.
In fact, violence against police is on the rise across this
country. Last year, 66 law enforcement
officers were murdered in the line of duty – an increase of 61 percent compared
to 2015. And preliminary data shows that officer deaths for the first six
months of the year are up another 18 percent.
This includes the tragic shooting of Officer Miosotis
Familia, a mother of 3, and a 12 year NYPD veteran, who was assassinated
earlier this month in New York City simply because she was on patrol and doing
her job. She was sitting in her car when
the cowardly assassin walked up and shot her at close range.
And we know violence against police has more than just an
immediate effect. It is a catastrophe if more people decide not to make a
career in law enforcement. More than ever, we need the best of the best joining
the force.
At Officer Familia’s funeral, NYPD Commissioner James
O’Neill said it well: “cops are regular people who believe in the possibility
of making this a safer world. That’s why
we run toward danger, when others run away.”
You deserve the support and respect of every American, and
I’m here today on behalf of President Trump and the Department of Justice to
say thank you. I am proud to stand with
you. The Department of Justice is proud to stand with you. This President is
proud to stand with you. We have your back.
And this is important because we can all agree that you’re
safer on your rounds when everyone respects law enforcement. The communities
you serve are safer too.
Just a few weeks ago, Gallup released their annual poll,
which showed that overall confidence in the police has risen to 57 percent this
year. That is great news and a testament to the work you do every day.
But we also know that number doesn’t tell the whole story.
Most of the country continues to hold police in high regard, but in that same
poll, only 30 percent of African-Americans say that they have confidence in
police. In the last three years, that number has dropped by five points. That
means African-Americans have the least trust in police of any group in the
United States.
We all know the cases of the last several years where, in
confrontations with police, lives have been cut short. Just as I am committed
to defending law enforcement who use deadly force while lawfully engaged in
their work, I will also hold any officer responsible breaking the law. You and
I know that all it takes is one bad officer to destroy the reputations of so
many who work day in and day out to build relationships in these communities
and serve with honor and distinction.
We cannot let mayors and city councils run down police in
communities that are suffering only to see crime spike in the very
neighborhoods that need proactive, community policing the most. That helps no
one. That protects no one.
I just returned from El Salvador last week—a country ravaged
by transnational gangs like MS-13 and where the murder rate is nearly 20 times
higher. That is what a country can look like when the rule of law breaks down.
And that is what you represent every day on your beat—the rule of law. So we
need you and we need to support you.
President Trump is serious about supporting our state and
local law enforcement. That is why he sent my Department three executive
orders. One directs us to be supportive of law enforcement. A second declared
that our mission is to “reduce crime” in America. And the third requires us to
dismantle transnational criminal organizations. These are our goals and we are
getting after them.
Carrying out the President’s first executive order—to
support law enforcement—helps us carry out the second—reducing crime. The Department has been working at your side
to crack down on gun crimes and drugs. I
know that Perry has been a strong advocate for taking and keeping guns out of
the hands of criminals, and I agree with him that this will reduce violent
crime overall. That’s why, in March, I
issued a memo telling our prosecutors to prioritize criminals with guns, and
since then we’ve seen a 23 percent increase in the number of federal gun
prosecutions.
Everyone here knows that drug trafficking is an inherently
violent business. If you want to collect
a drug debt, you can't, and don't, file a lawsuit in court. You collect it by the barrel of a gun. If we want to reduce violent crime and
homicides, then we must take on the epidemic of drug abuse in this
country. We have to send a clear message
that drugs destroy lives.
This mission is important because it’s not our privileged
communities that suffer the most from crime and violence. Nothing is more damaging to a struggling
community than high crime rates.
The first and most important job of this government—and any
government—is to protect the safety and the rights of its citizens; the first
civil right is that to be alive. If we
fail at this task, then every other government initiative loses its importance.
Schools are less effective, fewer businesses can succeed, grocery stores
disappear, and home values plummet.
Suddenly, a retired couple who worked their whole lives to buy their
home finds themselves trapped in a failing community, unable to pass along that
nest egg to their children and threatened daily by the increasing violence
around them.
This is not right. Regardless of wealth or race, every
American has the right to demand a safe neighborhood. Every American deserves
to live without the constant fear of violence spilling over into their daily
lives.
And we need to do more.
We know that our mission depends on you.
85 percent of all law officers are state, local, and tribal. You are
America’s first line of defense.
NOBLE’s motto is “Justice by Action.” Justice requires courageous men and women to
stand up and do the right thing each and every day. Thank you all for answering that call and for
choosing to do this honorable work. You,
more than perhaps any other law enforcement organization, represent crucial
ambassadors to some of the communities that trust law enforcement the least.
Thank you for your trust and professionalism.
We have your back and you have our thanks.
Thank you.
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