GRDN: GUARDIAN TECHNOLOGIES: ***WHITE HOUSE
BRIEFING***REMARKS BY PRESIDENT CLINTON, VICE PRESIDENT AL
GORE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO
SIGNING OF BULLETPROOF VEST BILL
Copyright 1998 Federal Information Systems Corporation A
Federal News Service
JUNE 16, 1998, TUESDAY - 18:01 Eastern Time
ALSO SPEAKING: MARC METAYER, CAPTAIN, VERMONT STATE POLICE
THE EAST ROOM THE WHITE HOUSE
TRANSCRIPT BY: FEDERAL NEWS SERVICE 620 NATIONAL PRESS
BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 20045
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THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. -------------------------
ATTY GEN. RENO: (Please ?) be seated.
Mr. President and Mr. Vice President, Senator Leahy, Captain Metayer, members of
Congress, officers, ladies and gentlemen; thank you all very much for coming, and
welcome to the White House.
Mr. President, nobody has done more than you to give law enforcement officers the tools
with which to reduce crime in America. You have worked hard to provide them with the
ability to protect others. And that makes it all the more appropriate that you are now
helping to provide them with the ability to protect themselves.
Captain Metayer, I know what the Vermont State Police can do. I was honored to
spend some time with you all on your 50th anniversary, last year in Burlington. I had the
opportunity to watch dedicated troopers talk about what they had done in some of those
50 years to make Vermont a safer place.
In return, we must do all that we can to protect the lives of those men and women that
serve with you, that serve around this country in protecting us. And that brings me to
Senator Leahy.
As a representative of Vermont in the Senate and most particularly for his work on the
Judiciary Committee, Senator Leahy has been a wonderful leader for law enforcement in
this country. He shares something with me. We were both local prosecutors. We both
knew what it was like to have an officer down in the middle of the night, having to
respond. And he understands and appreciates how important it is to provide you with the
tools necessary to do the job.
Mr. Vice President, you have been a great and strong supporter of law enforcement, and
you deserve a great deal of the credit for what has been done to support state and local
law enforcement across this land. It's, therefore, a very high honor for me to introduce
the vice president of the United States. (Applause.)
VICE PRESIDENT GORE: Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Attorney
General. I appreciate and I am honored by your kind words.
On behalf of the president, I would like to acknowledge some of the many distinguished
guests who are here. And in addition to Senator Pat Leahy, we also have from the
Senate, Senator Joe Biden, Senator Harry Reid, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell,
Senator Patty Murray and Senator Orrin Hatch. I'd like to thank all of them for being
present. (Applause.)
Also, from the House of Representatives, Congressman Bob Etheridge, Congresswoman
Sheila Jackson-Lee, Congressman Ron Klink, Congressman Frank LoBiondo,
Congressman Jim Maloney, Congressman Scott McInnis, Congressman Mike McIntyre,
Congressman Silvestre Reyes, Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, Congressman Steve
Rothman, Congressman Peter Visclosky and Congressman Bob Wexler; thank you all
for your support of this legislation also. (Applause.)
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And among the representatives of law enforcement organizations who have worked hard
in support of these measures are Steve Young, vice president of the Fraternal Order of
Police; Jim Pasco (sp), executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police; Bob Scully
(sp), executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations; Sam Cabral
(sp), the president of the International Union of Police Associations; Richard Gallow
(sp), vice president of the International Brotherhood of Police Organizations -- Richard
-- that's right. And in addition to Attorney General Janet Reno, we have Associate
Attorney General Ray Fisher. And I will introduce Captain Metayer, who will then
present the president.
But first of all, let me say that in my opinion, this is a very special occasion because it's
going to result in the saving of a lot of lives, it's going to result in an extra amount of
deterrence to promote the control of crime in our country. And it's a personal pleasure to
join -- for me to be able to join with the president and the attorney general in protecting
and supporting our nation's law enforcement officers.
Every morning, all across our country, men and women of courage dress in blue and don
a badge and put their lives at risk so that the rest of us will be able to live in safety and
freedom. Our 700,000 sworn law enforcement officers serve in small hamlets and
teaming metropolitan areas, they serve on the backways and on the broadways, but
wherever they serve, these brave officers deserve nothing less than every measure of
support that we can muster for them.
Since we took office, President Clinton and I have sought to give them just that. Under
the president's leadership, we worked with the nation's law enforcement officers to
fashion the toughest crime bill in the nation's history. We thickened the ranks of the thin
blue line by putting more cops on the beat; specifically, more community police officers
on the sidewalks. We introduced "three strikes and you're out" to get the career criminals
off the street and behind bars for life.
We expanded the death penalty for murderers of federal law enforcement officers, for
drug kingpins and for nearly 60 additional kinds of violent felons. And in an act of true
courage, President Clinton stood side by side with you to ban deadly assault weapons
and keep more guns out of the hands of criminals.
And in the four years since we won passage of the Brady bill, over 300,000 felons,
fugitives and stalkers have been prevented from buying guns. I'm proud that we've helped
police officers bring violent crime rates down for the past six years in a row, the longest
period of decline since President Eisenhower walked these grounds.
But we all know that this is not the end of our fight against the forces of crime and
violence. It is not the end of our campaign to support and honor our peace officers. Quite
to the contrary; it is just the beginning.
The president and I make a point to visit with police officers often. Just this past
weekend, I was at the Mid-City Division of the San Diego Police Department, where the
community police officers there took me on a walking tour of their neighborhood. They
are creating safe streets with a sense of hope in an area that used to have neither.
President Clinton and I know that we owe it to those officers and to the citizens whose
lives they guard to do all we can to protect and safeguard law enforcement officers. A
month ago yesterday, I was honored to join the attorney general in spending time with
some of the over 10,000 men and women gathered on the Mall to observe National
Peace Officers Memorial Day. There are times when events coincide, and on that very
morning, Congress passed a bipartisan bill to provide bullet-proof vests for police
officers. That day, I had the privilege of announcing to the families of survivors and to the
officers gathered there that the sacrifices we were honoring that day would not be
forsaken, and that President Clinton would make this bill the law of the land.
I want to thank President Clinton on behalf of all of us gathered here for taking yet
another step to protect our police and honor their service.
Now, in order to make it clear what exactly it is we're talking about, they've put these
vests up here. And these are not just off- the-shelf new vests. This one right here was
actually worn by Officer Andrew Margiatta (sp) when he was involved in a police pursuit
of of a suspect who had been on a two-day crime spree in the Lynchburg, Virginia area.
061604MZ.ZV He had broken into a house and fired four shots at a deputy sheriff,
robbed two convenience stores and a bunch of other things, and when Officer Margiatta
(sp) observed the suspect's vehicle traveling down a county roadway, he gave chase.
And it ended up with the suspect getting out of his car and shooting at Officer Margiatta
(sp). They had a gunfight, and during that gunfight, Officer Margiatta (sp) was hit three
times. The first of those shots was right toward his chest and the doctors, afterwards,
said that definitely would have been fatal, because of where it was, but he was,
fortunately, wearing personal body armor at the time of the meeting. So instead of killing
him, it resulted in a hospitalization of three days. The suspect was killed in the gunfight,
instead of Officer Margiatta (sp).
And I really think that makes it clear, because there are so many similar episodes around
our country every day. Tragically, there are many where the officer is not wearing a vest,
and I would like, in connection with this legislation, I'd like to add my special word of
thanks to Senator Patrick Leahy for authoring this legislation and for fighting so hard to
pass this legislation. He's a great friend of police officers all across American, and I want
to thank you, Senator Pat Leahy.
Now, the men and women in blue who put their lives on the line for us every day deserve
these vests, but buying a vest is a great burden for a rookie cop. In departments where
police officers have to buy the vests on their own, only 43 percent of them use this shield.
In departments that provide their officers with this protection, 96 percent use it. Let there
be no doubt -- the action President Clinton is taking today will save the lives of our cops.
But don't take my word for it. Last summer, Vermont State Police Captain Marc
Metayer took part in a massive shoot-out with a cop- killer by the name of Carl Draga
(sp).
In that one day, Draga (sp) killed four people, including two New Hampshire police
officers. And while Captain Metayer had bought his own vest, many of his fellow officers
were unprotected and in the line of fire. On this day, when the president will give cops
the protection they need, it is my great pleasure to introduce to you Captain Marc
Metayer. (Applause.)
CAPT. METAYER: Rise to the occasion. (Laughter.)
Thank you, Mr. Vice President, for those kind comments, Attorney General Reno. I'm
honored to have the opportunity to speak at the signing of the Bulletproof Vest
Partnership Grant Act of 1998.
I would like to thank Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Senator Ben Nighthorse
Campbell of Colorado for their efforts in making this lifesaving grant a reality.
As Senator Leahy knows, the need for body armor for Vermont law enforcement
officers was highlighted by the two-state manhunt for Carl Draga (sp) last August. Draga
(sp) killed four people in Colebrook, New Hampshire, including New Hampshire State
Troopers Scott Phillips (sp) and Leslie Lord (sp). He then traveled to Vermont, where
he wounded four more officers during two separate encounters. Draga was killed in the
final exchange of gunfire with a combined force of Vermont, New Hampshire and federal
law enforcement officers.
I know these circumstances from first-hand experience. I was on- the-scene incident
commander for the Vermont State Police when Draga (sp) was finally stopped.
The Draga (sp) incident brought home the fact that no area of the country, regardless of
its remote nature, is immune from senseless violence, violence against our citizens and
violence against our law- enforcement officers. Law enforcement officers must be
prepared for such violence at any time and anyplace.
The Draga (sp) incident erupted from a regular traffic stop in which the troopers were
going to remove registration plates from Draga's (sp) vehicle.
BABY: (Inaudible.)
PRESIDENT CLINTON: We are grateful to have the lowest unemployment rate in 28
years and about to have our first balanced budget in 29 years.
Awe just learned that crime dropped in 1997, as the vice president said, for a virtually
unprecedented sixth year in a row. Murders had declined more than 25 percent, overall
crime by more than 15 percent. In many ways, our country is seeing a return to personal
responsibility -- the welfare rolls are the smallest percentage of our population in 29
years -- and to respect for the law. The crime rate last year dropped to a 25-year low.
That makes a real difference in the lives of Americans. Our neighborhoods are safer; our
families are more secure. Americans actually feel more free, and they are.
There has been a lot of debate in the country about the reasons for the drop in the crime
rate. Of course, a better economy helps, and so do the neighborhood watch groups and
all the efforts being made in communities across the country to keep kids away from
crime, from school uniforms and curfews, to after-school programs and tough truancy
enforcement.
But one thing is absolutely clear; a huge factor in the declining crime rate has been more
police and better policing. Across our country, these men and women in uniform, whom
we honor here today, are putting their lives on the line by joining their communities,
getting out of the squad cars, protecting people. And America owes them a tremendous
debt of gratitude.
When we passed the Crime bill in 1994, we said in six years, we would put a hundred
thousand police on the street. I am pleased to report that already we have helped to fund
76,000 of those 100,000. We're ahead of schedule and under budget. And I am very
proud of that because it makes all the members of the Congress who have supported
this, partners in your fight against crime.
Just yesterday, for example, local officials and federal agents together swept into one of
the most troubled areas in Philadelphia as a part of Operation Sunrise. Working with
local residents, they are targeting crimes and drugs, even graffiti. I applaud their efforts
and hope they'll be replicated. A crucial part of our five-and-a-half-year effort, to make
the federal government a partner with you for a safer America, has been making sure that
police officers have the tools to do the job.
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