Thank you, President [Ernest] Green.
I'm not sure what I appreciate more – your warm welcome or the semi-warm
Florida weather. After all the snow
we've seen in Washington this week,
it's good to be here in Tampa. But more importantly it's great to be
among so many friends.
Over the years, I've been privileged to
work with many of you. And I've had the pleasure of watching this
organization increase its membership, its outreach programs, and its
impact on cities in crisis and communities in need.
In 1976, the year the National Organization
for Black Law Enforcement Officers was launched, I joined the
Department of Justice as a young prosecutor. My career path was guided
by the same commitment, the same inability to turn a blind eye to
injustice, and the same optimism that inspired NOBLE's
founding.
Now, some of the younger people in this
room may not remember those days. But those of us with more than a few
gray hairs on our heads can recall that it was a time of extraordinary
challenge. It was also a time of unprecedented fear.
In the 1960s and 70s, America's crime rate
increased more than five-fold. Violent crime nearly quadrupled. The
murder rate doubled. Illegal drug use surged. And our prison population
skyrocketed.
In the face of these challenges, a small
group of concerned, frustrated, and, ultimately, hopeful law enforcement
executives came together. These officers had risen through the
professional ranks and diversified the leadership of their departments.
And they wanted to open the doors of opportunity for communities that
had been left behind and for colleagues who had been overlooked.
These leaders saw firsthand both the value
and obstacles of diversifying our nation's police departments. They
also recognized that the nationwide call to crack down on crime had, too
often, also resulted in a breakdown of trust between police officers
and the communities they served.
Their initial conversation has developed
into a vibrant national dialogue -- one that each of you has helped to
sustain. By pressing the communities you serve toward progress, and the
colleagues you work alongside toward fairness, you've also strengthened
this discussion.
I'm grateful to all of you. In particular,
I want to thank you for your work with the federal government on a
range of law enforcement issues. And I want you to know that your
expertise and engagement will be critical in helping this Justice
Department achieve its goals for this year and beyond.
Today, I've been asked to tell you about
the Department's key goals. I also want to talk to you about some of
the challenges you're facing.
Last fall, when I met with several members
of NOBLE's leadership team, I explained
that the Justice Department is in the process of "getting back to
basics." We're working to reinvigorate the Department's traditional
missions and to revive an ethos of integrity, independence, and
transparency in everything we do.
At every level, we're focused on job one:
protecting the safety of the American people. In addition to combating
terrorism and fighting crime, we're also working to enforce our laws in a
neutral and nonpartisan manner and to re-establish and strengthen our
relationships with state, local, and tribal authorities.
In the months ahead, we plan to give
particular emphasis to initiatives aimed at tackling economic crime,
international organized crime, youth violence, and the exploitation of
children. We will also be focusing on improving our corrections system
and ensuring that conditions are secure, humane, and aimed at
rehabilitation. And we intend to build on the great progress we've made
in opening new channels of communication with other agencies and with
our partners in the field.
In meeting these goals, I know that success
will depend on how well we support our partners in local law
enforcement. It will also depend on our ability to provide the
investments you need to do your jobs well.
From day one, this Administration has
signaled a commitment to providing local law enforcement officials with
sufficient resources. And the Justice Department is an enthusiastic
partner in this work.
Through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act alone, we have awarded more than $2
billion through the Office of Justice Programs. And we've
allocated more than $1 billion through the
office of Community Oriented Policing Services. In targeting these
resources, a key priority is keeping law enforcement safe. Just a few
weeks ago, I announced that $11 million
will be pumped into our Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program. This
investment will allow us to purchase an estimated 26,000 additional
bullet-resistant vests this year. These new vests will save and protect
lives, and they represent a small part of a much larger commitment to
law enforcement safety.
Let me be clear about this: violence
against law enforcement will not be tolerated. At every level of the
Justice Department, and in every corner of our country, acts of violence
against law enforcement will be pursued. They will be prosecuted. And
they will be punished.
Just as surely as we will work to protect
you, the Department will also look for new ways to assist you in
addressing and overcoming the challenges you face each day.
I know there are two specific problems many
of you are struggling to tackle, and I'd like to address them.
First, the growing number of Americans –
and disproportionate number of African Americans – currently
incarcerated in prisons across our country.
Second, the division and tension that
sometimes exists between law enforcement officers and the communities
they work to protect.
As you all know, our nation now has the
world's highest incarceration rate. In the last 40 years, the number of
inmates in American prisons has increased seven-fold. Today, one out
of every 100 adults in America is behind bars.
Most of these prisoners are poor and
uneducated. Twenty percent of them are Hispanic. Forty percent are
black. In too many black families and neighborhoods, a
"cradle-to-prison" life path has become the norm for young men. African
Americans are now eight times more likely to be incarcerated as
whites. And, if current trends continue, nearly 1 in 3 of our young
black men will spend time behind bars.
Let me be clear, we enhance public safety
by incarcerating those who harm our neighbors and our communities. This
is a fact. But in our work to protect the American people,
incarceration cannot be our only law enforcement strategy. We've
learned that simply building more prisons and jails will not solve all
our problems.
It's time to face facts about our current
approach to incarceration. It's not sustainable. It's not affordable.
And we've seen that it isn't always as effective as we think in reducing
crime and keeping Americans safe.
Over the last few decades, state spending
on corrections has risen faster than nearly any other budget item. Yet
our best research suggests that there are other, more effective ways to
invest taxpayer dollars and ensure public safety.
At a cost of $60
billion a year, our prisons and jails do very little to prepare
prisoners to get jobs and "go straight" after they're released. Former
offenders are often barred from housing, shunned by potential employers,
and surrounded by other ex-offenders in their neighborhoods. This is a
recipe for high recidivism. And it's the reason that two-thirds of
those released are rearrested within three years.
It's time for a new approach.
If we are going to achieve positive
outcomes for public safety, for state and local government budgets, for
our communities, and for people who have been incarcerated and their
families, we must begin to acknowledge that easy short-term solutions
sometimes cause long-term negative consequences.
The truth is that any real effort to
contain spending on corrections, while ensuring public safety, must
include a strong focus on preparing for reentry so we can reduce
recidivism. Effective reentry programs can transform lives. They can
ease difficult transitions. And they can provide our best chance for
safeguarding our neighborhoods and supporting offenders who have served
their time and who are also resolved to improve their lives.
I'm proud that, last year, the Justice
Department distributed $28 million in
reentry awards under the Second Chance Act. And I'm pleased to tell you
that we will have another $100 million
available for reentry programs this year. But we must complement
reentry programs with smart and sound policy changes at every level of
government.
At the federal level, I have established a
Sentencing and Corrections Working Group to take a fresh look at federal
sentencing practices and determine how we can better prepare federal
prisoners to transition back into their communities. Likewise, we must
analyze the distinct crime trends and corrections policies of our states
and counties by focusing on the neighborhoods where large numbers of
offenders return. This will allow us to provide state and local
officials with targeted, data-driven options for improving public safety
and reducing spending.
We must also look for ways to expand and
complement the work that NOBLE is
leading. Your members are combating the vicious cycles of violence and
poverty with opportunity, education, and hope. You've raised awareness
about effective solutions for reducing recidivism. You've helped police
departments implement new policies aimed at supporting those recently
released from prison. You've created mentoring programs for the
children of offenders, and you've found new ways to assist at-risk
youth.
Many of you have volunteered what little
free time you have to help a former prisoner fill out a job application
or draft a resume. And when the call for a job interview finally
arrived, many of you also dug into your own pockets to make sure that
someone struggling to build a better life had the bus fare or the new
shirt or the child care that they needed to pursue that opportunity.
You call this "community engagement." I
call it "leadership."
Leadership is essential to safely reducing
our alarming and disproportionate incarceration rates. It's also the
antidote to overcoming misconceptions and suspicions about law
enforcement.
Today, some of those who need your help the
most simply don't trust the police. You've all seen this. And many of
you have experienced the wariness, the anger, and the fear that's out
there.
I know how difficult overcoming
professional misconceptions can be. But I also know that when some in
our communities do not trust our law enforcement officers, our law
enforcement system does not – and cannot – work.
So in those instances, how can we restore
the public trust?
- By
demanding professionalism from ourselves and our colleagues.
- By
exposing bad behavior and encouraging best practices.
- By
looking beyond incarceration and considering what happens after these
offenders leave our correctional institutions and reenter our
communities.
- And by strengthening our drug abuse treatment
programs, expanding our prisoner education programs, growing our network
of halfway houses, and enlisting more police officers, volunteers, and
community partners in our work.
Research has proven the effectiveness of
our existing treatment and education programs. And NOBLE has proven that the involvement of our
police officers can make a critical difference in empowering communities
and improving perceptions about law enforcement.
One place we've seen strong progress is Chicago, where NOBLE
has collaborated closely with the police department. There, as in
other cities, you've supported programs that provide positive
interactions between young people and law enforcement.
The Chicago Youth Leadership Academy
illustrates why these programs are so important. With the University of Chicago and a local nonprofit
organization, Chicago's Police
Department administers what has become known as "Cops camp," a week-long
program that brings together police officers and teenage boys from Chicago's South Side neighborhood.
Though these campers are only in middle or
high school, half of them are the oldest male in their homes. As part
of the program, they're able to experience college life first-hand,
sleep in a dorm, attend classes, and get to know their local police
officers as teachers and mentors, instead of rivals.
For many of these campers, the experience
is not only eye-opening. It's also mind-changing.
One 16-year-old described how interacting
with officers changed his perspective about their work. "I thought I
didn't like police officers," he said. "I learned to trust them, [and] I
learned that police officers don't have an easy job."
Indeed, your jobs are difficult. And I
would argue that they've never been more demanding. While the
responsibility you shoulder is enormous, I believe it can't compare to
the opportunity each one of you has to make a difference.
Your membership can and must be a leading
force in enhancing confidence in law enforcement, representing our
police departments, strengthening public safety, empowering communities,
and improving lives.
The people you serve, as well as your
brothers and sisters in uniform, need the courage and creativity that
inspired NOBLE's beginning and now
guide your current work.
Though NOBLE
calls its members "the conscience of law enforcement," in many ways,
you serve as the conscience of a nation – calling forth our best selves
and leading us toward better days.
I wish you continued success, and I look
forward to our continued strong partnership.
Thank you.
