Gonzales on the road

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales addresses the Fraternal Order of Police convention in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

by Andrew Zajac

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is on the road today, with a speech this morning in Louisville to a national meeting of the Fraternal Order of Police and remarks to American Indian leaders this afternoon in Harbor Springs, Michigan.

There are two ways to look at his opening riff to the FOP, wherein he jokes that "most of my public remarks tend to begin with someone asking me to raise my right hand".

The guy's taken a licking but he still has a sense of humor.

But no matter where Gonzales goes, he can't shake the aura of scandal which has enveloped his stewardship of the Justice Department.

Here's the text of his FOP speech as prepared for delivery:

Good morning.

Thank you for inviting me to be here, and thank you for that introduction, Chuck and I’d also like to thank Jim Pasco and our hosts from the Kentucky FOP, Martin Scott and Mike Hettich. It's always nice to get out of Washington D.C., and back into America.

There's a tendency in Washington for some people to think that they're at the center of the universe — that what goes on there is more important than anything else in the world.

And as Defense Secretary Robert Gates has noted, "In Washington, most of my public remarks tend to begin with someone asking me to raise my right hand." So it's good to be here with you, to put everything in perspective. Because as much heat as I may take, I've never had to walk into an actual firefight like some of you have. On my toughest day, I still go to work in a suit, not a bulletproof vest.

Three days ago I made my third visit to Baghdad as Attorney General. The Department has over 100 employees working with the Iraqi government to rebuild the country’s legal and law enforcement infrastructure. Everyday courageous Iraqi officials report to work to develop a new future for their country. And everyday brave American soldiers and civilians risk their lives in this noble effort. Recently, some in the media have questioned how I deal with the recent challenges in the Department. It’s simple. You see I have a nephew stationed in Iraq. I visited with him on Saturday and we talked about his challenges. Yes, I face criticism, but he faces bullets. I sleep comfortably in my own bed next to my wife. My nephew sleeps with his buddies in a converted meat packing building.

I am not going to complain about my life so long as my nephew is risking his life in the service of this country. What allows everyone back in Washington the luxury of thinking that's the center of the universe, is the simple fact that overseas American soldiers stand sentry and here in this country all of you are out there every day doing your jobs. You're taking the calls in the middle of the night, in all kinds of weather, down some pretty rough streets, to make sure that the rest of us can sleep at night.

It's a pleasure for me to be here to say, "Thank you."

We are at a moment in our Nation's history in which we enjoy great blessings, but also face great challenges. America is the greatest country on the face of the earth. There is no other government, no society or culture, other country that provides the same level of protections and opportunities as ours…where no matter the circumstances of your birth, a little boy or little girl can still dream big dreams. In most neighborhoods, our citizens’ dreams are attainable. A healthy economy and historically low crime rates mean that most American children are growing up safely in the best environment that freedom has to offer. And you deserve the credit.

But some I know of you come from cities where crime remains a stubborn and persistent problem. You see every day the effects of drugs, and gangs, and violence. You walk every day down streets where innocent children are at risk, and where fear keeps their dreams out of reach.

There is no single answer or approach to address all of the unique challenges caused by crime. The details vary from city to city, and even from neighborhood to neighborhood.

That is why local law-enforcement officials bear the primary burden in fighting local crime. You are on the ground handling this responsibility every day. But the federal government can help. We have the means to collect and disseminate best practices and training. We can provide the tools that help you do your jobs. And we can offer the extra weight of federal prosecution when appropriate.

For example, working with state and local authorities outside of Washington, D.C., we were able to bring federal racketeering charges against several members of the violent MS-13 gang. We established at trial that Oscar Velasquez and others conspired to operate a criminal enterprise through a pattern of activity including assault, kidnapping, robbery, and seven murders in Maryland and Virginia. A few weeks ago justice was served and Velasquez was sentenced to 37 years in prison.

In the Velasquez case, we used some of the same tools we used to put Mafia leaders behind bars, because we recognize that gangs like MS-13 pose a similar threat. These laws – like RICO – often include tough penalties that may be unavailable in the state system. This case is an example of just one of the ways in which we are trying to help local communities.

We know that you are the experts -- you know who the worst of the worst are. But if federal enforcement can help you take those people off the streets, a lot of people get a lot safer very quickly.

In order to identify more ways we can help, last fall I sent DOJ officials to 18 cities across the country to talk with local law enforcement officers and others in the community. We were reminded during these visits that every community faces unique challenges and problems. What may be the top concern for police in Columbus, Ohio, may not be as big a problem for officers in Denver, Colorado.

Despite the local nature of the crime problem, however, a few themes emerged from our visits. We heard that loosely organized street gangs are a major concern in many cities. We heard that the prevalence of guns in the hands of criminals is a common threat – not only to the community, but also to the brave men and women of law enforcement who seek to bring those armed offenders to justice. And we heard a great deal of concern about the level of violence committed by kids.

Many of you reported that offenders appear to be younger and younger, and their crimes are becoming more and more violent. Cops told us they saw a lack of positive influence in the lives of young people, including a lack of parental involvement and the negative influence of popular culture that glamorizes violence and gang membership.

Now, some of these are not issues that the Department of Justice can fix using federal tools. In some cases we must help communities work on prevention, and offer positive alternatives to crime, violence, and gang membership.

But in other cases there's more the Department can do directly to help local cops fight crime in your communities. This includes financial help, of course – and this fiscal year the Department will provide more than $1.8 billion to support state and local law enforcement.

It also includes other kinds of help. For example, the federal system offers strong penalties for gun crimes, and is therefore a good forum for bringing those charges. The federal system also can provide pre-trial detention for offenders who are a danger to the community.

We do a lot of work on task forces to build on the best ideas we've seen around the country. Rank and file officers like you have been involved in all of those efforts.

Because of your efforts, we have had successful partnerships on operations like Project Safe Childhood, the Violent Crime Impact Team initiative, and Safe Streets Task Forces. This approach has been tremendously effective precisely because it builds on your experience and expertise, and because it recognizes that we are all partners in the struggle against violent crime.

Over the past few weeks we've been conducting integrated takedowns and fugitive sweeps in a number of cities, rounding up hundreds of dangerous criminals. Some of these have been based on the Marshals Service's Operation FALCON, while others have been led by ATF and FBI. We arrested 238 fugitives in Indianapolis; 284 in Houston; and 170 in Shreveport – plus hundreds more in other cities nationwide. These sweeps make a big difference, and they rely on you – your local knowledge about who to target, as well as your boots kicking down doors.

FOP has been a great partner in Project Safe Childhood -- working to keep our kids safe from sexual predators who hide in the shadows of the internet. In fact, Chuck joined me at a symposium on sex offenders a few weeks ago. Often, rank and file cops will be the ones discovering the first evidence of these crimes. You do tremendous work to keep us safe in the real world, there's no reason you can't do the same thing in the cyber world. We want to get you the tools and training you need to break these kinds of cases too.

Of course, one of the most important pieces of equipment is your body armor. I know your vests are heavy, and hot, and not very comfortable.

During my visit to Baghdad I had to wear body armor for a few hours; I can't imagine what it must be like to have to wear it all day, every day. But I know you wouldn't want to be doing your jobs without it.

So at the Department we do extensive testing on body armor to make sure we know what works best. And then we do all we can to get those vests to you, to help you do what you need to keep your communities safe. Just last fall we announced nearly $29 million in funding to buy more than 213,000 vests for officers nationwide.

The public can never forget that the single most important part of keeping our communities safe is keeping every one of you safe. So I am committed to doing what we need to do to make sure that you get home after every shift.

And, if the time comes for us to care for your family because you are unable, I want you to know that I am committed to your loved ones too. Often programs dealing with human tragedy appear overly bureaucratic and cold. I know that the administration of the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program, specifically those claims filed under Hometown Heroes, is of grave concern to the FOP and its leadership. The delay in providing benefits is unacceptable to me. And I want you to know I have directed that improvements to that program be made immediately.

Back in May I attended the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the Capitol. It's an honor for me to be there among the thousands of officers and families paying their respects to brothers and sisters we've lost; but I would love it if we could hold that service one year and add no new names to the Roll Call of Heroes.

I would love it if every one of those new vests could be retired some day without a scratch on it.

That's what we're working for -- for all of you, and for all of the good people living on the streets you patrol.

I'm proud of our partnerships with state and local law enforcement, and our efforts to reduce violent crime. But I know that effort alone is no comfort to the good people living in communities that are still tormented by violent crime.

I know there are places in America that for too long were written off as unlivable … places where thugs and criminals owned the streets and anyone else unlucky enough to be there had to fend for themselves.

There were neighborhoods, it was said, that even the police wouldn't go into. We should never accept that. To concede even a single neighborhood is to forfeit the hopes of some struggling single mother and the dreams of her children.

I’d like to let you know that President Bush, the Department, and I are proud to stand side-by-side with our law enforcement partners at all levels who are fighting for the safety of our neighborhoods every day.

And we also stand in support of the partners who I believe may be the most important of all – the ones at the community centers, the synagogues, churches and mosques, and the kitchen tables of the homes in any given neighborhood.

Somewhere in a poor urban neighborhood is a child who has the potential to do great things. All he needs, all she needs, is the opportunity to grow and learn. Many of you have spent your entire career keeping these kids safe. I want you to know that I am with you.

Thank you for your service. May God bless all of you in your important mission, and may He continue to richly bless the United States of America.

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