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    "label": "9/24/74 - International Association of Chiefs of Police",
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    "id": "1252079",
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    "title": "9/24/74 - International Association of Chiefs of Police",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1252079",
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        "Speeches, addresses, etc."
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    "seq": 1,
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box 1, folder \"9/24/74 - International Association of\nChiefs of Police\" of the President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald\nR. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box 1 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nINTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE\nWASHINGTON HILTON HOTEL, WASHINGTON, D. C.\nTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1974\nIT'S A GREAT HONOR TO BE HERE AT THE 81ST ANNUAL\nCONVENTION OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF\nPOLICE.\nIF THERE HAD BEEN ENOUGH ROOM, I REALLY WANTED\nTO BRING THE U.S. MARINE CORPS BAND WITH ME -- BUT IT MIGHT\nHAVE BEEN A LITTLE EMBARRASSING. CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THEY\nPLAYED HAIL TO THE CHIEF AND ALL 3,000 OF YOU STOOD UP?\n- 2 -\nBUT FRANKLY, I HAVE TO ADMIT TO BEING A LITTLE\nWORRIED AND A LITTLE CONCERNED STANDING UP HERE THIS\nMORNING. YOU CAN'T IMAGINE HOW IT FEELS TO BE FACING\n3,000 OF THE MOST CAPABLE\\ THE MOST DILIGENT, \\ THE MOST\nCONSCIENTIOUS POLICE OFFICERS IN THE WORLD AND RIGHT\nOUTSIDE, I'M PARKED IN FRONT OF A FIRE HYDRANT.\n- 3 -\nS IX WEEKS AGO, I TOLD THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE\nCONGRESS THAT WE ALL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. WE HAVE A\nLONG NATIONAL AGENDA. AND I WANT TO STRESS TODAY THAT THE\nCONTROL OF CRIMES, ESPECIALLY VIOLENT CRIME, IS ONE OF THE\nTOP ITEMS ON THAT AGENDA.\n- 4 -\nALL AMERICANS CAN AGREE ON SOME CONCLUS IONS ABOUT\nCRIME:\nTHERE IS FAR TOO MUCH OF IT. IT CAN NO LONGER BE\nIGNORED.\nIT CAN NO LONGER BE RATIONALIZED AWAY.\nTHE TIME HAS COME TO ACT.\n- 5 -\nTHE POINT IN DISPUTE IS PRECISELY HOW CRIME CAN\nBE REDUCED. I HAVE SOME PROPOSALS WHICH I WILL SPELL\nOUT LATER BOTH TO THE NATION AND TO THE CONGRESS.\n- 6 -\nCRIME IS SCARCELY A NEW CONCERN IN THIS COUNTRY.\nFOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, ITS LEVEL HAS STEADILY INCREASED,\nCRIME IS STILL ON THE RISE. IN FACT, MOST OF OUR STATISTICS\nSEEM TO BE ON THE INCREASE, PRICES ARE UP, UNEMPLOYMENT\nIS UP. IN ADDITION, WE FACE SOME SHORTAGES.\n- 7 -\nONE SHORTAGE PARTICULARLY BOTHERS ME. THIS IS\nTHE SHORTAGE OF EASY ANSWERS. WE ARE FACED WITH GROWING\nPROBLEMS ON ALL FRONTS AND THERE IS NO EASY ANSWER TO ANY\nOF THEM.\n- 8 -\nWE ALL KNOW THAT EARTHY DESCRIPTION WHICH PRESIDENT\nTRUMAN GAVE TO THE OVAL OFFICE: \"THE BUCK STOPS HERE.\" WHEN\nIT COMES TO FIGHTING CRIME, MOST OF THE BUCK STOPS AT YOUR OFFICES.\nYOU ARE THE FRONT LINE COMMANDERS IN THE WAR ON CRIME.\n- 9 -\nAS YOU KNOW, MOST POLICE POWERS ARE RESERVED TO STATES\nAND LARGELY DELEGATED TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES. THAT IS A\nKEY FEATURE OF OUR FEDERAL SYSTEM.\nIT WILL REMAIN A KEY\nFEATURE AS LONG AS I HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.\nTHE FEDERAL ROLE IS ESSENTIALLY SUPPORTIVE. THE\nSOLUTION DEPENDS UPON STATE AND LOCAL EFFORTS.\n- IO -\nAS YOU KNOW, WASHINGTON PROVIDES DIRECT\nASSISTANCE TO STATES AND LOCALITIES THROUGH THE LAW\nENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE ADMINISTRATION.\nGRANTS HAVE\nINCREASED TO 880 MILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY, MOST OF IT IN\nBLOCK GRANTS TO THE STATES. THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY.\nBUT IT IS ONLY FIVE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL SPENT ON STATE AND\nLOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS.\nFEDERAL MONEY IS\nESSENTIALLY SEED MONEY.\n- II -\nPERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITY OF THE FEDERAL\nGOVERNMENT IN THIS AREA IS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.\nWE HAVE LEARNED VALUABLE LESSONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF CRIME\nAND ITS PREVENTION.\nWE ARE COOPERATING WITH LOCAL AGENCIES\nIN PILOT DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF NEW LAW ENFORCEMENT\nTOOLS.\n- I2 -\nWE HAVE LEARNED THAT THERE IS NEED FOR BETTER\nMANAGEMENT,\nPARTICULARLY THE NEED TO CONCENTRATE\nLIMITED RESOURCES WHERE THEY WILL BE MOST EFFECTIVE.\nTHERE IS ALSO NEED FOR GREATER CITIZENS' COOPERATION,\nPARTICULARLY AS READY AND WILLING WITNESSES.\n- 13 -\nFOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT, WE FIRST HAVE TO MAKE\nSOME HARD DECISIONS ON PRIORITIES. AS A STARTER, I WOULD\nSUGGEST A HIGH PRIORITY ON VIOLENT CRIME AND STREET CRIME\nIN THE INNER CITY. THERE IS WHERE CRIME DOES THE MOST\nDAMAGE TO OUR WHOLE UR BAN STRUCTURE. THERE IS WHERE\nCRIME MOST HURTS THE POOR WHO ALREADY SUFFER ENOUGH.\n- I4 -\nONE BRIGHT SPOT IN THE CRIME SCENE IS THE SUCCESS\nOF YOUR EFFORTS AGAINST URBAN CRIME.\nYOUR CONCENTRATION\nON STREET CRIME SEEMS TO BE PAYING OFF.\nLET'S STEP IT UP.\nANOTHER PRIORITY IS THE HABITUAL OFFENDER -- THE\nSO-CALLED CAREER CRIMINAL.\nMOST CRIME IS THE WORK OF A\nLIMITED NUMBER OF HARDENED CRIMINALS.\n- 15 -\nWE MUST TAKE THE CRIMINAL OUT OF CIRCULATION.\nWE MUST MAKE CRIME HAZARDOUS AND COSTLY. WE MUST ENSURE\nTHAT SWIFT AND PROLONGED IMPRISONMENT WILL INEVITABLY\nFOLLOW EACH OFFENSE.\nONLY THEN WILL WE DETER OTHERS FROM\nPURSUING CAREERS OF CRIME.\n- 16 -\nACCORDINGLY, I HAVE DIRECTED THE DEPARTMENT OF\nJUSTICE TO UNDERTAKE, IN COOPERATION WITH STATE AND LOCAL\nGOVERNMENTS, A CAREER CRIMINAL IMPACT PROGRAM.\nIT\nWILL TARGET AND KEEP TRACK OF PROFESSIONAL CRIMINALS.\n- 17 -\nTHIS PROGRAM WILL ALSO ASSIGN PRIORITY TO CASES\nOF HABITUAL CRIMINALS AND EXPEDITE THE PROCESS BY WHICH\nTHEY ARE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.\nHERE IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WE HAVE ALREADY\nSEEN DRAMATIC RESULTS IN A SHORT TIME.\nPERHAPS THIS CAN\nBE ADOPTED FOR USE IN URBAN AREAS ELSEWHERE.\n- 18 -\nIN THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, A SPECIAL GROUP\nKNOWN AS THE MAJOR VIOLATORS UNIT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED.\nTHIS UNIT TRACKS THE CASES OF MAJOR REPEAT OFFENDERS.\nIT ENSURES THAT THESE CASES RECEIVE THE MOST URGENT\nATTENTION OF PROSECUTORS. THIS UNIT HAS DRAMATICALLY\nREDUCED THE ABILITY OF CASE-HARDENED OFFENDERS TO ESCAPE\nTHROUGH THE LOOPHOLES OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.\n- 19 -\nTHE RESULTS ARE ALREADY IMPRESSIVE.\nFOR EXAMPLE,\nIN THE FIRST MONTHS OF OPERATION, THE MAJOR VIOLATORS\nUNIT SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED THE CONVICTION RATE FOR\nSERIOUS CASES. THE AVERAGE TIME FROM AREST TO TRIAL\nHAS BEEN REDUCED BY AT LEAST THREE WEEKS.\nTHE CAREER\nCRIMINALS NOW REALIZE THAT SERIOUS CASES WILL NO LONGER\nSIMPLY SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS IN THE SYSTEM.\n- 20 -\nALL THIS CANNOT BE DONE BY THE POLICE IN ISOLATION.\nEFFECTIVE ANTI-CRIME MANAGEMENT REQUIRES THE CLOSE\nCOOPERATION OF POLICE, PROSECUTORS, COURTS AND\nCORRECTIONS. WHERE THEY WORK TOGETHER YOU NOT\nONLY WILL OBTAIN A BETTER CONVICTION RATE, BUT YOU WILL\nSAVE POLICE HOURS THAT ARE NOW WASTED.\n- 2I -\nBUT TO REDUCE THE CRIME RATE WE NEED THE COOPERATION\nOF ONE OTHER PARTY -- NAMELY, THE PUBLIC. CRIME STATISTICS,\nSHOCKING AS THEY ARE, OFTEN SHOW US ONLY THE TOP OF THE\nICEBERG, TOO MUCH CRIME GOES UNREPORTED. A LOT OF\nWITNESSES NEVER SHOW UP, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE FOURTH OR\nFIFTH CONTINUANCE.\n- 22 -\nA STUDY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SHOWS THAT\nNON-COOPERATION OF WITNESSES WAS BY FAR THE MOST COMMON\nREASON FOR LOS ING MAJOR CASES. THROUGHOUT THIS NATION,\nNEARLY HALF THE VICTIMS OF ASSAULT, ROBBERY, BURGLARY,\nAND LARCENY ABOVE 50 DOLLARS FAILED TO REPORT THE INCIDENT\nTO THE POLICE. IN LARCENIES, BELOW 50 DOLLARS, ABOUT\n80 PERCENT DID NOT REPORT.\n- 23 -\nWHY? BECAUSE, AS SURVEYS SHOW, MOST VICTIMS\nARE FRUSTRATED, \\ FEARFUL, \\ AND PESS IMISTIC ABOUT RESULTS.\nEVEN VICTIMS DO NOT WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH ALL THE\nPAPERWORK, 1 INTERROGATIONS, \\ AND REPEATED VISITS ITS TO THE\nCOURTHOUSE, IN A CASE THAT, AFTER SEVERAL CONTINUANCES,\nMAY BE DROPPED ANYWAY. SOMETIMES THE VICTIM FEARS\nREPRISAL.\n- - 24 -\nWHAT CAN BE DONE?\nFIRST OF ALL, WE GO BACK TO\nGOOD MANAGEMENT. FAST ACTION AND BETTER CONVICTION RATE\nON MAJOR CRIMES CAN HELP RESTORE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN\nTHE SYSTEM.\nBETTER S CHEDULING\n/\nBETTER NOTIFICATION OF\nWITNESSES\nAND FEWER CONTINUANCES WILL SERVE TO CUT\nDOWN THE TERRIBLY FRUSTRATING WASTE OF THE WITNESS'S TIME.\n- 25 -\nTHERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS LAW ENFORCEMENT\nPROFESSIONALS CAN DO TO ENCOURAGE CITIZENS' COOPERATION\nAND CITIZENS' INITIATIVES. SOME COMMUNITIES HAVE ALREADY\nLAUNCHED SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS. LEAA HAS THE INFORMATION\nTHE IDEAS,\n-\nAND SOME BLOCK-GRANT MONEY TO HELP YOU LAUNCH\nA PROGRAM IN YOUR COMMUNITY -- A PROGRAM TO OVERCOME THE\nSENSE OF FUTILITY, FRUSTRATION, AND FEAR AND GET THE MAN IN THE\nSTREET TURNED BACK ON TO COOPERATION WITH THE POLICE.\n- 26 -\nOF COURSE THE POLICE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING TO WIN THE\nWAR ON CRIME. THE POLICE PLUS THE PROSECUTORS PLUS THE\nCOURTS PLUS THE PRISONS CANNOT DO THE WHOLE JOB. THE\nCOMMUNITY AND THE FAMILY MUST HELP.\nYOUR JOB IS DIFFICULT. UNDER OUR CONSTITUTIONAL\nSYSTEM, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN GIVE YOU ONLY LIMITED\nSUPPORT.\n- 27 -\nPROGRESS MAY BE SLOW, BUT I FEEL WE ARE ON THE\nRIGHT TRACK. WE ARE BEGINNING TO LEARN HOW TO FIGHT\nCRIME EFFECTIVELY.\n- 28 -\nIN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE\nHAS BEEN A FORTUNATE COMBINATION OF GOOD MANAGEMENT METHODS,\nVERY AMPLE RESOURCES, AND OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP FROM\nCHIEF JERRY WILSON -- WHO, UNFORTUNATELY, IS RETIRING\nTHIS YEAR. REPORTED CRIME IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA\nSHOWS A 40 PERCENT DROP DURING HIS TENURE IN OFFICE\nSPANNING THE LAST FIVE YEARS.\n- - 29 -\nIT WAS HERE IN WASHINGTON THAT A SAD BUT HEROIC\nCHAPTER OF POLICE HISTORY WAS MADE LAST WEEK. OFFICER\nGAIL COBB BECAME THE FIRST'POLICEWOMAN IN THE UNITED STATES\nKILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY.\nI\nWANT TO COMMEND THIS BRAVE\nOFFICER WHO GAVE HER LIFE TO PROTECT HER COMMUNITY.\nTO HONOR HER MEMORY, I ASK THIS CONVENTION TO STAND IN\nSILENT TRIBUTE TO OFFICER COBB WHOSE FUNERAL IS TAKING PLACE\nAT THIS VERY MOMENT.\nPana\n- 30 -\nTHIS LATEST TRAGEDY HAS A VITAL LESSON FOR EVERY\nAMERICAN. WHATEVER THE INSUFFICIENCIES AND INADEQUACIES\nOF OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, THE OFFICER ON THE BEAT\nIS LAYING HIS OR HER LIFE ON THE LINE EVERY DAY TO MAKE\nTHE COMMUNITY A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE. THE POLICE\nOFFICER DESERVES THE RESPECT AND COOPERATION OF EVERY\nAMERICAN.\nI PLEDGE YOU MINE HERE TODAY.\nTHANK YOU.\n#\n#\n#"
}