Everyone has the
right to live in a safe community, free from crime and fear. In order
to prevent crime before it starts, we must teach responsibility and
values at an early age, support parents, and create positive
opportunities like after-school programs and Boys and Girls Clubs. If
young people break the law, they need to be held accountable. For
hardened criminals of any age, there needs to be hard time and tough
sentences to ensure they are taken off our streets.
Throughout our state, the leading cause of crime is methamphetamine.
This illegal drug destroys lives and families, while leaving toxic
waste in our communities. Meth use is involved in over half of the
cases of burglary, identity theft, and violent crime in our region. In
Congress, I have lead the fight to stop this ruinous drug by creating
the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine, bringing
funding home to help local law enforcement catch and prosecute drug
traffickers, and fighting for special assistance for Southwest
Washington through the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
(HIDTA) program. I have also introduced and supported legislation to
help individuals receive adequate and effective addiction treatment
services and access to prevention programs.
I have also supported legislation and grant
programs that put additional law enforcement officers on our streets.
And, working closely with the U.S. Attorney's office, I helped
establish a coordinated Federal Investigative Center in Vancouver. This
center has brought increased federal resources and coordination to
crack down on bank robberies, mail fraud, serious drug offenses, and
other federal crimes. I am now leading the effort to bring a federal
courthouse to Southwest Washington.
There are few things more basic in our society than public safety. I
have been proud to work hand in hand with our law enforcement agencies
at every level to help make our homes, our neighborhoods, our
communities, and our families as safe and crime-free as possible.
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Methamphetamine
Meth abuse and production are behind the majority of burglaries,
identity thefts, and violent homicides in our state. As a clinical
psychologist, Congressman Baird worked with meth addicts, learning
firsthand the destructive potential of the drug. That is why he has led
the fight in Congress to keep meth out of our communities and schools.
When he first arrived on Capitol Hill, Congressman Baird was surprised
to learn how few of his colleagues knew about the dangers of meth. To
remedy this situation, Congressman Baird helped found the bipartisan
Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine (Meth
Caucus). Since its inception, the Meth Caucus has grown steadily in
membership and influence, working to increase funding for law
enforcement, prevention, and treatment efforts throughout the nation.
In
2006, Congressman Baird was successful in passing legislation to create
a National Meth Awareness Week to increase awareness of the meth
epidemic and educate the public about the dangers of meth use.
President Bush heeded the call of the need for greater awareness and
declared November 30, 2006 as National Meth Awareness Day.
Congressman Baird has been instrumental in bringing federal funding
home to help our local communities fight meth. The President's budget
this year included devastating cuts to meth prevention and other crime
related programs, including the COPS program and the Safe and Drug Free
Schools program. As a Member of the House Budget Committee, Congressman
Baird worked in Congress to ensure that these programs are sufficiently
funded and that meth prevention programs have the resources they need.
He has also helped bring millions of dollars to local meth programs
that strengthen law enforcement and offer drug treatment, prevention,
and education services to keep people drug-free.
Congressman Baird was an original cosponsor of the comprehensive Combat Meth Act,
which was signed into law in early 2006. This important legislation
repeals the federal "blister pack exemption," which allows unlimited
sales of pseudoephedrine pills; imposes limits on the purchase of
pseudoephedrine; increases international monitoring of major meth
precursors; and toughens federal penalties against meth traffickers,
meth smugglers, meth cooks, and meth dealers. He also was an original
cosponsor of legislation to focus on clean-up requirements for former
meth labs. This legislation, which passed the House of Representatives
in February 2007, will establish guidelines for the clean-up of those
labs which have devastated communities in Southwest Washington.
As U.S. communities have become more efficient and aggressive in
shutting down harmful domestic meth labs, international traffickers
have begun filling the local demand by importing finished products.
National drug and lab seizure data suggest that roughly two-thirds of
the meth abused in the U.S. comes from "super labs" in countries like
Mexico. That is why Congressman Baird has been working to address the
international trafficking of meth. Congressman Baird has publicly
called on President Bush to convene an international summit to address
the control of meth and its precursors. Congressman Baird also
successfully passed an amendment to urge the Office of National Drug
Control Policy (ONDCP) to arrange an international meth summit and
craft a coordinated strategy to address the international meth
trafficking problem.
Federal Law Enforcement Presence in Southwest Washington
Local law enforcement approached Congressman Baird with concerns that a
greater federal law enforcement presence was needed in Southwest
Washington. With recent growth, Clark County became the fifth largest
in our state, yet the surrounding region had no full-time federal
magistrate or prosecutor to investigate serious federal crimes. The
nearest federal district court and U.S. Assistant Attorney from which a
warrant could be obtained was in Tacoma, 140 miles north of Vancouver.
Because of this distance, federal crimes committed in Southwest
Washington were often prosecuted under state or local laws, and at
lower numbers, failing to hold criminals fully accountable for crimes
they committed.
Congressman Baird worked with local law enforcement officials and the
U.S. Attorney for Western Washington to bring an enhanced federal law
enforcement presence to Southwest Washington. On November 10, 2003, the
Federal Investigative Center officially opened in Vancouver. The center
provides a centralized office for federal agents from the U.S. Marshals
Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF); Bureau of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA); U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection
Service. By having a single, coordinated location to work from in our
area, these agencies can share information and resources and will be
much more successful in pursuing cases.
Congressman Baird also led the effort in the House to bring a
federal courthouse to Southwest Washington. He introduced legislation
to add Vancouver to the list of locations where court in the Western
District of Washington can be held. Previously, court could only be
held in Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellingham. There is an overwhelming need
in Southwest Washington to better accommodate the law enforcement needs
of our communities. This bill is an important step toward Vancouver
acquiring a U.S. district courthouse to help the region more
efficiently prosecute serious crimes and will be an integral part of
our state's judicial system.
Child Abuse
All states are required to have a mechanism in place for reporting
child abuse, and 43 states currently maintain their own child abuse
registries. However, there is no formal mechanism in place to monitor
the movement of convicted abusers or those under investigation across
state lines. Each year, many abuse cases are closed with no finding
because the alleged abuser moves to another state and cannot be located.
Without a nationwide tracking system, alleged abusers can simply move
across state lines to avoid investigation and possibly commit
additional child abuse crimes. Congressman Baird learned about this
issue from a constituent in Southwest Washington, and introduced an
amendment to the Child's Safety Act of 2005 to work towards the
creation of a nationwide, interstate tracking system for individuals
convicted or, or under investigation for, child abuse.
Body Armor for Law Enforcement
Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to protect our
safety. Unfortunately, many officers, particularly those in smaller,
rural areas, are sent into harms way without sufficient bulletproof
vests. Congressman Baird has cosponsored legislation and worked closely
with local agencies to help secure grants for the purchase of
state-of-the-art body armor. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act
reauthorizes a federal matching grant program to help local and state
police agencies purchase body armor. Thanks to this program, hundreds
of bulletproof vests have been obtained for our local police and
sheriffs.
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