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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Before Congress, Secretary Napolitano Reiterates Her Commitment to Develop and Implement a Federal Law Enforcement Strategy for Puerto Rico

Says she has already assigned a DHS coordinator to oversee work on the issue

Washington, DC—The Honorable Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who recently returned from a trip to Puerto Rico, reiterated today before the House Judiciary Committee her personal commitment to develop and implement a federal law enforcement strategy to address drug trafficking and related violence on the Island, announced Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi.

“I went to Puerto Rico because I am troubled by a number of things in terms of the crime situation there. . . . And so on my return I have already met internally with our staff and we have appointed an internal person to help us coordinate on these matters. We will reach out to the U.S. Department of Justice, and in particular to the U.S. Attorney in Puerto Rico, who is very familiar with the local situation. This is going to require all of us working together to reduce the crime level. This is our intention,” stated Secretary Napolitano during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing.

Secretary Napolitano’s statement came in response to a question posed to her by Pierluisi, a member of the Judiciary Committee. Specifically, the Resident Commissioner asked the Secretary to explain to his colleagues on the Committee what steps the Administration intended to take to address the public safety crisis in Puerto Rico.

“I am pleased that Secretary Napolitano is addressing this matter with the urgency the situation demands. She first said she would develop a law enforcement strategy during her trip to Puerto Rico, and now she has reaffirmed that commitment before Congress. Nobody should doubt that Governor Luis Fortuño and I are deeply committed to this matter. Our people deserve peace and security, and it is a fundamental responsibility of the federal government to help provide it,” said Pierluisi.

In a letter sent to Secretary Napolitano earlier this week in the wake of her visit to Puerto Rico, Pierluisi noted that the Secretary’s trip underscored the federal government’s commitment to working with local law enforcement to enhance and expand efforts to combat drug trafficking and related violence on the Island. In the letter, the Resident Commissioner said that he was heartened to hear Secretary Napolitano declare that Puerto Rico’s public safety crisis has her full attention and that the motto moving forward will be “Let’s fix this.”

Moreover, Pierluisi expressed agreement with the Secretary’s statement that the definition of success should be a significant and sustained reduction in the number of homicides committed on the Island.

In his letter, the Resident Commissioner also strongly endorsed the plan to promptly develop a law enforcement strategy specifically tailored for Puerto Rico, stating that this strategy “will ensure that our efforts are as well-coordinated and effective as possible and will help to identify gaps in the current approach that can be filled.” Pierluisi urged Secretary Napolitano to coordinate this strategy with the Department of Justice, since DOJ personnel are working side-by-side with DHS personnel on the front lines of this fight.

Finally, Pierluisi insisted in his letter that “any meaningful strategy will require a reasonable allocation of personnel and resources, whether on a temporary or enduring basis.” As evidence, Pierluisi noted that, in the five-year period between 2007 and 2011, the number of homicides nationwide fell by over 20 percent, but the number of murders in Puerto Rico rose by over 55 percent. Nevertheless, the Resident Commissioner pointed out, “the federal law enforcement footprint on the Island has not evolved in the face of these profoundly changed circumstances.”

“It is my fervent hope that the forthcoming law enforcement strategy will be action-oriented and will recognize that an enhanced federal response is required if we are to be successful in this shared endeavor,” concluded Pierluisi in his letter.