Health Care Reform

Floor Speech

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Mr. COHEN. I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution, H. Con. Res. 177, recognizes the importance of citizen and community involvement in an effort to prevent crime and express support for the designation of October 1 through October 3 as Crime Prevention Week and October as National Crime Prevention Month.

Celebrate Safe Communities is a relatively recent crime prevention initiative of the Justice Department in partnership with the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Crime Prevention Council.

The goal of this initiative is to strengthen the partnership between citizens and law enforcement. In Memphis, my hometown, Stevie Morris formed a group called FFUNN, which works with young people to prevent crime. There are neighborhood associations. Neighborhood Watch is an effective group that works in the community, and so are Crime Stoppers programs.

During the first week in October, communities throughout the country held events, educating the public about crime prevention and public safety programs. Not only do these events highlight crime prevention, but they encourage citizens to become personally involved in these programs. That's what the FFUNN group in Memphis and Stevie Moore did.

Similarly, during the month of October, communities and law enforcement organizations commemorate Crime Prevention Month, promoting awareness of important issues such as victimization, volunteerism, and creating safer, more caring communities. The monthlong celebration highlights successful crime prevention efforts at the local, State, and national levels, all of which are important in our communities.

I thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert) for introducing this resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, in Memphis, we've got many programs similar to these that have been discussed.

The Freedom from Unnecessary Negatives with Stevie Moore is in the community, often visited by our sheriff, Mark Luttrell, who was named National Sheriff of the Year, with District Attorney General Bill Gibbons and with others, who visit and have cookouts, who talk about crime and who get the community oriented with their law enforcement officers--where they'll be wanting to report and work with the law enforcement officers. It has been a successful program.

Crime Stoppers is a successful program where people get rewarded for turning in criminals. They get rewarded with financial incentives.

The Neighborhood Watch programs are great programs where people work together to be aware of crime.

These are all important, and this is an important effort to fight against crime, and that's why I ask everybody to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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