Extensions of Remarks E2111 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS
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October 29, 1997 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks E2111 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS FIGHTING THE SCOURGE OF 70% to 80% of those arrested in New York lies, community groups and neighborhoods DRUGS City each year test positive for drug use. to deteriorate. If we in fact educated the 60% of the cocaine and heroin consumed by present generation of drug abusers, we can the entire nation each year is consumed by re-educate them and educate the future gen- HON. NEWT GINGRICH individuals arrested in that same year. erations to the realistic and powerful dan- OF GEORGIA Substance abuse and addiction costs New gers of drug use. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES York City more than $20 billion every year, NEW YORK CITY INITIATIVE: ``ACCOUNTABILITY'' with $21 out of every $100 in taxes paid to Understanding that the drug problem is Wednesday, October 29, 1997 New York City subsidizing the consequences one of international dimensions, we in New Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I want to en- of substance abuse and addiction problems. Over 70% of our nation's prison population York City are going to do what we can to ad- courage my colleagues to read the following dress our local problem with the expectation speech by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Mayor are substance abusers. 60% to 70% of substance abusing parolees that by removing drugs from our neighbor- Giuliani's statement is an excellent example of who do not receive treatment while on pa- hoods and our schools, we will become a how our country's leaders need to be bold and role return to drugs and criminal conduct model for other cities, states and the entire aggressive in fighting the scourge of drugs. within three months of their release. nation. Only then will we have fair claim to We have lost too many battles due to the apa- At least 30,000 or 71% of children in foster ask foreign countries who supply drugs to thy of leaders loaded with excuses. It is time care in our City alone have at least one par- the United States to limit production of ent who was a substance abuser. these disastrous crops. to engage the enemy. It is time to win the war: The underpinning of any comprehensive FIVE POINT NATIONAL DRUG PROGRAM REMOVING DRUGS FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOODS drug strategy is one of accountability for AND SCHOOLS Our drug problem requires the commit- government at all levels and for all individ- ment of every level of government and needs (By Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani) uals. Law enforcement, treatment and pre- to be approached with the recognition it is a vention/education efforts are primarily the As we move toward the new millennium, global matter. Some of our drug program we as New Yorkers can take pride in the fact responsibility of local government and it originates abroad. Production of cocaine and must be held accountable for major improve- that our great City has regained its true heroin occurs beyond our borders, but the stature as the Capital of the World. Our ments in these areas with State and Federal international criminal industry which orga- governments assuring the provision of re- crime rate is at levels not witnessed since nizes and markets it thrives, as with any the 1960s, tourism in the City is at historic sources to support these efforts. In addition, business, on the simple economic principles the Federal government must be held ac- levels and our streets and parks are the of supply and demand. cleanest in recent memory. countable for its anti-drug efforts in the For nearly twenty years, I have advocated areas of foreign policy and border interdic- Four years ago, few would have dreamed, for a five point national program aimed at much less believed that these strides were tion. our drug problemÐfive points which now As government becomes more accountable possible. In fact, New York City, like other serve as the essential elements of the 1997 American cities, was essentially written off in these areas, it can demand that individ- National Drug Control Strategy. uals become more accountable. Those who as a symbol of urban decay. Yet we have First, the drug problem must be an inte- choose to take drugs and burden their proven the cynics wrong and shown what is gral part of our nation's foreign policy. In friends, families and society with their ad- possible. We did it by refusing to accept the dealing with countries which are the origin diction must be held responsible to seek notion that had pervaded City government for heroin and cocaineÐprimarily Peru, Co- available treatment services. And those who for far too longÐone of resignation and ac- lumbia and BoliviaÐwe must use our persua- choose to live off the misery of others by ceptance of the social and political problems sive abilities, power and foreign aid to con- that faced them. We saw these same prob- selling drugs must be punished. vince those governments to cooperate with With this underlying philosophy, our drug lems as a challenge to our creativity, our us fully in stopping these disastrous crops courage and our intelligenceÐchallenges to strategy has at its core three essential ele- and trade. ments: Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice; do better and improve the situation for all Second, we must exercise more control Treatment; and Prevention/Education. New Yorkers. over our nation's borders. The Drug Enforce- We recognized that the role of government ment Administration estimates that 70% of 1. Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice is to allow its citizens to live productive, ac- the illegal drugs reaching the United States Over the last several years, the New York countable lives so that they can realize the travel through Mexico with the majority of City Police Department has made dramatic promise of independence and the satisfaction the remainder passing through the Carib- strides in fighting drug activity in all of our of living in a democratic society. Just a few bean. In recent years, significant reinforce- City's neighborhoods. Particular emphasis days ago I spoke at the John F. Kennedy ments have been committed to the south- has been placed on the two areas in our City School of Government and explained how the west border and significant efforts have been which are responsible for much of the City's use of principles of accountability have made undertaken to disrupt the flow of drugs from drug related crime; namely Brooklyn North it possible for us to reduce crime, reform the Caribbean. And I am heartened by the and Northern Manhattan. In April 1996, over welfare, restore jobs and improve schools. significant resource commitment in the Fed- 500 uniformed personnel were assigned to the We must now use that same philosophy, eral Fiscal Year 1998 Appropriations Bill to Strategic and Tactical Command (SATCOM) creativity and commitment to confront our continue and augment these efforts. in Brooklyn North and one year later we un- biggest problem today, namely, drug abuse. Third, domestically the general rule must dertook a similar initiative in three pre- Removing drugs from our neighborhoods be established and it must be quickly learned cincts in Northern Manhattan with the as- and our schools may sound like an in the streets that if you sell drugs and are signment of over 350 uniformed officers to unreachable and perhaps unrealistic goalÐ convicted you will go to prison. We must that area. but many said the same thing about the make those who traffic in the destruction of In addition to murders being reduced by goals we set for ourselves four years ago in human life realize that in exchange for big 60% in the first six months of this year com- the areas of crime, welfare, jobs and edu- profits, they are taking a big risk. pared to the same period in 1993 and cation to name a fewÐand we proved them Fourth, we must put emphasis on enhanc- shootings and shooting incidents down by wrong. ing present drug treatment programs and over 60% in that same period, the Police De- The fact is that we cannot turn our back improving those programs. Even if the suc- partment's combined drug strategies have on this ever growing problem and we must cess rate is no better than 30 or 40%, that is had a tremendous impact on drug activity. resolve to challenge ourselves to address it. better than no success at all. Reversing the previous Administration's pol- Without such a resolve we will only continue Fifth, and most importantly, we must edu- icy of deterring uniformed police officers to bear the burdens of drugs, their attendant cate our young people and our society about from making drug arrests, the Police Depart- violence, their enormous cost to society and the dangers of drug abuse. In my view, we ment in 1996 made an all-time high number the lost and wasted lives. educated our present generation of drug of drug arrests [101,051 arrests]Ðexceeding FACTS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE abusers. We did it in the schools and on tele- the previous record year of 1989, the height Substance abuse affects literally every as- vision, we did it in our music and our mov- of the Department's TNT program [94,887]. pect of our livesÐit detracts from our qual- ies, we did it in the role models we presented In addition, the Police Department re- ity of life, our economy, our children's edu- to our young people, five, ten, fifteen and corded a 51% increase in drug seizures in 1996 cation, our very well being.