Chief berry, thank you for that introduction, because it was brief, and thats what i like. At this point one way or another people know who i am. And let me also thank our outstanding mayor of the city of chicago, rahm emanuel for hosting us. I know that thousands of you from federal, state, county, local and tribal agencies have been working hard to share strategies and solutions to better serve and protect all of us. And we are profoundly grateful for you work. I do hope that youve gotten a little time to enjoy my hometown as well. Because there is fun to be had here. Somebody clapped. Even as we meet here today, though, another gathering of police is taking place in new york. Randolph holder was born in guyana to a family of Police Officers. His dad was a Police Officer, his grandfather was a Police Officer, and after his family came to america, randolph followed in their footsteps and joined new yorks finest. A week ago today a shots fired call came over the radio. And as officer holder chased down a suspect, he was shot and killed in the line of duty. Officer holder didnt run toward danger because he thought of himself as a hero. He ran toward danger because he was a cop. It was part of his job description. Part of his calling. Its why so many of you wear the badge. Every day you risk your lives so that the rest of us dont have to. You serve and protect to provide the security so Many Americans take for granted. And by the way, your families serve alongside you. And as you serve, america places very High Expectations on you. Expectations that cops across america work every day to meet. So i want to start by saying on behalf of the American People, thank you. [ applause ] thank you. [ applause ] thank you. [ applause ] this country is safer because of your efforts. Look at the statistics. Over the last 20 years police have helped cut the Violent Crime rate and the homicide rate in america by almost half. Its an astonishing statistic. Today americans are nearly half as likely to be the victim of an aggravated assault and less than half as likely to be the victim of a robbery. And even lesser known are the countless acts of kindness and support, helpfulness that your officers perform in your respective communities each and every day. So i want to be as clear as i can be. I reject any narrative that seek to divide police in communities that they serve. [ applause ] i reject a story line that says, when it comes to public safety, theres an us and a them. A narrative that two often gets served up to us by news stations seeking ratings or tweets seeking retweets or political candidates seeking some attention. I know thats shocking that political candidates do that. Because your work and your Service Really has helped make America Shaffer than it has been in decades. And thats something for which every american should be proud. Now that doesnt mean that things are perfect. It doesnt mean that we shouldnt have a serious and robust debate over fairness in Law Enforcement. Over our broader criminal Justice System when it comes, particularly, to communities of color. I was just talking to chief berry before i came out and i know there was an outstanding discussion with the naacp. Ive talked to enough chiefs and beat cops around the country to know that you care about these issues. You want to do the right thing. And i know there are a few people there are few people who more invested in declining crime rates than minority communities that have historically been underpoliced. They want more Police Presence in these communities, not less. Thats why im confident in this debate people of good will can and should find common ground. And many of you have shown that there are actions, specific actions that we can take that will make a difference in moving us in that direction. Now first, we do need to get some facts established. So far the data shows that overall Violent Crime rates across the nation appear to be nearly as low as they were last year. And significantly lower than they were in previous decades. It is true that in some cities, including here in my hometown of chicago, gun violence and homicide have spiked. And in some cases theyve spiked significantly. But the fact is, is that so far at least across the nation, the data shows that we are still enjoying historically low rates of Violent Crime. Moreover, over the past few years, the number of Police Officers shot and killed in the line of duty has fallen to their lowest levels in decades. In fact, 2013 saw the fewest cops shot and killed in the line of duty since 1887. Of course, each victim of crime is someone too many. Each Fallen Police officer is one too many. [ applause ] ive spoken to too many families of the fallen, including right before i came out here, to not fully appreciate the pain and the hardship, the fear that so many families go through because Police Officers are putting themselves in the line of fire. More over, because of the spike of crime in the minority communities is real and deeply troubling i want to make clear, this is not something i think of as being academic. I live on the southside of chicago. So my house is pretty close to some places where shootings take place. Because thats real, weve got to get on top of it before it becomes a trend. Thats why ive asked Loretta Lynch to work with Law Enforcement and leaders in these communities to find out why this is happening and target resources where they will have an impact. So for the remainder of the time that i am in this office and then as a private citizen, ill do everything that i can to encourage cooperation and work hard to make sure that the work thats being done by Law Enforcement is appreciated and supported and that we maintain this incredible progress that weve made in terms of reducing crime. But in order for us to do that, we do have to stick with the facts. What we cant do is cherry pick data or use an neck total evidence to drive policy or to feed political agendas. If we stick with the facts and maintain effective coordination across federal, state and local agencies, then were going to continue the hard fought progress that you and so many Law Enforcement officers have made over the past two decades that saves lives and keeps families intact. Now its to maintain this progress. Ive spent a lot of time this year with people of all backgrounds working to reform our criminal Justice System, to think about how can we make it work better. I visited a prison in oklahoma, met with inmates and corrections officers. I just last week visited a community in West Virginia and met with recovering substance abusers and those working on new solutions for treatment and rehabilitation. Ive met with rank and file officers in the oval office, met with Police Chiefs in the white house, met with cheechs and rank and file officers in camden, new jersey, paid tribute to those who have fallen in the line of duty and listened to families talk about what theyre looking for in terms of support. And as i said in my state of the Union Address this year, i am convinced that progress comes together when we Work Together. And we Work Together best when were willing to understand one another. When instead of having debates over talk radio, we stop and listen to each other so that we can imp these with the father who fierce his son cant walk home because of being mistaken as a criminal. And when we sympathize with the wife who cant rest until her husband walks through the front door at the end of his shift. Those of us in positions of power have an obligation to give you what you need to do your jobs even better and to facilitate the conversations and reforms required to move us all forward. So today [ applause ] so today id like to focus on three things. Obviously i dont have time to touch on every aspect of these issues. Im sure youve already heard a lot of speeches today and yesterday. But u want to focus on three things that i think are really important. First, making sure youve got the resources you need to get the job done. [ applause ] second, criminal justice we forms that will make the system smarter and fairer. And third [ applause ] and third, reducing the risk that your officers face in the field with common sense gun safety reforms. [ applause [ applause ] we need to support by supporting you, the men and women who walk that thin blue line. Over the past six and a half years, my administration has invested more than 2 billion to retain or hire 10,000 Police Officers. When state and city bungts were paralyzed during the economic crisis, we stepped in to save the jobs of thousands of cops. Right now were helping to make sure that the departments across the country have the equipment they need, and the training they need to use the equipment. Weve opened up data to Police Departments can use new technology to stop patterns and stop crimes. Weve setting aside radio spectrum for the First Responders so that the first time in history responders will share a single network. [ applause [ applause ] were launching antiambush Training Programs to help keep officers safe. Vice president joe biden, a lifelong friend of Law Enforcement, has an expression he likes to offer. Hes got an expression for everything. Show me your budget and ill tell you what you value. Well, i tell you what, in my Budget Proposal ive asked congress to increase funding for the cops program so that we can hire more Police Officers and make sure you the training and equipment you need. Thats what i value. [ applause ] its in my budget. [ applause ] and ill be honest with you. In the past, some republicans in congress have tried to cut funding for the cops program to zero. And ive argued thats wrong, it wont make us safer. Its time more folks in washington started valuing our cops, not just giving lip service to it. Now [ applause ] the good news is, the cops program and other programs that your departments rely on to do your jobs may get some relief from the harmful spending cuts that Congress Imposed a few years ago because last night democrats and republicans came together over a long term budget agreement. Im pretty happy about that because it reflects our values. Growing the economy and the middle class by investing in the things like education and job training that are needed and it keeps us safe by investing in our national security. Its paid for responsibly, in part with a measure to make sure hedge funds and private equity firms pay what they need in taxes like everybody else. Its the right thing to do. [ applause ] and its a bipartisan compromise which hasnt been happening in washington a lot. Two years of funding for bungts that free us from the cycle of shutdown threats and lastminute patch work fixes. It allows us to plan for the future and as a consequence allows your department to plan for the future. Its a step guard and i hope that both parties come together to pass this agreement without delay. And then i Hope Congress gets to work on spending bills to invest in americas priorities. And that they dont get sidetracked by id logical provisions that have no place in americas budget process. N now, i believe that valuing Law Enforcement starts with making sure that it provides you with the resources that you need. I also think it means more than funding our priorities. Money helps, more Police Officers help. But weve got to do more. So the second thing i want to focus on is fundamentally reforming our criminal Justice System to make it smarter and fairer and easier for your officers to do their job safely and effectively. This is not an easy conversation to have. First of all, we all care about keeping crime rates low and things have been working, and so a lot of folks say, whats the problem. But for generations, weve had african american, latino communities who pointed to Racial Disparities in the application of criminal justice from arrest rates to sentencing to incarceration rates. And all too often, those concerns, no matter how welldocumented have been brushed aside. We cant have a situation in which a big chunk of the population feels as though the system isnt working as well for them. At the same time, too often Law Enforcement gets scapegoated for the broader failures of our society and the criminal Justice System. [ applause ] and i know you do your jobs with distinction no matter the challenges you face. Thats part of wearing a badge. But we cant expect you to contain and control problems that the rest of us arent willing to face or do anything about. Problems ranging from sub standard education to a shortage of jobs and opportunity, an absence of drug treatment programs and laws that result in it being easier in too many neighborhoods for a young person to purchase a gun than a book. So if were serious about protecting our communities and supporting our Police Departments, then lets invest in more opportunity and lets try to stop more crime before it starts. Lets go after the Racial Disparities at the root. One study found that every dollar we invest in prek and universal prek, Early Childhood education, we save at least twice that down the road in reduced crime. Getting a teenager a job for the summer may cost some money, but it costs a fraction of what it will cost to lock him up for 15 years. [ applause ] its not enough to tell our young people that crime didnt pay if they have no prospects at all. Weve got to make sure they grow up nowing that hard work and responsibility pay off and that theyve got other paths available to them. For those who do break the law, we do have to take a hard look at whether, in all circumstances, punishment fits the crime. I want to be clear about this. Right now america is home to less than 5 of the wrlds population, but about 25 of its prisoners. Now plenty of them belong there. I dont have sympathy for dangerous violent offenders. I dont have sympathy for folks who are preying on children. Ive got two daughters. I care about making sure these streets are safe. [ applause ] so you know, this is not some bleeding heart attitude here. Violence is real, in this city and around the country. And ive seen first hand the devastation the drug trade brought on entire communities. And i believe those who pedal drugs need to be punished. Down in West Virginia youd hear stories of families where these are good folks whose children were getting caught up in drugs. And young people suddenly overdosing three on four times, getting caught up in the criminal Justice System themselves because they were hooked. But its also important for us to acknowledge that our prisons are crowded with not only hard core violent offenders but also some nonviolent offender serving very long sentences for drug crimes at taxpayer expense. And its important to acknowledge that having millions of black and latino men in the criminal Justice System without any ability for most of them to find a job after release, and most of them will eventually be released, thats not a sustainable situation. It is possible for us to come up with strategies that effectively reduce the damage of the drug trade without relying solely on incarcerati incarceration. And the reason i say that is because weve seen states and local Police Departments and Law Enforcement do it. States from texas to South Carolina to california and connecticut have already reduced their prison populations over the last five years and seen their crime rates fall. Lets take some of the 80 billion we spend each year to keep people locked up not all of it. Like i said, some of those folks you want behind bars. But lets look at the system and see areas where we can use some of that money to help Law Enforcement go after drug kingpins and violent gangs and terrorists. And if we can get some with a drug addiction or Mental Health issue into treatment, that may save us some money that allows us to put a murderer in that jail cell ininstead. Were not making it more likely that a nonviolent offender can be reintegrated. Were making the community safer. Fit helps a prisoner become a skilled worker than a hardened criminal, youre less likely to have to arrest that person again and again and again and again. I cant thank the chiefs enough here. Alots of you are out front on this issue and ive talked with you about it. I know because ive met with you on it. In a hopeful sign, good people in both Political Parties are actually ready to do something about this. Just last week the senate, which basically kbets very little done, as you may have noticed, the senate voted to move forward on a bipartisan criminal Justice Reform bill. And that bill would cut back on the mandatory minimum for drug offenders and give them time off if they complete programs that make it less likely for them to complete another offense. Youv