"By working in the same neighborhoods day-in, day-out, we developed real ties to the community. We took real steps to fix problems in neighborhoods. We formed partnerships. We problem solved. We prevented crime... COPS money makes this possible... Thank you, Mr. President, for making it possible to fulfill my dream. Thank you for making it possible to return our police to their communities. Thank you for being the first president to take the police truly seriously, to listen to us, and to give us the tools we need to keep our people safe."
— Corporal Irma Rivera, Arlington County Police Department, Arlington, Virginia. Corporal Rivera has been with the Arlington County Police Department since April 1992. Due to a COPS grant, she was able to join the Community Based/Problem-Oriented Policing Section, which worked to rid Arlington neighborhoods of gang and drug-related crime.

• Background checks performed under the Brady Law have prevented more than 611,000 felons, fugitives and domestic abusers from buying a gun.
• The Assault Weapons Ban, passed as part of the 1994 Crime Bill, banned the manufacture, sale and importation of 19 of the deadliest assault weapons.
• The Clinton-Gore Administration has worked with state and local governments to increase prosecution of gun crime. Since 1992, the number of federal firearms cases has increased 16 percent, and as a result of this Administration's unprecedented partnership with states and localities, overall gun prosecutions - federal, state, and local combined — are up 22 percent. In addition, federal gun offenders are serving sentences that are about two years longer than in 1992 and the number of serious gun offenders sent to federal prison for more than five years is up more than 41 percent.
• Clinton-Gore Administration U.S. Attorneys in Richmond (Project Exile) and Boston (Operation Ceasefire) were instrumental in innovative efforts to crack down on armed drug traffickers, violent criminals, gang members and violent youth which has helped to reduce crime in these cities. The Clinton-Gore Administration has also implemented a comprehensive crime gun tracing initiative — the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative — in 38 cities to trace crime guns and identify and arrest illegal gun traffickers.
• Finally, to combat violence in schools, the Clinton-Gore Administration enacted the Gun Free Schools Act, which requires schools to adopt zero-tolerance policies toward guns in schools and expel students bringing firearms to school. Over the 1996-98 school years, nearly 10,000 students were expelled from public schools for bringing a firearm to school.

"President Clinton, you and your administration have helped make this country safer through your support for the Brady law and the 1994 crime bill and your persistence in pursuing common-sense laws and strategies to reduce gun violence."
— James Brady, February 11, 2000. James S. Brady was shot along with President Reagan and two law enforcement officers in an assassination attempt in 1981. Although seriously wounded by the gunshot wound to the head, Mr. Brady has actively lobbied for stronger gun laws.

"If my son Scott had not been shot by a classmate with a grudge and an assault weapon over ten years ago, I might likely be a grandmom today... With the leadership and perseverance of President Clinton, we won the fight to pass the Assault Weapons Ban, and have taken an important step toward preventing countless other families from suffering the way my family has."
— Bryl Phillips-Taylor. Bryl Phillips-Taylor lost her son, Scott, the summer before he was scheduled to enroll in college at Virginia Tech in 1989. Scott was killed by a fellow student who held a grudge against him after luring him into the woods and shooting him six times with an AK-47 assault rifle that he had taken from an unlocked gun storage shed. Since then, Bryl has worked tirelessly to promote the passage of common sense gun laws, including the successful passage of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.

"Five short years ago, Richmond was known nationwide for our high crime and murder rates. Today, we've received national attention not for the problem, but for the solution. We've attacked crime from all fronts, and one of the most successful avenues has been through strong gun enforcement. President Clinton shares my philosophy that America needs to send a strong message to gun criminals that breaking gun laws will not be tolerated. That's why we worked with the Clinton Administration to create the nation's first "Project Exile" program, a partnership at the federal and local levels that has guaranteed that anyone caught with an illegal gun serves five years in federal prison. Project Exile is now being replicated across America by other communities, and gun prosecutions are up. Project Exile's success in getting tough on gun criminals is due in no small measure to our partnership and President Clinton's leadership in the fight to reduce crime and gun violence."
— Colonel Jerry Oliver, Chief of Police, Richmond, Virginia. Colonel Oliver is nationally recognized for his success in helping to dramatically reduce crime in Richmond through innovative new partnerships and programs, such as "Project Exile." Created through a partnership with the Clinton Administration, U.S. Attorney Helen Fahey, Colonel Oliver and community leaders, "Project Exile" has helped take gun criminals off of the streets of Richmond by ensuring that felons caught illegally carrying firearms serve a minimum five year sentence in federal prison.

• Stiffer criminal penalties including a federal ‘three-strikes-and-you're out' law and expansion of the death penalty for killing a law enforcement officers and incentives for states to adopt truth-in-sentencing for violent offenders.
• Drug courts to provide increased judicial supervision and drug treatment for non-violent offenders and boot camps for first-time young offenders.
• Increased funding for prison construction, and anti-drug and gang programs.
• A new law making it illegal for juveniles to own handguns.
• Registration of sexually violent offenders with state officials upon release from prison.
• The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which quadrupled funding for battered women's shelters, increased resources to prosecute domestic violence offenders, and established a nationwide 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline.

"The Clinton Administration has been a key partner in all of our efforts, whether it's been through major grants, consistent public support for our collaborative efforts or deploying personnel from federal agencies, such as BATF, DEA, FBI, INS and the US Attorney, to work on task forces with us. We are very grateful for this partnership."
— Boston Police Commissioner Paul F. Evans, November 16, 2000. In the early 1990's, Boston faced a surge in homicides, gang-related crime, and youth violence. To address their crime problems, the Boston Police Department forged working relationships with Mayor Thomas Menino; local probation officers, parole officers and prosecutors; local, state and federal agencies; and each of Boston's neighborhoods. As a result, Boston has reached its lowest violent crime rate since 1971, the number of homicides is at its lowest point since 1961 and every year since 1993, the number of juveniles killed by guns has decreased.

"VAWA money that Esperanza has received in the past has assisted our program with victims in the court system. In fact, with VAWA funding, we were able to hire a court advocate who helps women obtain protection orders, helps them with security, and provides translation services. I am proud to say that our court advocate has helped about 1,500 women to date... President Clinton is a very strong advocate who cares and supports women everywhere. He is a person to be there to care when caring makes the difference between despair and hope."
— Connie R. Trujillo, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Connie Trujillo is a domestic violence survivor and the Executive Director of Esperanza, Shelter for Battered Families, one of the oldest battered women's shelters in the country. With Violence Against Women Act funding, Esperanza has been able to hire a court-based advocate to assist victims in obtaining orders of protection and in safety planning, and in one year, this advocate has assisted about 1,500 victims in court.

• Prevention funding has increased by one-third, including a successful Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, the largest targeted media effort ever to educate youth about the dangers of drug use.
• Treatment funding is up 33 percent, and the treatment gap has closed by five percent. To break the cycle of drugs and crime, President Clinton funded Drug Courts to provide treatment for non-violent offenders and helped to expand the number of Drug Courts from a dozen in 1994 to more than 400 in October 1999. The number of federal inmates receiving substance abuse treatment rose from 1,135 in 1992 to 10,816 in 1999, and the Administration has encouraged states to adopt comprehensive drug testing and intervention for prisoners and parolees.
• President Clinton has also stepped up interdiction and enforcement efforts. The Administration has increased the number of FBI, DEA, and Border Patrol Agents and is working with allies to stop international cultivation and trafficking. Seizures of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine reached record levels in 1999. Drug-related arrests and convictions also increased, with arrests up 46 percent and federal convictions rising by more than 20 percent.

"President Clinton's historic expansion of drug courts across our nation has played a vital role in our success in reducing crime and drug abuse in our communities. Drug Courts across the United States are resulting in increased sobriety and reduced criminality among drug using offenders. By demanding accountability, but also providing rehabilitative services to this drug using population, Drug Courts are creating safer and healthier communities, while reducing the numbers of offenders in custody and the financial costs to our communities."
— Judge Jeffrey S. Tauber, President of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and Director of the National Drug Court Institute. Judge Tauber initiated and presided over the design and implementation of the Oakland Drug Court Program, one of the first in the nation, and was also the first chair of the California Association of Drug Court Professionals.