Proclamation 6086—National Law Enforcement Training Week, 1990

Our Nation's law enforcement officers are entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order in our communities and protecting the lives and property of their fellow Americans. It is a tremendous responsibility, one that often entails great personal risk and sacrifice. Tragically, during the past 10 years alone, more than 1,500 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty.

The selfless men and women who serve our Nation as law enforcement officers are on the front lines in the war against crime. As they work to fight illicit drug trafficking and other crimes, law enforcement officers are obligated to conduct their activities within the rule of law, ensuring the public safety while, at the same time, respecting the constitutional rights of private citizens. Their success is made possible, in large part, by the knowledge and professionalism officers gain as a result of extensive training.

Law enforcement training focuses on how officers can identify criminals and bring them to justice through improvements in administrative procedures, investigative methods, and technical capabilities. Scientific training in the use of computers, in ballistics, toxicology, auditing procedures, psychological profiling, and other disciplines has helped increase the accuracy and effectiveness of efforts to identify persons engaged in criminal conduct. Recent advances in technology and the study of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) have the potential to yield still more reliable means of identifying--beyond a doubt--the perpetrators of criminal acts. These exciting advances can also help law enforcement officers exonerate the innocent.

Such sophisticated methods and technology are vital in the fight against today's sophisticated, complex crime. By equipping officers with the knowledge and skills they need, law enforcement training helps them to protect our homes, businesses, and communities. This week, we recognize the dedicated men and women who provide this training, as well as the hardworking individuals who participate in it.

The Congress, by Public Law 101-59, has designated the week of January 7, 1990 through January 13, 1990, as "National Law Enforcement Training Week" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of January 7, 1990, through January 13, 1990, as National Law Enforcement Training Week. I urge the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate exhibits, ceremonies, and activities, including programs designed to heighten the awareness of young people of career opportunities in law enforcement and related disciplines.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of January, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth.

GEORGE BUSH