AG HOLDER SAYS GOODBYE AT CEREMONY

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Attorney General Holder Addresses Department Employees at Departure Ceremony
Washington, DCUnited States ~ Friday, April 24, 2015
Remarks as delivered

Thank you, thank you.  Please take your seats.

A couple of business items.  My portrait hangs on the fifth floor of the Justice Department.  And something that has not been mentioned but something that I really pressed Simmie Knox – the artist of the portrait – my kid’s names are hidden in the portrait.  And if you look at the button of my jacket and the wings of the eagle you’ll find the three of them.  And that’s the lore I want to have come out about this portrait.  Find the names of the Holder children – okay?

The other thing, Lee Loftus asked me to check to make sure that you all know that you’re on annual leave. But in my final act as Attorney General – screw it!

This has been a great six years.  Being at the Justice Department has been – I said the last six years but the reality is that I’ve been at this department since 1976, off and on.  I started as a line lawyer in the public integrity section in the Criminal Division and it’s going to be hard for me to walk away from the people who I love and the people who represent this institution that I love so much – but it is time.  It is time to make a transition.  Change is a good thing and I am confident in the work in which you have done that we have laid the foundation for even better things over the course of the next couple of years.

I think that as we look back at these past six years, what I want you all to understand is that you have done truly historic, historic and big things – no matter where you look.  From the basic stuff, this department was restored, it’s restored – it’s restored to what it always was and certainly was when I got here and what it must always be.  Free from politicization, focused on the mission and making sure that justice is done – without any kind of interference from political outsiders.

We have expressed faith in the greatest court system in the world and brought the toughest national security cases into that system and with unbelievable results.  The notion that we’re still having a debate about whether or not cases ought to be brought in the Article 3 system or in military tribunals is over.  It’s dead.  And that’s because, again, of the great work that the prosecutors in various districts have performed in putting together wonderful cases and then successfully trying those cases.

We have had an impact on the environment and people who – and companies that would have spoiled our environment.  Historic, historic wins in that regard as well.  You look at the financial recoveries that um – related to the mortgage crisis, and the huge amounts of money that we put – that we recovered.  And then I think what’s important – and Tony West is here, and I think he deserves some special thanks for that, for what was done with that money.  To try to get it to the people who suffered the most.  The thought was never to simply take that money and put it into the United States Treasury, but to come up with ways in which we could try to get people back into their homes, or to somehow reduce the debt-load that they were dealing with.

Our Antitrust Division lives again – lives again, and has had a tremendous impact in our country, and in the positive things that they’ve done for the American consumer.  We announced – or we’ve heard, I guess, today that a merger that I think would have been extremely anti-competitive and would have not been in the best interests of the American consumer, has been abandoned.  That is because of the great work of the men and women in the Antitrust Division.

Our Tax Division, overseas accounts dealing with our allies in Europe, bringing money back and disallowing the practice that for too long had gone on where people had squirreled away, hidden money that they needed to actually pay taxes for and be held – be accountable for.  Historic stuff, that, as well.

Indian Country – you think about the tough history that exists between the United States and our Native people, we have put on track, I think, the ability to right some really serious historical wrongs.  We’ve done, I think, a great deal, much work remains to be done.  But this Justice Department was committed to addressing those problems in as frank a way as is possible.

Criminal Justice Reform – if you look at all the statistics, you’ll see the incarceration rate goes like this, and then goes up.  And then goes up in about 1974, late seventies, something like that. And we are a nation that incarcerates too many people for too long and for no good law enforcement reason.  It is time—it is time to change the approaches we have been using these past 30 - 40 years, and through the great work of the people of this department we are starting to reverse that trend.  Again, work remains to be done, but we are on our way.

Civil Rights—the LGBT community is something that I tried to focus on.  I think that is the civil rights issue of our time.  This whole question of same sex marriage will be resolved by the court over, I guess, the next couple of months.  Hopefully that decision will go in a way that I think is consistent with who we say we are as a people, but I also think that is really just a sign; it’s an indication, one part of the fight for overall LGBT equality.  And I think that the work that you all have done in the regard is going to be an integral part of the legacy of this department.

And then, you know, the thing that I think in some ways animates me, angers me, is this whole notion of protecting the right to vote.  We celebrated this year the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act.  We went to—I went to Selma to commemorate Bloody Sunday.  John Lewis was here earlier.  This nation fought a civil war, endured slavery by another name, dealt with legalized segregation.  A civil rights movement in the mid and early sixties transformed this nation.  And the notion that we would somehow go back and put in place things that make it difficult—more difficult for our fellow citizens to vote is simply inconsistent with all that’s good about this country, and something that I was bound and determined to fight.  And our Civil Rights Division has done a superb job in crafting law suits based on a Voting Rights Act that was wrongly gutted by the Supreme Court, and I suspect that we will see successes from those efforts that have—those cases that have been filed.  But that, that of all things, simply cannot be allowed to happen.  The right to vote must be protected.

I want to thank my family, my lovely wife, for the sacrifices they’ve made — over the years not only to allow me to be Attorney General but to be the Deputy Attorney General, to be U.S. Attorney here in Washington, D.C.  Honey, you’ve been the rock in the family.  And you’ve allowed me the opportunity to do the things that that really animated me and allowed me to work with all of these great people.

I also want to say something about the folks you see standing here—my detail.  These are people—men and women—who literally sacrifice their well-being in terms of their interactions with their families.  They travel with me.  They miss weekends.  They work long and hard hours. And they are prepared to do ultimate kinds of things.  And I could not do this job without them. Now they will not smile because they don’t do that.  I see Marcus is smiling a little bit there.  Bart’s also smiling.

And then I just want to thank all of you.  All of you.  You are what make this institution.  You know we have a great building and it is something that is historic in its nature.  But it is only kept great by the dedicated, the perseverance, the commitment that all of you show on a daily basis. And I hope that you all will understand that the job…there is not a routine job in the United States Department of Justice.  Given the great power that we are entrusted with, the responsibilities that we have, I don’t want you all to ever think that it’s just Tuesday and I’m going to get through the day.  That’s not who we are at the United States Department of Justice. It’s not who you all are.  And I think that has certainly been shown in the way in which you have conducted yourselves and the way in which you all have accomplished so much over the last six years.

I said earlier that when we celebrated Robert Kennedy’s 50th anniversary of his swearing-in in 2011, people said that that was the golden age for the United States Department of Justice. Well, I think that 50 years from now, 50 years from now and maybe even sooner than that, people are going to look back at the work that you all did and say that this was another golden age.  That’s how good you all are.  That’s how good you all are.  That’s how dedicated, committed and wonderful you all have been. With a focus on justice.  With a focus on helping those who cannot help themselves.  You have distinguished yourselves.

There’s a long line of excellence in the United States Department of Justice, but every now and again – at an appropriate time – a group comes along that is worthy of special recognition.  And you all are in fact one of those groups.  I am proud of you.  I am proud of you.  I am going to miss you.  I am going to miss this building.  I am going to miss this institution.  But more than anything I am going to miss you all.  This building is always going to be home, and you all will always be my family.  Wherever I am and whatever I am doing, I will be rooting for you from the sidelines.

Now I want to do something here.  We have these bands that I’ve been wearing for the last whatever number of whatevers.  I think I can officially take this off now. I think we can officially say now that Eric Holder is free.  But it is not necessarily something that I want.  I don’t ever want to be free of this great institution.  I don’t want to ever be free of the relationships that I have forged with so many of you.  I don’t want to ever be free of the notion that I am a member of the United States Department of Justice.  This is something that has meant the world to me.  It has helped define me as an individual, as a lawyer and as a man.

And for that reason, although, I got rid of those bands.  I’m free in one sense that really not as consequential as the way in which I will never be free, nor want to be free of the United States Department of Justice, or free from all of you.

Thank you for your support over the past six years. I look forward to all that you going to do all with the great new leadership of a wonderful new Attorney General who will be sworn in on Monday, and I expect you will do great things over the course of these next two years, but beyond that. With those of you who are career employees, I expect that you will do great things as long as you are part of the Justice Department. There will be some of you who will be here 20 years from now, 30 years from now and I expect that your biographies will be littered with wonderful things.

But again, thank you all so much. I’m going to miss you and as I said in a previous speech, this is my third going away, but I promise that this is the last one. But I’ll end it this way, I love you all madly. Thank you.

AG HOLDER'S STATEMENT ON 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Attorney General Holder Statement on the 75th Anniversary of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement on the 75th anniversary of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund:

“On behalf of the United States Department of Justice, I congratulate the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund on 75 years of passionate legal advocacy and extensive educational outreach in its tireless pursuit of equality and justice throughout the nation.  Since 1940, the NAACP LDF has stood at the forefront of America’s struggle to ensure that equality under the law is protected by the law.  From the historic victory in Brown v. Board of Education, achieved under the leadership of legendary founder Thurgood Marshall, to the wide-ranging efforts of the visionaries who continue to build on Brown’s promise today, the NAACP LDF has made once-unimaginable progress in expanding democracy, drawing attention to persistent disparities, and securing the more just society that all Americans deserve.  As this vital organization celebrates 75 years of civil rights achievements, I look forward to all that it will accomplish in the days and years to come.”

AG HOLDER RESTRICTS CERTAIN ASSET FORFEITURES

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Attorney General Restricts Use of Asset Forfeiture in Structuring Offenses
New Policy Limits Seizing Cash Deposited in a Way to Avoid Triggering Bank Reports to Most Serious Cases

As part of the Department of Justice’s comprehensive, ongoing review of the asset forfeiture program, Attorney General Eric Holder today issued a policy focusing the use of asset forfeiture authorities on the most serious illegal banking transactions, restricting civil or criminal forfeiture seizures for structuring until after a defendant has been criminally charged or has been found to have engaged in additional criminal activity, in most cases.

“With this new policy, the Department of Justice is taking action to ensure that we are allocating our resources to address the most serious offenses,” said Attorney General Holder.  “Appropriate use of asset forfeiture law allows the Justice Department to safeguard the integrity, security and stability of our nation’s financial system while protecting the civil liberties of all Americans.  And as we continue our comprehensive review of the Asset Forfeiture Program, we will stay focused on deterring criminal activity, assisting victims of wrongdoing and defending the rights of our citizens.”

Structuring generally occurs when, instead of conducting a single transaction in currency in an amount that would require a report to be filed or record made by a domestic financial institution, the violator conducts a series of currency transactions, willfully keeping each individual transaction at an amount below applicable thresholds to evade reporting or recording.  In addition to being a stand-alone offense, structuring is a crime that often occurs in connection with other criminal activity.

Under the new policy, in the absence of criminal charges, judicially authorized warrants to seize bank accounts involved in structuring can only be obtained if the prosecutor first develops probable cause of additional federal criminal activity and that determination is approved by a supervisor.  Otherwise, a prosecutor may ask a judge to issue a seizure warrant only if either the U.S. Attorney or the Chief of the Criminal Division’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section personally determines that seizure would serve a compelling law enforcement interest.

In addition, the new policy imposes important protections after a seizure has taken place.  The policy requires a prosecutor to promptly direct a seizing agency to return funds if the prosecutor determines that there is insufficient admissible evidence to prevail in a criminal or civil trial.  The policy also imposes a 150-day deadline to file a criminal indictment or civil complaint against the seized funds, or otherwise directs a return of the full amount of the seized funds.  Finally, the policy requires a formal, written settlement agreement vetted by a federal prosecutor for settlements of structuring offenses.

This new policy is the most recent result of the department’s ongoing review of the Asset Forfeiture Program to ensure that asset forfeiture – a critical law enforcement tool – can continue to be used to appropriately take the profits out of crime and return assets to victims, all while safeguarding civil liberties.

The policy was developed by the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the Criminal Division and the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys.  The policy applies to all Department of Justice attorneys.

AG HOLDER'S REMARKS AT FUNERAL SERVICE FOR DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL JOSIE WELLS

FROM:  U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE
Attorney General Holder Delivers Special Remarks at Memorial Service
for Deputy U.S. Marshal Josie Wells
Remarks as prepared for delivery
Moss Point, Mississippi

Thank you. I am grateful for this opportunity to pay tribute to the inspiring life and courageous work of Josie Wells; a man—a patriot—who gave his life in the service of his country. And I am honored to stand among so many friends, colleagues and family members who are proud to call this true American hero their own.

I bring with me today condolences contained in a message addressed to Deputy Marshal Wells’ wife—which I would like to read to you now:

“Dear Channing: Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn of Josie’s tragic passing, and we extend our heartfelt condolences as you mourn his loss. As a Deputy United States Marshal, Josie devoted himself to keeping America safe and upholding the laws and ideals that make us who we are. America is forever grateful to the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way for people across our nation, and we honor your husband for his courageous and selfless service. In the difficult days ahead, may you find solace in your cherished memories and comfort in the support of loved ones. Please know you and your entire family will remain in my thoughts and prayers. Sincerely, President Barack Obama.”

I stand with the president—and with all of you—in mourning this loss. To Deputy Marshal Wells’s wife, Channing; to his father, Obie, and his mother, Sherry; to his brothers and sisters; and to the entire U.S. Marshals family—thank you for allowing me to share in this moment with you; to grieve for a young man taken from us far too suddenly and far too soon; and to celebrate an extraordinary life lived with abiding love, with compassionate purpose, and with deep and uncommon valor.

Today we remember Deputy Marshal Wells for all that he was, both to those within this church and to the many he inspired far beyond these walls. To his friends in Hurley, Mississippi, he was a kid with a million-dollar smile whose adventurous style and audacious horse-riding lived up to his name, which his father chose based on “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” To the young people who still live in his old neighborhood, he was a hometown boy made good whose visits to East Central High School called on them to follow their passions and serve their community. And to the members of the United States Marshals Service—the oldest and most storied law enforcement agency in the nation—he was a young leader of extraordinary vigor and unlimited promise, determined to serve his fellow citizens and destined to achieve great things.

Every day for more than four years—first in Missouri, and more recently in Mississippi—Deputy Marshal Wells proudly wore the badge of the U.S. Marshals Service, as he defended our system of law and pursued fugitives from justice. He knew well the risk involved in his work, but he did not hesitate to put his own life on the line in order to protect the country he loved. And the importance of his efforts, and those of his colleagues—in maintaining order; in keeping the peace; in apprehending dangerous criminals; and in safeguarding our system of justice—would be difficult to overstate.

I want to take this moment to convey my gratitude to the courageous men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service who are here with us, and to their colleagues around the country, for everything that you do. From the earliest days of this nation, your efforts have been essential to this country’s progress, and vital to its most important achievements. Through our most difficult chapters, you have stood, “first for justice,” as a force for good. The loss that we mark today is a devastating reminder that the work that you do to keep Americans safe is extremely serious, enormously important, and deeply heroic. I and the entire Department of Justice family stand with this community—not just today, but every day—as we work to prevent tragedies like the one that took our colleague and our friend.

Of course, while Deputy Marshal Wells was a remarkable officer, he was not defined solely by his profession. He was also a son, proudly following a path into law enforcement that his father had laid before him. He was a devoted husband to Channing, his college sweetheart, who spurred him on to achieve his most ambitious dreams. And he was a loving father to a child not yet born—a son who will be named Josie Wells Jr., in honor of a hero who gave his “last full measure of devotion” in the service of his country. Josie Jr. will enter a world without his namesake. And it will be up to every one of us to share with him the story of his father’s extraordinary life.

We will tell him that his father was a man who believed in the importance of justice, of integrity and of service. We will talk about his father’s commitment to the sacred mission that we all share, and the indomitable courage with which he carried it out. And we will do our part—all of us—to carry on his father’s legacy; to serve our communities and our country with honor, with distinction and with pride; and to make this world the place that Josie Wells imagined not only for his son—but also for the sons and daughters of his countrymen.

I know that there are no words that can ease the pain that we all feel, or that can fill the void that this tragedy has left behind. I know that this is a heartbreak that feels unbearable. But we will bear it together, with the knowledge that Deputy Marshal Wells will live on—in the example he set for law enforcement at all levels, in every community; in the lives he touched and the people he inspired, in his hometown and across the nation; and in the cherished memories of those who knew him best and loved him most, and who stand together for him today.

As we take him to his rest today I would ask that you remember this true American hero not for how he lost his life but for how he lived it—with faith, with compassion and with the joy that only those who truly give, truly give, can ever really experience. This was a good and decent man—an example to us all.

May he rest in peace.

DOJ, HHS, ANNOUNCE OVER $27.8 BILLION RECOVERED COMBATING HEALTH CARE FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services Announce Over $27.8 Billion in Returns from Joint Efforts to Combat Health Care Fraud
Administration Recovers $7.70 for Every Dollar Spent on Health Care-Related Fraud and Abuse

More than $27.8 billion has been returned to the Medicare Trust Fund over the life of the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program, Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced today.  The government’s health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recovered $3.3 billion in taxpayer dollars in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 from individuals and companies who attempted to defraud federal health programs, including programs serving seniors, persons with disabilities or those with low incomes.  For every dollar spent on health care-related fraud and abuse investigations in the last three years, the administration recovered $7.70.  This is about $2 higher than the average return on investment in the HCFAC program since it was created in 1997.  It is also the third highest return on investment in the life of the program.

“As the innovative and collaborative work of the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program proceeds, more taxpayer money is being recovered, more criminals are facing justice, and more fraud is being punished, prevented and deterred,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.  “The extraordinary return on investment we've obtained speaks to the skill, the tenacity, and the inspiring success of the hardworking men and women fighting on behalf of the American people.  And with these outstanding results, we are sending the unmistakable message that we will not waver in our mission to pursue fraud, to protect vulnerable communities, and to preserve the public trust.”

“Eliminating fraud, waste and abuse is a top priority for the Department of Health and Human Services,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell.  “These impressive recoveries for the American taxpayer demonstrate our continued commitment to this goal and highlight our efforts to prosecute the most egregious instances of health care fraud and prevent future fraud and abuse.  New enrollment screening techniques and computer analytics are preventing fraud before money ever goes out the door.  And together with the continued support of Congress and our partners at the Department of Justice, we’ve cracked down on tens of thousands health care providers suspected of Medicare fraud – all of which are helping to extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund.”

The recoveries announced today reflect a two-pronged strategy to combat fraud and abuse.  Under new authorities granted by the Affordable Care Act, the administration continues to implement programs that move away from “pay and chase” to preventing health care fraud and abuse in the first place.  In addition, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), run jointly by the HHS Office of the Inspector General and the Justice Department, is changing how the federal government fights certain types of health care fraud.  These cases are being investigated through "real-time" data analysis in lieu of a prolonged subpoena and account analyses, resulting in significantly shorter periods of time between fraud identification, arrest and prosecution.

Increased funding from the administration and Congress has allowed HHS and the Justice Department to build on early successes of the Medicare Strike Force by expanding into nine geographic territories – Miami, Los Angeles, Detroit, Houston, Brooklyn, New York, Southern Louisiana, Tampa, Florida, Chicago and Dallas.  Since its inception, Strike Force prosecutors filed more than 963 cases charging more than 2,097 defendants who collectively billed the Medicare program more than $6.5 billion; 1,443 defendants pleaded guilty and 191 others were convicted in jury trials; and 1,197 defendants were sentenced to imprisonment for an average term of approximately 47 months.  Through the Strike Force and other efforts, in FY 2014 alone, the Justice Department opened 924 new criminal health care fraud investigations.  Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges in 496 cases involving 805 defendants.  A total of 734 defendants were convicted of health care fraud‑related crimes during the year.

Another powerful tool in the effort to combat health care fraud is the federal False Claims Act.  In 2014, the Justice Department’s Civil Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices obtained $2.3 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims against federal health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.  Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered more than $15.2 billion in cases involving health care fraud.  These amounts reflect federal losses only.  In many of these cases, the department was instrumental in recovering additional billions of dollars for state health care programs.  In FY 2014, the department continued its enforcement of the civil False Claims Act and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and opened 782 new civil health care fraud investigations.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is also adopting a number of preventive measures to combat fraud and abuse.  Provider enrollment is the gateway to billing the Medicare program, and CMS has put critical safeguards in place to make sure that only legitimate providers are enrolling in the program.  The Affordable Care Act required a CMS revalidation of all existing 1.5 million Medicare suppliers and providers under new screening requirements.  CMS will have requested revalidations by March 2015.  As a result of this and other proactive initiatives, CMS has deactivated 450,000 enrollments and revoked nearly 27,000 enrollments to prevent certain providers from re-enrolling and billing the Medicare program.  Both of these actions immediately stop billing.  A provider with deactivated billing privileges can reactivate at any time, and a revoked provider is barred from re-entry into Medicare for a period ranging from one to three years.  CMS has also issued a regulation requiring prescribers of Part D drugs to enroll in Medicare and undergo screening.

CMS also continued the fiscal 2014 temporary moratoria on the enrollment of new home health or ambulance service providers in six fraud hot spots: Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Detroit and Philadelphia (which includes some counties in New Jersey).  This extension will allow CMS to continue its actions to suspend payments or remove providers from the program before allowing new providers into potentially over-supplied markets.

Similar to the technology used by credit card companies, CMS is using its Fraud Prevention System to apply advanced analytics to all Medicare fee-for-service claims on a streaming, national basis.  The Fraud Prevention System identifies aberrant and suspicious billing patterns which in turn trigger actions that can be implemented swiftly to prevent payment of fraudulent claims.  In the second year, the system saved $210.7 million, almost double the amount identified during the first year of the program.

AG HOLDER'S REMARKS ON MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks on My Brother's Keeper at the Center for American Progress
Washington, DCUnited States ~ Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you, Neera [Tanden], for that kind introduction.  It’s a pleasure to be here with you today, and a privilege to join so many passionate citizens, committed public servants and dedicated advocates as we mark the one-year anniversary of the president’s groundbreaking My Brother’s Keeper initiative.  There is no place I would rather be in my closing days as Attorney General than with all of you.  Or, at least, these should be my closing days.  Given the Senate’s delays in scheduling Loretta Lynch’s nomination for a vote, it’s almost as if the Republicans in Congress have discovered a new fondness for me.  Where was all this affection the last six years?

But seriously, it’s fitting that one of my final events as Attorney General will be about My Brother’s Keeper because it speaks to issues that have been at the forefront of my work and at the center of my thoughts throughout my professional career.

During my time as a judge on the Superior Court in Washington, D.C., I saw how people who were convicted of crimes too often had been previously trapped in a cycle of poverty, familial instability, juvenile criminality and adult incarceration.  I observed how this cycle could weaken communities, tear already weak family structures apart and ultimately destroy individual lives.  And day after day, I watched lines of young people—most often young men of color—stream through my courtroom.  I began to recognize their faces, and to recall their too-common and recurring stories, because too many of the people I sentenced served their time, were released from prison, and sooner or later returned to the same behavior that had led them to my courtroom in the first place.

Many of these individuals were not fundamentally different from me, or from the people I grew up with in East Elmhurst, in Queens, New York City—friends, classmates, neighbors and peers—some of whom didn’t catch the same breaks, made mistakes or poor choices, and got involved in the criminal justice system with no real ability to reclaim their lives or recast their futures.  So when I returned to the Department of Justice, I insisted on doing my part to make our criminal justice system more efficient, more effective and more fair—as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, as Deputy Attorney General and, for the last six years, as Attorney General of the United States.

During my tenure in the Obama Administration, particularly through the Smart on Crime initiative, we have worked to reform our criminal justice system at every level.  Our primary responsibility—which we have never lost sight of—is public safety and individual accountability.  But we have reduced our reliance on draconian mandatory minimum sentencing, increased our use of rehabilitation programs like drug courts and veterans courts, and expanded assistance for formerly incarcerated individuals as they re-enter society.

These are important improvements, and all available results demonstrate that our approach has been extremely effective.  But in addition to modifying the way we charge, sentence and release men and women who are involved in crimes, we also have a vital role to play in preventing people from coming into contact with the criminal justice system in the first place.  That means ending the school-to-prison pipeline that sends too many children on a well-worn path from the schoolhouse to the jailhouse.  It means employing a developmentally-informed approach to prevent violence against children and to alleviate the devastating harm that comes from abuse.  And it means addressing persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color through initiatives like My Brother’s Keeper and ensuring that all our young people can reach their full potential.

The fundamental idea behind this initiative is that every child in America should have the opportunity to grow, to succeed, and to contribute to their community and their country.  Because it is clear that, despite our best efforts, some children still face significant opportunity gaps that put them at a disadvantage—that make them less likely to graduate from high school; less likely to get a well-paying job; and less likely to join the middle class.  It makes them more likely to slip below the poverty line, or to stay there; more likely to suffer violence and abuse; and more likely to become involved in the criminal justice system.

The My Brother’s Keeper initiative is designed to support the progress of these individuals—with mentorships, with support networks and with public-private partnerships that help our young people develop the skills they need to find a good job, to go to college, to raise a family and to succeed.  Most importantly, on a fundamental level, My Brother’s Keeper sends a message that these young people matter to us.  They matter to their country.  They matter to their president.  And they matter to me—an Attorney General who is so much like them.  We as a nation will never give up on them—and we must refuse to let them give up on themselves.

Over the last year, we have made significant progress.  We have joined with cities and towns, businesses, and foundations that are taking steps to connect young people to the resources they need to get a good education, to improve their lives and to work their way into the middle class.  We have launched the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge—an important call for communities to implement long-term strategies for improving the life outcomes of all young people.  And we have established the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice—a nationwide program designed to enhance procedural justice, reduce implicit bias and support racial reconciliation.

Just last week, I was proud to announce six cities selected to serve as pilot sites under this initiative—to develop programs that will work to dispel the mistrust that plagues too many neighborhoods, and to create innovative new efforts that will help build and maintain the bonds between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve, wherever those bonds have been broken.  Those six cities—Birmingham, Alabama; Stockton, California; Gary, Indiana; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Fort Worth, Texas—will stand on the front lines of this effort.  And by helping to develop programs that serve their own diverse experiences, these cities will provide trailblazing insight and essential information for our ongoing efforts to confront pressing, similar issues in other communities across the country.

As you know, these are not abstract concepts—they are vital steps that we must take to improve our communities, to strengthen our public safety programs and to save lives.  Recently, we’ve received painful reminders about the importance of initiatives like this one.  We’ve endured sudden, rancorous challenges to the idea that we are one united people.  And we’ve seen how quickly and how easily a split-second local incident can give way to enduring national strife and tragedy—to parents who are left without their children; to young people forever deprived of a role model; to brave officers killed while serving their communities; and to citizens across the country who fear walking their neighborhoods and cops who fear patrolling their beats.

That is a reality that is incompatible with the spirit of this country—a country founded on the notion of brotherhood; of shared vision and common effort.  A country that views “we the people” as a declaration of the inextricable links that connect us to one another.  As then-State Senator Obama said in a convention hall in Boston just over a decade ago, “it is that fundamental belief—I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper—that makes this country work.”

Now, our society has not always lived up to that promise.  America has been sorely tested—by long-ago injustices that nearly split our Union, and by systemic biases that still fester in too many institutions today.  But over nearly 250 years of debate, of argument and of slow and deliberate progress, there can be no doubt that we have moved closer to our highest ideals; that we have advanced toward a brighter horizon; and that we have bent the arc of the moral universe—haltingly, but with great determination and clarity of purpose—toward justice.

From revolution to emancipation; from the suffragists to the Freedom Riders; from Selma to Stonewall, countless men, women and children of strong character and enduring faith have pulled this country forward, toward a new day when all Americans can succeed no matter who they are, no matter what they look like, no matter where they’re from, and no matter whom they love—whether they are rich or poor, young or old, gay or straight, famous or unknown.  Whether they are an individual born with all the advantages this country has to offer, or a young man of color faced with difficult choices and an uncertain future.  We’re not there yet.  But today—right now—it is up to all of us to take up that challenge, to continue that effort and to resume the march that so many have sacrificed so much to advance.

I know that this work will not always be simple.  Longstanding inequities will not be easily corrected, historic divides will not be healed overnight, and leaders in government, no matter how committed, cannot do this work alone.  That is why the private partnerships being forged in response to My Brother’s Keeper are so crucial, and why I have been proud to work with—and in some cases, to help establish—extraordinary nonprofit organizations that extend a hand to at-risk youth across the country—organizations like the See Forever Foundation, Safe Shores, and The Alliance for Concerned Men.

In conversations with public safety officers, community and business leaders, activists, and young people across the country—in Atlanta, Cleveland, Memphis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Oakland, and San Francisco—I have found broad agreement that we can work together to create safer, more prosperous communities.  I have encountered an overriding desire to collaborate toward that end.  And I have been struck not by our divisions, but by our common interest in creating the more just society that all Americans deserve.

As I look around this room today—at the dedicated citizens who have a hand in this country’s direction and the young people who will guide it for years to come—I cannot help being optimistic.  I cannot help anticipating that brighter day.  And I cannot help feeling confident about all that we will achieve together.

In the coming days, my tenure as Attorney General of the United States will come to an end.  But whenever I do depart the Obama Administration, I will never leave this work.  I will never abandon this mission.  And I will never relinquish this effort to help build the more equal country—and the more just society—that all Americans deserve.  I look forward to continuing to work with all of you as we seek to make our Union more perfect.

AG HOLDER MAKES COMMENTS ON RIGHT TO COUNSEL SETTLEMENT WITH NEW YORK STATE

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Monday, March 16, 2015
Attorney General Holder Applauds Settlement to Improve Right to Counsel in New York State

Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday hailed the outcome in a lawsuit challenging the lack of funding for public defender programs in five counties in New York State, calling the finalized settlement in the case a “major step forward.”

In September 2014, the Justice Department had filed a statement of interest in the case, known as Hurrell-Harring v. State of New York.  This represented the first time the department addressed the constructive denial of counsel in state courts.  After extensive negotiations, the parties reached a settlement, which Judge Gerald Connolly of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Albany County, has now signed.  The settlement agreement, which applies to five New York counties, guarantees that indigent criminal defendants will have legal counsel at arraignment, establishes and implements caseload and workload standards for public defenders, provides for effective supervision and training of public defenders and sets new indigency standards for determining whether a defendant is entitled to public counsel.

“This settlement marks a major step forward in the safeguarding of the essential right to effective legal representation, which stands at the core of America’s criminal justice system,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.  “It is simply unacceptable that, today – more than half a century after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Gideon v. Wainright affirmed the right to counsel for low-income defendants – America’s indigent defense systems continue to exist in a state of crisis, and inequities remain all too common.  That’s why, especially in recent years, the Department of Justice has fought tirelessly to ensure effective representation for all who are charged with crimes.  With this settlement, we send a clear message that this fight will continue.  And we will never waver in our commitment to ensuring that all Americans receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled.”

“This important settlement agreement is a model, not just for the five counties named in the case, but for all of New York State, and for the country,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division.  “The right to counsel is one of the core guarantees of the Bill of Rights, and yet, as countless cases and studies show, indigent defense systems across the county are facing significant challenges in meeting their Sixth Amendment obligations.”

In Hurrell-Harring the plaintiffs alleged that a lack of funding for indigent defense deprives public defenders of the time or resources to prepare cases or meaningfully represent their clients and amounts to the denial of counsel in violation of Gideon v. Wainwright and the Sixth Amendment.  In its statement of interest, the department advised the court that under resourcing public defense may force even otherwise competent and well-intentioned public defenders into a position where they are, in effect, a lawyer in name only.  The statement of interest added that if the court finds that the plaintiffs have been constructively denied the right to counsel on a systemic basis, the court has broad injunctive authority to remedy those constitutional violations.

The Hurrell-Harring case was filed in 2007 and brought by former indigent defendants who faced criminal charges in Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Suffolk and Washington counties in the state of New York.

AG HOLDER'S STATEMENT ON ARREST OF OFFICER SHOOTING SUSPECT IN FERGUSON

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Statement by Attorney General Holder on Arrest in Officer Shootings in Ferguson, Missouri

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Sunday regarding the arrest of Jeffrey Williams in the shooting of two law enforcement officers outside the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department on Thursday:

“This arrest sends a clear message that acts of violence against our law enforcement personnel will never be tolerated.  The swiftness of this action is a credit to the significant cooperation between federal authorities and the St. Louis County Police Department.  The ATF’s ballistic imaging technology has played a critical role in the ongoing investigation.  I commend both the ATF and St. Louis police for their tremendous work in identifying this suspect.

“In the days ahead, we will continue to partner with the authorities in St. Louis County to secure justice for all those affected by this heinous and cowardly crime.  And we will continue to stand vigilant in support of public safety officers and the communities they serve.”

AG HOLDER'S STATEMENT ON FATAL SHOOTING OF DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL JOSIE WELLS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Statement by Attorney General Holder on Fatal Shooting of Deputy U.S. Marshal Josie Wells

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Wednesday regarding the fatal shooting of Deputy U.S. Marshal Josie Wells:

“Deputy Marshal Josie Wells was a dedicated law enforcement officer, a remarkable patriot and a courageous public servant.  Though he was taken from us far too suddenly and far too soon, he leaves behind an indelible legacy that will live on in the lives he touched; in the work that the U.S. Marshals Service continues to perform; and in a world that is safer because of his devoted service.  His loss is a deeply tragic reminder that the work of our law enforcement officers around the nation is extremely serious, profoundly heroic and deserving of our most emphatic support.  The thoughts and prayers of the law enforcement community will be with the family and loved ones of Deputy Marshal Wells throughout this difficult time.  And as we go forward, the Department of Justice intends to honor his service and his sacrifice by continuing to fight for the values he protected every day, and to defend the American people for whom he gave his life.”


FROM:  U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE
Deputy U.S. Marshal Killed in the Line of Duty

Washington – Deputy U.S. Marshal Josie Wells died from a gunshot wound received in the line of duty in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, March 10. Wells, 27, a native of Mississippi had been with the U.S. Marshals Service since January 2011.

Wells was part of a team executing arrest warrants on a fugitive wanted for double homicide in Baton Rouge. The team engaged in gunfire with the fugitive and Wells was shot. He was immediately transported to Lane Regional Medical Center in Zachary, Louisiana, where he died.

The fugitive, Jamie Croom, was also shot and transported to a local hospital where he later died.

“Our deputies and law enforcement partners face untold dangers every day in the pursuit of justice in cities nationwide,” said Director Stacia A. Hylton. “The fugitive who killed Deputy Wells was extremely dangerous, wanted for double homicide and intentionally evaded justice.”

Hylton added, “When a public servant dies in the line of duty, it is an immeasurable tragedy felt by all. Our thoughts and prayers are with Deputy Wells’ family, friends and colleagues.”

The shooting investigation is being conducted by FBI and the Baton Rouge Police Department.

AG HOLDER'S SPEECH TO COMMEMORATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY AND SELMA-TO-MONTGOMERY MARCHES

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Attorney General Holder Reaffirms Commitment to Voting Rights in Speech to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma-to-Montgomery Marches
Selma, ALUnited States ~ Sunday, March 8, 2015
Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you, Reverend [Leodis] Strong, for that kind introduction.  It is a pleasure to be here on this important day, and a privilege to join so many committed public servants, civil rights pioneers, and passionate citizens as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday—and rededicate ourselves to the ongoing fight for civil rights and social justice.

It is a special and humbling honor to speak at this historic chapel—where, 50 years ago, men and women of good conscience and strong will met to advance a cause that was written into our founding documents, and etched into our highest ideals.  Within these walls, they spoke of equality, of opportunity, of justice – and of promises unkept.  They made brave and perilous plans to realize a dream too long deferred.  And they joined together, as one community, to advance the promise of a nation – and to make that promise real.

They did this at a time of great and abiding uncertainty; of deep and dangerous threats.  In the years prior, Freedom Riders testing anti-segregation laws had been attacked by angry mobs; Vivian Malone –who would later become my sister-in-law – had braved Governor George Wallace’s Stand in the Schoolhouse Door to integrate the University of Alabama; Medgar Evers had been murdered outside his home; and four young girls—Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNair—had been killed by the blast of a bomb at the 16th Street Baptist Church, less than a hundred miles north of here, while attending a service titled “The Love that Forgives.”  These contemporary atrocities rested upon the fate of countless and unnamed others who had for centuries been subjected to a state-sponsored regime of intimidation and terror.  And although the Supreme Court had struck down segregation laws more than a decade earlier, innumerable communities continued to enforce laws that kept African Americans entirely separate and emphatically unequal.  Make no mistake: their decision to move forward was the height of bravery.

Nowhere was this discrimination more insidious than in the barriers African Americans faced when attempting to cast a ballot.  Literacy tests, imposed at the discretion of white officials, kept many black individuals from registering to vote; poll taxes – paying to get the necessary documents to vote – were levied against those who did; and lists of African Americans who overcame obstacles to registration were made public, so that some white citizens could identify, intimidate, and often violently suppress black voters.  Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had given African-American men and women historic protections, without adequate political representation and without real political power, people of color continued to be marginalized, stigmatized, brutalized, and denied their very humanity.

It was under those circumstances that civil rights leaders, courageous advocates, and ordinary citizens who were “sick and tired of being sick and tired” gathered here, in Selma—a town where only two percent of African Americans were registered to vote, in a county in which racist practices were enforced by a notoriously brutal sheriff now consigned to the place where all of his kind, from whatever era, ultimately end, and in a state where the governor had called for “segregation forever.”  Spurred by the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson – an unarmed young black man – an earlier movement began and citizens began a march from Selma to Montgomery, across a bridge that was named for a former Alabama Senator, Confederate General and Grand Wizard in the Ku Klux Klan.  It was a march along a road that promised to be neither smooth nor straight; a road that led through difficult terrain; a road that had been traveled by generations whose footsteps still echo through history.

They marched through the abandonment of Reconstruction; marched through the injustice of Plessy v. Ferguson; marched through the era of slavery by another name, and the dark days of Jim Crow; marched past – but always saw – peculiar institutions and that strange, horrific fruit.  They were met with suspicion, with hostility, and with hatred.  And still, they marched on.

Though their feet were tired, their souls were rested.  Though their bodies ached, their will was strong.  Though these nonviolent activists were driven back by violent resistance—by Alabama law enforcement officers wielding whips and billy clubs, bullets and bare fists—they refused to give up, give out, or give in.  Still, they marched on.  And, with the relentless drumbeat of their footsteps, they awoke the conscience of the nation, and bent the arc of the moral universe a little further towards justice.

Their courage and their sacrifice led a dubious Congress and a great President to work with my predecessor, Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, to enshrine into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965—one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in American history.  And over the last six years, as Attorney General of the United States, I have had the duty and the privilege—the responsibility and the sacred honor—of enforcing and defending this law—and the legacy of all those who made it – and me – possible.  I am proud to say that the Department of Justice I lead has aggressively worked to safeguard the right to vote, and to extend its promise to every eligible voter.

And yet, it has been clear in recent years that fair and free access to the franchise is still, in some areas, under siege.  Shortly after the historic election of President Obama in 2008, numerous states and jurisdictions attempted to impose rules and laws that had the effect of restricting Americans’ opportunities to vote—particularly, and disproportionately, communities of color.  And in 2013, a narrowly divided and profoundly flawed Supreme Court ruling undermined Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and dealt a serious blow to a cornerstone of American civil rights law.

In its majority opinion, the Supreme Court wrote that the situation in covered regions had “changed dramatically,” and that, because of gains made particularly by African Americans since the Voting Rights Act went into effect, vital pre-clearance protections that had required federal review of changes to voting procedures in regions with a history of discrimination should no longer be applied.  But as Justice Ginsburg wrote in her striking dissent, “Throwing out pre-clearance when it has worked and is continuing to work…is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.”

Let me be clear: while the Court’s decision removed one of the Justice Department’s most effective tools, we remain undaunted and undeterred in our pursuit of a meaningful right to vote for every eligible American.  Since the Court’s ruling, we have used the remaining provisions of the Voting Rights Act to fight back against voting restrictions in states throughout the country –and won.  In Texas, we have sought to block as discriminatory a strict photo identification law and two statewide redistricting plans.  In North Carolina, we brought suit to enjoin a sweeping election statute that imposes a needlessly restrictive voter identification requirement, reduces early voting opportunities, and eliminates same-day registration during early voting.  And in Ohio, Wisconsin, and on behalf of Tribal Nations in Montana and South Dakota, we have supported plaintiffs challenging a wide array of voting restrictions under the Voting Rights Act.  We have also successfully litigated cases to protect the right of military and overseas voters to register and vote by absentee ballot in federal elections.

The Justice Department is also working hard outside the courtroom.  Given their historic origins and their present pernicious impact, I have urged state legislatures to lift restrictions that currently disenfranchise millions of citizens convicted of felonies who have served their sentences in order to help them rejoin their civic communities and reclaim their futures.

I am proud of the work done by the Department of Justice, and I know that my successor—who is with us today—will continue to fight aggressively on behalf of this sacred right.  But I also recognize that the Justice Department cannot wage this fight alone.

For more than two centuries, this nation has been built and improved both by and for the people.  From the framers of a revolution to the engineers of emancipation; from the women walking for suffrage to the marchers from Selma, generation after generation, our slow and arduous progress has always been of our own making.  And today, this progress is entrusted to each of us—to men and women of principle who believe that in an equal America, everyone can shape the future of the nation; that in a fair America, no one is too small to deserve equal treatment under the law, and no one is powerful enough to escape it; and that in a just America, we can do no less than deliver—fully and without reservation—the promise of this country’s democracy to all.

This means standing up, and speaking out, for the civil rights to which everyone in this country is entitled.  It means calling attention to persistent disparities and inequities.  And it means working tirelessly to safeguard and to exercise the right to vote.

At the conclusion of the final march to Montgomery, on the steps of the Alabama state capitol, Dr. King called for “a society at peace with itself.”  We have made once-unimaginable progress in the half-century since he spoke those words.  The failure to acknowledge that is an insult to those we must always honor and hold in our hearts. The fact that I stand here today—50 years after heroes like Reverend Hosea Williams, Amelia Boyntin and Congressman John Lewis were beaten by Alabama State Troopers—as the 82nd, and first African American, Attorney General of the United States, serving in the Administration of the first African American President to lead this nation is cause for great optimism and a sign of tremendous progress.  But progress is not the ultimate goal.  Equality is still the prize. Still, even now, it is clear that we have more work to do; that our beloved community is not yet formed; that our society is not yet at a just peace.

I have no expectation that our goals will be simple to achieve, or that complex challenges will be easily overcome.  I know that our road will be long, and that many obstacles will stand in our way.  But I have no doubt that—if we stand together; if we walk together; if we believe as we always have in the power of our ideals and the force of our shared community—not only our cause, but our country shall overcome.  Half a century ago, it was said that “nothing could stop the marching feet of a determined people.”  Today, 50 years after Bloody Sunday, we stand together once again as a people.  We are no less determined.  And we will march on.

We will march on, until the self-evident truth of equality is made real for every American.  We will march on, until every citizen is afforded his or her fundamental right to vote.  We will march on, toward that bright horizon, to the day when all Americans—young or old, rich or poor, famous or unknown; no matter who they are, where they’re from, what they look like, or whom they love—has an equal share in the American Dream.  Until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream—we will march on.  We will march because change is not inevitable, progress not preordained.  Our history teaches us that hard work and perseverance in spite of the inevitable setbacks are the only methods to obtain that to which we are entitled.

While my time in the Department of Justice will soon draw to a close, I want you to know that, no matter what I do or where my own journey takes me, I will never leave this work.  I will never abandon this mission. Nor can you.  If we are to honor those who came before us, and those still among us, we must match their sacrifice, their effort, with our own.  The times change, the issues seem different, but the solutions are timeless and tested: question authority and the old ways. Work.  Struggle.  Challenge entrenched power.  Persevere.  Overcome.

In Galatians 6:9 it is said, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for we shall reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  If we do not give up.

Be assured that I will always work beside you as we seek to build the more perfect Union—and the more just society—that all Americans deserve



Thank you, once again, for your steadfast support; for your passionate engagement; and for your unwavering devotion to this country and this cause—as we join together, as we forge ahead, and – as our people before – we march on.

DOJ ANNOUNCES FINDINGS OF FERGUSON INVESTIGATIONS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Justice Department Announces Findings of Two Civil Rights Investigations in Ferguson, Missouri
Justice Department Finds a Pattern of Civil Rights Violations by the Ferguson Police Department

The Justice Department announced the findings of its two civil rights investigations related to Ferguson, Missouri, today.  The Justice Department found that the Ferguson Police Department (FPD) engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First, Fourth, and 14th Amendments of the Constitution.  The Justice Department also announced that the evidence examined in its independent, federal investigation into the fatal shooting of Michael Brown does not support federal civil rights charges against Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.

“As detailed in our report, this investigation found a community that was deeply polarized, and where deep distrust and hostility often characterized interactions between police and area residents,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.  “Our investigation showed that Ferguson police officers routinely violate the Fourth Amendment in stopping people without reasonable suspicion, arresting them without probable cause, and using unreasonable force against them.  Now that our investigation has reached its conclusion, it is time for Ferguson’s leaders to take immediate, wholesale and structural corrective action.  The report we have issued and the steps we have taken are only the beginning of a necessarily resource-intensive and inclusive process to promote reconciliation, to reduce and eliminate bias, and to bridge gaps and build understanding.”

“While the findings in Ferguson are very serious and the list of needed changes is long, the record of the Civil Rights Division’s work with police departments across the country shows that if the Ferguson Police Department truly commits to community policing, it can restore the trust it has lost,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division.  “We look forward to working with City Officials and the many communities that make up Ferguson to develop and institute reforms that will focus the Ferguson Police Department on public safety and constitutional policing instead of revenue.  Real community policing is possible and ensures that all people are equal before the law, and that law enforcement is seen as a part of, rather than distant from, the communities they serve.”

Attorney General Holder first announced the comprehensive pattern or practice investigation into the Ferguson Police Department after visiting that community in August 2014, and hearing directly from residents about police practices and the lack of trust between FPD and those they are sworn to protect.  The investigation focused on the FPD’s use of force, including deadly force; stops, searches and arrests; discriminatory policing; and treatment of detainees inside Ferguson’s city jail by Ferguson police officers.

In the course of its pattern or practice investigation, the Civil Rights Division reviewed more than 35,000 pages of police records; interviewed and met with city, police and court officials, including the FPD’s chief and numerous other officers; conducted hundreds of in-person and telephone interviews, as well as participated in meetings with community members and groups; observed Ferguson Municipal Court sessions, and; analyzed FPD’s data on stops, searches and arrests.  It found that the combination of Ferguson’s focus on generating revenue over public safety, along with racial bias, has a profound effect on the FPD’s police and court practices, resulting in conduct that routinely violates the Constitution and federal law.  The department also found that these patterns created a lack of trust between the FPD and significant portions of Ferguson’s residents, especially African Americans.

The department found that the FPD has a pattern or practice of:

Conducting stops without reasonable suspicion and arrests without probable cause in violation of the Fourth Amendment;

Interfering with the right to free expression in violation of the First Amendment; and

Using unreasonable force in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

The department found that Ferguson Municipal Court has a pattern or practice of:

Focusing on revenue over public safety, leading to court practices that violate the 14th Amendment’s due process and equal protection requirements.

Court practices exacerbating the harm of Ferguson’s unconstitutional police practices and imposing particular hardship upon Ferguson’s most vulnerable residents, especially upon those living in or near poverty.Minor offenses can generate crippling debts, result in jail time because of an inability to pay and result in the loss of a driver’s license, employment, or housing.

The department found a pattern or practice of racial bias in both the FPD and municipal court:

The harms of Ferguson’s police and court practices are borne disproportionately by African Americans and that this disproportionate impact is avoidable.

Ferguson’s harmful court and police practices are due, at least in part, to intentional discrimination, as demonstrated by direct evidence of racial bias and stereotyping about African Americans by certain Ferguson police and municipal court officials.

The findings are laid out in a 100-page report that discusses the evidence and what remedies should be implemented to end the pattern or practice. The findings include two sets of recommendations, 26 in total, that the Justice Department believes are necessary to correct the unconstitutional FPD and Ferguson Municipal Court practices.  The recommendations include: changing policing and court practices so that they are based on public safety instead of revenue; improving training and oversight; changing practices to reduce bias, and; ending an overreliance on arrest warrants as a means of collecting fines.

The Justice Department will require that the recommendations and other measures be part of a court-enforceable remedial process that includes involvement from community stakeholders as well as independent oversight.  The Justice Department has provided its investigative report to the FPD and in the coming weeks, the Civil Rights Division will seek to work with the City of Ferguson and the Ferguson community to develop and reach an agreement for reform, using the recommendations in the report as the starting point.    

The federal criminal investigation into the fatal shooting of Michael Brown sought to determine whether the evidence from the events that led to Brown’s death was sufficient to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Wilson’s actions violated federal civil rights laws that make it a federal crime for someone acting with law enforcement authority to willfully violate a person’s civil rights.  As part of the investigation, federal authorities reviewed physical, ballistic, forensic, and crime scene evidence; medical reports and autopsy reports, including an independent autopsy performed by the U.S. Department of Defense Armed Forces Medical Examiner Service; Wilson’s personnel records; audio and video recordings; internet postings, and; the transcripts from the proceedings before the St. Louis County grand jury.  Federal investigators interviewed purported eyewitnesses and other individuals claiming to have relevant information.  Federal prosecutors and agents re-interviewed dozens of witnesses to evaluate their accounts and obtain more detailed information.  FBI agents independently canvassed more than 300 residences to locate and interview additional witnesses.

The standard of proof is the same for all criminal cases: that the defendant committed the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.  However, unlike state laws, federal criminal civil rights statutes do not have the equivalent of manslaughter or a statute that makes negligence a crime.  Federal statutes require the government to prove that Officer Wilson used unreasonable force when he shot Michael Brown and that he did so willfully, that is, he shot Brown knowing it was wrong and against the law to do so.  After a careful and deliberative review of all of the evidence, the department has determined that the evidence does not establish that Darren Wilson violated the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute.  The family of Michael Brown was notified earlier today of the department’s findings.

Due to the high interest in this case, the department took the rare step of publicly releasing the closing memo in the case.  The report details, in over 80 pages, the evidence, including evidence from witnesses, the autopsies and physical evidence from the analysis of the DNA, blood, shooting scene and ballistics.  The report also explains the law as developed by the federal courts and applies that law to the evidence.

DOJ Report on Shooting of Michael Brown

AG HOLDER ANNOUNCES RECORD DECREASE IN MANDATORY MINIMUMS FOR NONVIOLENT DRUG OFFENDERS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, February 17, 2015

In Milestone for Sentencing Reform, Attorney General Holder Announces Record Reduction in Mandatory Minimums Against Nonviolent Drug Offenders
New Data Revealed by Justice Department Shows Rate at Which Feds Pursued Mandatory Minimum Penalties in Drug Trafficking Cases Has Hit Record Low

In One of His Final Speeches Before Stepping Down, Holder Lauds Progress In Sentencing Reform Initiative He Launched in ‘13

In a major advance for the sentencing reform project that has been one of his signature initiatives, Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday announced that federal drug prosecutors have shifted away from seeking mandatory minimums at record rates, while reserving stricter sentences for more serious offenders.

Speaking at the National Press Club, Attorney General Holder revealed that in the first full year since he imposed reforms to the Justice Department’s charging policies in nonviolent drug trafficking cases, federal prosecutors not only prosecuted fewer such cases overall, but also pursued mandatory minimum sentences at a dramatically lower rate than the year prior.  In fact, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, in FY2014, federal drug prosecutors pursued mandatory minimums at the lowest rate on record.

“For years prior to this administration, federal prosecutors were not only encouraged – but required – to always seek the most severe prison sentence possible for all drug cases, no matter the relative risk they posed to public safety.  I have made a break from that philosophy,” said Attorney General Holder.  “While old habits are hard to break, these numbers show that a dramatic shift is underway in the mindset of prosecutors handling nonviolent drug offenses.  I believe we have taken steps to institutionalize this fairer, more practical approach such that it will endure for years to come.”

The figures announced Tuesday were compiled by the U.S. Sentencing Commission at the request of the Justice Department to measure the impact of several reforms implemented in 2013 through Attorney General Holder’s “Smart on Crime” initiative.  Those reforms—aimed at restoring fairness to the criminal justice system and at confronting the problem of America’s overcrowded prison system—instructed federal prosecutors to exercise greater discretion in selecting drug cases to bring to federal court.  The data suggests prosecutors heeded that call, as the overall number of federal drug trafficking cases dropped by six percent in FY2014.

While the sheer number of drug cases went down, the data also showed that federal prosecutors have prioritized more serious cases.  Holder pointed to a rise in the average guideline minimum sentence, from 96 months in FY2013 to 98 months this past year.  That suggests the severity of offenses prosecuted in FY2014 was slightly higher.

Most important of all, Holder said, was the trend observed with respect to mandatory minimums.  After several years in a row that saw federal prosecutors pursue such mandatory sentences in roughly two-thirds of drug cases, last year’s rate dropped to one-in-two.  The Attorney General said this showed that the department was succeeding in reserving these strict sentences for the worst types of offenders rather than imposing indiscriminately.

“This figure, perhaps more than any other, shows the significant impact that our policy reforms are having,” said Attorney General Holder.  “These are extremely encouraging results.”

Holder also presented statistics rebutting past criticisms of the “Smart on Crime” initiative.  For instance, though some warned that the reduced application of mandatory minimums would remove the incentive for defendants to act as government witnesses, the Sentencing Commission’s data showed that defendants provided cooperation at the same rate as in years past.

AG HOLDER'S REMARKS AT MEDAL OF VALOR CEREMONY

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Medal of Valor Ceremony
Washington, DCUnited States ~ Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you, Karol [Mason], for those kind words – and for your outstanding leadership as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs.  I want to thank Vice President [Joe] Biden for hosting today’s ceremony here at the White House; for his career spent in the service of this nation; and for his lifetime of unwavering support for the brave men and women who are entrusted with our safety.

And I’d like to extend a special welcome to all of the family members of our courageous Medal of Valor recipients who are here with us today.

Your love, your support, and your sacrifices, are deeply felt – not only by your loved ones, who serve on the front lines of our fight for public safety – but by all those in our nation whose lives are made better, safer, and brighter through their service.  Each and every one of you has been an essential part of everything that our awardees have accomplished.  And you share in the recognitions that we are about to bestow.

It is a great pleasure to join all of you, along with Karol, BJA Director Denise O’Donnell, and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, in celebrating this auspicious occasion.  And it’s a tremendous honor to stand among so many valued colleagues, distinguished public safety officers, and true American heroes – as we recognize the remarkable contributions of a courageous few; as we call attention to their inspiring individual efforts and collective accomplishments; and as we express our abiding thanks and deep appreciation for their bravery, their commitment, and their many sacrifices in the line of duty.

Every day, the American people call upon our public safety officials to respond to emergencies, to protect our loved ones, and to safeguard our nation against unrelenting challenges and evolving threats.  Every day, we rely on these men and women to do the difficult and often dangerous work of protecting all that we hold dear – often without expressing the gratitude, and the respect, they so richly deserve.

And every day, these remarkable individuals answer our call without hesitation.  They patrol neighborhoods defined by distress and distrust.  They investigate crimes and assist victims.  And they keep our communities, our homes, and our most vulnerable citizens safe from harm.

As the brother of a retired police officer, I know in a personal way how courageous these public servants are.  I have seen the tremendous and often-unheralded sacrifices that they and their families are regularly called upon to make.  And I have felt both the pride of seeing a loved one in uniform and the anguish of knowing they may be in harm’s way – patrolling the streets, where every seemingly-routine encounter has the potential to take an unexpected turn.

These are all exceptional individuals.  Every one of them deserves our deepest gratitude and boundless respect.  Yet even among the outstanding field of public servants who perform these critical responsibilities, day in and day out – in communities across the country – there are some who stand out.  And today, with these prestigious medals, we recognize these exceptional few for extraordinary valor – above and beyond the call of duty.

Among our honorees this morning are two officers who responded to the tragic, hate-motivated shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin; seven agents who engaged dangerous suspects in Watertown, Massachusetts, following the bombing of the Boston Marathon; and five FBI agents who risked their lives in the heroic rescue of a 5-year-old child in a perilous hostage situation in Midland City, Alabama.

One officer’s quick thinking and brave actions saved the life of a woman who had been abducted and viciously assaulted by an estranged boyfriend.  One firefighter’s resilience and ingenuity were essential in rescuing an elderly woman from a house fire – an act of daring, undertaken at great personal risk.  One off-duty agent lost his life when he courageously confronted an armed felon who was attempting to rob a pharmacy.  And one off-duty officer’s bravery undoubtedly saved lives – while working at a local grocery store – when he intervened during another armed robbery, protecting customers and employees before being fatally wounded.

Some of the individuals we gather to honor saved the lives of their fellow officers.  Some put their lives on the line to safeguard civilians and bystanders.   And some gave what President Abraham Lincoln once called that “last full measure of devotion” in the performance of their duties, in defense of their fellow Americans, and in the service of their nation.

Each of these officers embodies the very best of what it means to be a public servant.  And each of these award citations serves as a stirring testament – and a fitting reminder, at a time when this country is grappling with deep challenges involving public safety, law enforcement, and community engagement – that the work being done by those who guard our neighborhoods and protect our nation is exceptional, essential, and extraordinary.  I am honored, and humbled, to call you partners and colleagues in the service of this country and the protection of its citizens.

And that’s why I – and my colleagues at every level of the Justice Department – have been proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you over the last six years.

Beyond these honors, America owes you a debt that must be repaid not with words, but with actions.  So I’m here today not just to pay tribute to some of our most remarkable officers – and to say “thank you,” on behalf of a grateful nation, for all that you do – but to pledge my strong and unwavering support as you and your colleagues continue to carry out your vital mission.

This is a commitment that the Obama Administration has maintained since the moment we took office – from our COPS Hiring Program grants to invest in community policing and keep more officers on the streets, to the VALOR Initiative I launched in 2010 to help prevent violence against law enforcement and increase officer resilience and survivability; from our Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, which has helped purchase over one million protective vests since its inception, to the Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, which allowed us to provide support to every state and territory, and more than a thousand local jurisdictions, last year alone.

As we speak, my colleagues and I are also working tirelessly to empower our officers to do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible – by working with law enforcement and community leaders to address tensions wherever they have been exposed.

Over the last few months, President Obama and I have announced a variety of proposals that will enable us to bridge these divides wherever they are found – from a National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice, to a historic new Task Force on 21st Century Policing – which will provide strong, national direction to the profession as a whole, on a scale not seen since the Johnson Administration.  And I have been proud to travel across the country to engage directly with brave law enforcement leaders and concerned citizens in order to advance this work.

After all, we owe it to our courageous public safety officials to confront every threat they may face, to foster the trust that lies at the core of their efforts, and to honor all that they do to defend this nation and safeguard its people.  So my pledge to you – here and now – is that the Justice Department’s commitment to this work will only grow stronger in the days ahead.

Under the leadership of our outstanding Attorney General-nominee, Loretta Lynch – who has been a lifelong supporter of law enforcement – the department will continue to stand with you, to fight for you, and to fulfill our sacred obligations to America’s finest.  Wherever my individual path may take me in the months ahead, my personal commitment to this work will never waver.  The bravery of those we honor today will never be forgotten.  And the contributions of those we have lost will live on – in the work they did; in the lives they saved; and in the examples of valor and selflessness they set for generations to come.

I want to thank each of our Medal of Valor recipients, once again, for your extraordinary service.  I am honored to stand with you in fulfilling the moral charge – and the enduring obligation – we share: to build the more perfect Union that our founders imagined, to create the more just society that all Americans deserve, and to make real the brighter future that you have all worked to create.

At this time, it is my great privilege to introduce another leader who has done much to advance this cause – a tireless public servant who has been a champion of law enforcement throughout his life and career.  Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States – Joe Biden.

AG HOLDER'S REMARKS AT OAKLAND LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY MEETING

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. Delivers Remarks at Oakland Law Enforcement Community Meeting
Oakland, CAUnited States ~ Thursday, February 5, 2015
Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you all for being here.  I particularly want to thank Congresswoman [Barbara] Lee, Mayor [Libby] Schaaf, and Chief of Police [Sean] Whent for welcoming me to Oakland today, as well as our outstanding U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, Melinda Haag, for her help in pulling together this important meeting.

      I also want to thank all of the assembled law enforcement, faith, student, and community leaders for joining me to talk about the work that’s underway here in Oakland – and the important steps that we must take together to reduce crime while building community trust.

      It is a privilege to join you in advancing this discussion this afternoon, and to have the opportunity to help shine a light on the remarkable work you perform each and every day.

      I’d particularly like to recognize the tireless efforts of the men and women of the Oakland Police Department, who stand on the front lines of our work to improve public safety.

      I know I speak for my Justice Department colleagues, and for everyone here, when I say that the bravery this work requires – and the dangers that are inherent in it – are never far from our minds.

      As the brother of a retired police officer, I know in a deeply personal way how courageous these public servants are.  I have seen the tremendous and often-unheralded sacrifices that they and their loved ones are routinely called upon to make.

      I have also seen the destructive consequences that too often accompany any loss of trust between our brave law enforcement officers and the communities they are entrusted to serve and protect.

      Recent events have cast a stark light on rifts that have emerged throughout the country.  And that’s why I’ve been traveling the nation in recent months to hold roundtable discussions – like this one – aimed at bringing people of all backgrounds and perspectives together to restore trust where it has been eroded, and to build trust where it never existed.

      I am especially mindful, as we gather today, of the devastating and barbaric attack that we suffered in New York City in December.  The terrible losses of Officers [Wenjian] Liu and [Rafael] Ramos – members of New York’s finest – shocked the nation.  They serve as tragic reminders of the dangers that all of our officers regularly face.  And this incident has lent new urgency to our ongoing, national conversation.

      Over the past six years, through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and other components, the Department of Justice has taken significant steps to provide our law enforcement officers with access to the tools and support they need to do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible.  Going forward, we will continue to make good on our deep commitment to building understanding and cooperation between our officers and the communities they serve.

      Before we open today’s discussion, I’d like to provide you all with a brief update on some of the constructive steps we’re taking to do just that, to help address these urgent issues in cities and towns across America, and to advance this broad, inclusive dialogue at the national level.

      We cannot squander this opportunity to have the kind of dialogue - I think - is needed to begin the kind of change we need in this nation.

      In December, the Administration took a series of actions to take this commitment to a new level – by improving the way local authorities acquire equipment from the federal government; by proposing investments in body-worn cameras, expanded training, and additional resources for facilitating community engagement; by strengthening guidance on profiling by federal law enforcement agents conducting law enforcement activities; and by convening a new Task Force on 21st Century Policing – led by Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and former Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson – to examine ways to promote effective crime strategies while building public trust.

      Ultimately, all of these efforts will advance the cause that brings us together today – promoting safer, more effective law enforcement for the people of Oakland, and for millions of others throughout the country.

      The people of this great city deserve an outstanding, world-class police force that works alongside local residents to protect public safety.  Oakland’s brave officers deserve the cutting-edge tools, the very latest training, and the steadfast support they need to do their jobs with maximum safety, efficacy, and fairness.

        As this work unfolds, I want you to know that the Justice Department will continue to rely on your leadership, your expertise, and your unique perspectives to help ensure that we can bridge longstanding divisions between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

      This is a great community that has, I think, shown itself to be a leader of so many things on the national level.

      In partnership with you, and through the leadership of U.S. Attorney Haag – who will be our lasting presence on the ground here in Oakland, helping to drive these efforts forward – I believe we can all be confident in where this work will take us.

      I am eager to hear from all of you on how we can best achieve these goals.  I appreciate your guidance and engagement.  And I look forward to everything we’ll accomplish together in the critical days ahead.

A.G. HOLDER'S REMARKS ON NATIONAL SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION MONTH

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. Delivers Remarks at Justice Department Event Marking National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Washington, DCUnited States ~ Thursday, January 29, 2015

Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you, Sally [Yates], for that introduction – and for your strong leadership of the department’s anti-human trafficking efforts, in Atlanta and far beyond.   It’s a distinct pleasure to officially welcome you, on behalf of our colleagues, as Acting Deputy Attorney General of the United States.  And it’s an honor to join so many outstanding leaders – including Mayors [Kasim] Reed and [William] Bell, former Congressman [Dan] Lungren, and of course Assistant Attorney General [Karol] Mason, FBI Director [James] Comey, and Deputy Director [Kris] Rose – for this important commemoration.

I’d like to begin today by recognizing Assistant Attorneys General Vanita Gupta, of the Civil Rights Division and Leslie Caldwell, of the Criminal Division, for their dedication to combating the scourge of human trafficking.  Alongside Karol Mason, her colleagues in the Office of Justice Programs, our United States Attorney’s Offices, the Office on Violence Against Women, the FBI, the COPS Office and our law enforcement partners, Vanita and Leslie – and the Divisions they lead ­- stand on the front lines of this critical effort.  The tireless work of all of these committed public servants – here at Main Justice and in offices across the country – has been vital in establishing the record of progress we celebrate today.  And it’s only with their continued leadership that we’ll be able to build on this progress as we look to the future.

I also want to extend a special welcome to the survivors who have come to share their stories with us - and from whom we’ll be hearing in just a few minutes.  You honor us with your presence this afternoon.  Your strength is humbling.  Your courage is inspiring.  And your resolve -to transform experiences of pain and horror into powerful forces for healing – gives hope to countless survivors, advocates, and law enforcement leaders, all of whom are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you today.

It is because of these remarkable individuals, and so many others, that we’ve come together to mark this year’s National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month -here in the heart of an institution dedicated to the cause of justice.  Each year, this solemn observance presents an important opportunity to shine a light on the powerful – and promising – work that so many of you are leading.  Even more importantly, it offers a vital chance to rededicate ourselves to the serious and systemic challenges that remain before us – challenges of a scope, and an astonishing global scale, that are almost without rival.  Challenges that demand that we redouble our efforts to reach more and more survivors, millions of whom are in dire need of our assistance right this minute.  Challenges that impel each of us to renew our resolve to bring to justice every perpetrator of forced labor, sex trafficking and other heinous crimes that seek to deny the rights, the freedom, and the basic human dignity of every victim.

It is abhorrent and almost inconceivable, that today – a century and a half after the Emancipation Proclamation, and more than six decades after the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights – these forms of peonage and bondage endure, both around the world and within our own borders.  It is unacceptable that millions of people toil in the shadows even as we speak – people who are viewed by their traffickers as nothing more than commodities.  People whose enslavement and exploitation feed an illicit economy built on the trade, and the inhuman treatment, of vulnerable human beings.  And people whose lives are subject to the control of cruel captors, and whose desperate plight is a stain on the soul of our civilization.

The United Nations has rightly described human trafficking as “a crime that shames us all.”  So let us declare today – here and now – that we are determined to stand in shame no longer.

In recent years, people of conscience around the world have increasingly fought back against slavery, bonded labor, and sex trafficking.   And the United States – led by this Department of Justice and our federal agency partners – is helping to lead the way.

The Justice Department’s commitment to this work has never been stronger, nor our strategy more effective.  Our determination to take a zero-tolerance, whole-of-government approach to confronting this problem – and advancing the long struggle for freedom, fairness, and justice – has never been more robust.  And that’s why, with the continued leadership of everyone in this Great Hall, and the engagement of our allies around the world, I’ve never been more confident that we can take this effort to a new level.

Over the last five years, in conjunction with our U.S. Attorneys nationwide, the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, or HTPU – under the exemplary leadership of Director Hilary Axam – has prosecuted record numbers of labor trafficking, international sex trafficking, and adult sex trafficking cases – 56 percent more than in the previous five years.

This is outstanding work – and there can be no question that these efforts, combined with the tremendous work of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, are having a tangible, positive impact on the lives of thousands of people on a regular basis.  Yet there remain far too many victims in urgent need of our help.  That’s why the Justice Department is taking new action to support a range of innovative, collaborative efforts to identify and stop traffickers – and to help victims heal and rebuild their lives.  And it’s why we’re doing important work to bring new allies into this fight – and to improve coordination between agencies at every level of government.

As Sally noted, in 2011, HTPU and the Executive Office for United States Attorneys partnered with the FBI and the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security to launch the Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team – or ACTeam – Initiative.  This has enabled us to streamline working relationships among federal prosecutors and federal investigative agencies, both on the front lines and at the national level.

Since their inception, our six Phase I Pilot ACTeams have developed significant human trafficking cases.  As Sally saw firsthand in Atlanta, Phase I has proved highly effective.  And based on this demonstrated record of success, I am proud to announce today that the Justice Department and our outstanding partners – in the FBI and the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor – are actively preparing to proceed to Phase II.  We are laying the groundwork for a forthcoming interagency launch, which will begin with a competitive, nationwide selection process to identify Phase II ACTeam sites.

We’ll also continue to reinforce key relationships both within, and beyond, America’s borders – because it’s only by rallying a broad coalition of international partners that we can combat human trafficking on a truly global scale.  This is the vision behind our collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and our Mexican law enforcement counterparts to ensure that human traffickers are brought to justice.   And these groundbreaking advances have had a significant impact on efforts to dismantle trafficking networks on both sides of the border – and to restore the lives and dignity of victims ravaged by their brutality.

In so many ways, the results we’ve obtained are emblematic of what we can achieve through the type of intensive collaboration that must drive our commitment moving forward.  And they illustrate the power of robust enforcement and victim assistance to improve and even save the lives of those who are rescued when human traffickers are disrupted.

No one understands this better than the dedicated men and women of the department’s Office for Victims of Crime, whose efforts are in many ways at the heart of this country’s determination not just to stop trafficking, but to support and empower all whose lives have been touched by these appalling crimes.  Under the leadership of Director Joye Frost – who has been a key champion of this work, and who’s here with us today – OVC is helping to drive a victim-centered approach to addressing human trafficking, offering services to survivors, and engaging them as valued leaders in our campaign to reach still more who have been victimized.

Thanks to OVC’s great work, the Justice Department’s efforts have been indelibly linked to – and strengthened by – the courageous participation and advocacy of survivors.  These brave people come from all backgrounds and walks of life.  They are U.S. citizens and foreign nationals.  They are men, women, and children who were subjected to sex trafficking or forced labor.  And they’re helping us to ensure that every survivor is stabilized, supported, and empowered to participate fully in every step of every process – because nothing is more important than making sure their needs are met, their voices are heard, and their futures belong to them once more.  Going forward, we will continue to draw on the wisdom, strength, and resilience of these survivor advocates to enrich our expertise and redouble our resolve.   For instance, in the lead-up to this administration’s launch of the first-ever government-wide Strategic Action Plan for Services for Victims of Human Trafficking, OVC provided strong leadership on behalf of the Justice Department.  And they worked closely with the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to shape a five-year strategy for strengthening capacity – and streamlining collaboration – among federal agencies and key nongovernmental allies.

Now, I believe we can all be proud of everything this department is doing to raise awareness about – and to directly combat – the global crisis of human trafficking.  As our nation’s Attorney General, and as the father of three children, advancing these efforts has been both a personal and professional priority for many years.  From our Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, to the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Institute of Justice, I’ve been gratified to see nearly every DOJ office and component take new ownership, and display strong leadership, in some aspect of this important work.

Together, we are realizing the historic commitment we’ve made – under President Obama’s leadership – to cut down on the illicit trade in innocent human beings.  Thanks to the tireless work of our new Deputy Attorney General – and the determination of the excellent and principled leader who will soon be confirmed as Attorney General of the United States – I am confident that this effort will only grow stronger in the months and years ahead.

But, like all of you, I also recognize that we will never be able to make the progress we need on our own.  We must continue to expand partnerships beyond the halls of government.  We must strive to enlist the American people in identifying victims who are hiding in plain sight.  Above all, we must capitalize on this rare opportunity to build on the work that’s underway – and the momentum we’ve established – by standing together, speaking together, and working together as never before.  By recommitting ourselves to the pursuit of a more perfect Union that must animate this great Department’s efforts.  And by reaffirming our shared destiny – as one nation and one people – dedicated to freedom, and devoted always to the notion that America’s future will be defined by the support we provide to the most vulnerable members of our society.

From this moment on, let this be the creed that pushes us forward.  And let this be the call we answer, and the cause we serve, wherever our individual paths may take us in the months and years to come.

I want to thank you all, once again, for your leadership, your partnership, and your determination to help make the difference we seek.  I will always be honored, and humbled, to count you as colleagues and partners.   And I look forward to everything this department – and this great nation – will achieve in the critical days ahead.