AG HOLDER ANNOUNCES CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST MEMBERS OF SPY RING IN NEW YORK CITY

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Monday, January 26, 2015
Attorney General Holder Announces Charges Against Russian Spy Ring in New York City
Spy Ring Attempted to Collect Economic Intelligence and Recruit New York City Residents as Intelligence Sources

Evgeny Buryakov, aka “Zhenya,” Worked Under “Non-Official Cover” as a Bank Employee in Manhattan

Attorney General Eric Holder, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara for the Southern District of New York and Assistant Director Randall C. Coleman of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division announced charges today against Evgeny Buryakov, aka “Zhenya,” Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy in connection with Buryakov’s service as a covert intelligence agent on behalf of the Russian Federation (Russia) in New York City, without notifying the U.S. Attorney General of Buryakov’s status as an agent of Russia, as required by federal law.  Buryakov was placed under arrest earlier today in Bronx, New York, and is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in federal court in Manhattan later today.  Sporyshev and Podobnyy no longer reside in the United States and have not been arrested.  By virtue of their prior positions in the United States on behalf of Russia, both of them were protected by diplomatic immunity from arrest and prosecution while in the United States.

“These charges demonstrate our firm commitment to combating attempts by covert agents to illegally gather intelligence and recruit spies within the United States,” said Attorney General Holder.  “We will use every tool at our disposal to identify and hold accountable foreign agents operating inside this country – no matter how deep their cover.  I want to thank the dedicated men and women of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division and New York Field Office, the National Security Division’s Counterespionage Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their skilled handling of this complex and highly sensitive matter.”

“The attempt by foreign nations to illegally gather economic and other intelligence information in the United States through covert agents is a direct threat to the national security of the United States, and it exemplifies why counterespionage is a top priority of the National Security Division,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin.  “I want to thank the FBI’s New York Field Office and Counterintelligence Division as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their continued effort to conduct these highly complex and sensitive counterespionage investigations and prosecutions, and for their continued close partnership with the National Security Division and the Counterespionage Section.”

“Following our previous prosecution with the FBI of Russian spies, who were expelled from the United States in 2010 when their plan to infiltrate upper levels of U.S. business and government was revealed, the arrest of Evgeny Buryakov and the charges against him and his co-defendants make clear that – more than two decades after the presumptive end of the Cold War – Russian spies continue to seek to operate in our midst under cover of secrecy,” said U.S. Attorney Bharara.  “Indeed, the presence of a Russian banker in New York would in itself hardly draw attention today, which is why these alleged spies may have thought Buryakov would blend in.  What they could not do without drawing the attention of the FBI was engage in espionage.  New York City may be more hospitable to Russian businessmen than during the Cold War, but my office and the FBI remain vigilant to the illegal intelligence-gathering activities of other nations.”

“This investigation is one of many that highlight the determined and prolific efforts by foreign governments to target Americans for the purposes of collecting intelligence and stealing secrets,” Assistant Director Coleman.  “This case is especially egregious as it demonstrates the actions of a foreign intelligence service to integrate a covert intelligence agent into American society under the cover of an employee in the financial sector.  Espionage is as pervasive today as it has even been, and FBI counterintelligence teams will continue to aggressively investigate and expose hostile foreign intelligence activities conducted on U.S. soil.”

According to the complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court today:

Buryakov worked in the United States as an agent of Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, known as the SVR.  Buryakov operated under “non-official cover,” meaning he entered and remained in the United States as a private citizen, posing as an employee in the Manhattan office of a Russian bank.  SVR agents operating under such non-official cover – sometimes referred to as NOCs – typically are subject to less scrutiny by the host government, and, in many cases, are never identified as intelligence agents by the host government.  As a result, a NOC is an extremely valuable intelligence asset for the SVR.

Federal law prohibits individuals from acting as agents of foreign governments within the United States without prior notification to the U.S. Attorney General.  Department of Justice records indicate that Buryakov has never notified the U.S. Attorney General that he is, in fact, an agent of Russia.

Sporyshev and Podobnyy are also SVR agents who worked in the United States to gather intelligence on behalf of Russia by posing as official representatives of Russia.  From Nov. 22, 2010, to Nov. 21, 2014, Sporyshev served as a trade representative of the Russian Federation in New York.  From Dec. 13, 2012, to Sept. 12, 2013, Podobnyy served as an attaché to the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations.  Based on their official government postings on behalf of Russia, Sporyshev and Podobnyy are exempt from notifying the U.S. Attorney General of the true nature of their work.  However, that exemption does not permit them to conspire with, or aid and abet, Buryakov in his work as an unregistered agent of Russia operating within the United States.

The intelligence-gathering efforts of Sporyshev and Podobnyy included, among other things, attempting to recruit New York City residents as intelligence sources for Russia; tasking Buryakov to gather intelligence; and transmitting intelligence reports prepared by Buryakov back to SVR headquarters in Moscow.  Specifically, during the course of the charged offenses, Sporyshev was responsible for relaying assignments from the SVR to Buryakov, and Sporyshev and Podobnyy were responsible for analyzing and reporting back to the SVR about the fruits of Buryakov’s intelligence-gathering efforts.

The directives from the SVR to Buryakov, Sporyshev and Podobnyy, as well as to other covert SVR agents acting within the United States, included requests to gather intelligence on, among other subjects, potential U.S. sanctions against Russian banks and the United States’ efforts to develop alternative energy resources.

Clandestine Meetings and Communications

During the course of their work as covert SVR agents in the United States, Buryakov, Sporyshev and Podobnyy regularly met and communicated using clandestine methods and coded messages, in order to exchange intelligence-related information while shielding their associations with one another as SVR agents.  These efforts were designed, among other things, to preserve their respective covers as an employee of a bank in Manhattan (Buryakov), a trade representative of the Russian Federation in New York (Sporyshev) and an attaché to the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations (Podobnyy).  In particular, the defendants worked to safeguard Buryakov’s work as a NOC.

Sporyshev and Podobnyy acted as covert intermediaries for Buryakov to communicate with the SVR on intelligence-related matters.  As an agent posing as someone without any official ties to the Russian government or the SVR, Buryakov was unable to access the SVR New York Office – which is located within an office maintained by Russia in New York City – without potentially alerting others to his association with the SVR.  As such, Buryakov required the assistance of other SVR agents, like Sporyshev and Podobnyy, to exchange communications and information with the SVR through the communications systems located in the SVR New York Office.

From as early as March 2012 through as recently as mid-September 2014, the FBI has conducted physical or electronic surveillance of Buryakov and Sporyshev engaging in over 48 brief meetings, several of which involved Buryakov passing a bag, magazine or slip of paper to Sporyshev.  These meetings typically took place outdoors, where the risk of effective surveillance was reduced relative to an indoor location.

These meetings were nearly always preceded by a short telephone call between Buryakov and Sporyshev, during which one of the men typically told the other that he had an item to give to him.  Typically, during these telephone calls, which were intercepted by the FBI, the item in question was referred to as some non-specific ticket, book, list or other ordinary item (e.g., umbrella or hat).

Subsequently, at each meeting surveilled by the FBI, Buryakov and Sporyshev met and sometimes exchanged documents or other small items.  Notably, despite discussing on approximately 12 occasions the need to meet to transfer “tickets,” Buryakov and Sporyshev, were – other than one occasion where they discussed going to a movie – never observed attending, or discussing in any detail, events that would typically require tickets, such as a sporting event or concert.  In fact, Buryakov and Sporyshev used this coded language to signal that they needed to meet, and then met to exchange intelligence information.

Attempts by Sporyshev and Podobnyy to Recruit Intelligence Sources in New York City

In numerous recorded communications, Sporyshev and Podobnyy discussed their attempts to recruit U.S. residents, including several individuals employed by major companies, and several young women with ties to a major university located in New York City (University-1), as intelligence sources for the SVR.  On these recordings, the defendants discussed the potential value of these sources and identified particular sources by use of a “source name,” which appears to be a coded name.  In addition, during these recordings, Sporyshev and Podobnyy discussed the efforts of other SVR agents to recruit a number of other Russian-origin individuals associated with University-1 as intelligence sources.

For example, Sporyshev and Podobnyy discussed Podobnyy’s efforts to recruit a male working as a consultant in New York City as an intelligence source.  During this conversation, Podobnyy explained his source recruitment method, which included cheating, promising favors and then discarding the intelligence source once the relevant information was obtained by the SVR: “This is intelligence method to cheat. . . . You promise a favor for a favor.  You get the documents from him and tell him to go [expletive] himself.”

In other recorded conversations, Sporyshev and Podobnyy made clear that they worked for the SVR.  For example, on Jan. 31, 2013, Sporyshev and another SVR agent not charged in the complaint (CC-1) had a discussion inside the SVR New York Office about their contracts with the SVR.  Sporyshev stated that, “Everyone has a five-year contract,” and explained, in response to CC-1’s question about reimbursement for the travel of SVR agents’ family members, that “travel for military personnel and their families on authorized home leave is paid, and in our, in our SVR, this, the payment for getting to and from the duty station.”  In addition, on April 25, 2013, Sporyshev and Podobnyy discussed the use of nontraditional cover for Russian intelligence officers and, in particular, the Illegals program that ended with the arrest of 10 “deep cover” SVR agents in July 2010.

Buryakov’s Intelligence Taskings

Sporyshev was responsible for relaying intelligence assignments from the SVR to Buryakov.  The FBI obtained electronic recordings of several conversations relating to such intelligence directives being communicated to and carried out by Buryakov in his position as an SVR agent acting under non-official cover.  For example, on May 21, 2013, Sporyshev called Buryakov to ask for Buryakov’s help in formulating questions to be used for intelligence gathering purposes by others associated with a leading Russian state-owned news organization (the News Organization).  Buryakov responded by supplying Sporyshev with a particular line of questioning about the New York Stock Exchange for use by the News Organization.

Buryakov’s Receipt of Purported Official U.S. Government Documents

In the summer of 2014, Buryakov met numerous times with a confidential source working for the FBI (CS-1).  CS-1 posed as the representative of a wealthy investor looking to develop casinos in Russia.  During the course of these meetings, and consistent with his interests as a Russian intelligence agent, Buryakov demonstrated his strong desire to obtain information about subjects far outside the scope of his work as a bank employee.  During these meetings, Buryakov also accepted documents that CS-1 claimed he had obtained from a U.S. government agency and which purportedly contained information potentially useful to Russia, including information about U.S. sanctions against Russia.

*     *     *

Buryakov, 39, Sporyshev, 40, and Podobnyy, 27, are charged on two counts.  The first count charges the defendants with participating in a conspiracy for Buryakov to act in the United States as an agent of a foreign government without first notifying the Attorney General, and carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison.  The second count charges Buryakov with acting in the United States as an agent of a foreign government without first notifying the Attorney General, and charges Sporyshev and Podobnyy with aiding and abetting that offense.  The second count carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

The Attorney General is grateful for the investigative work of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division.

The prosecution is being handled by Senior Trial Attorney Heather Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterespionage Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Fee, Ian McGinley and Anna M. Skotko for the Southern District of New York’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit.

The charges in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

AG HOLDER UPDATES HOW JUSTICE OBTAINS RECORDS FROM NEWS MEDIA

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Attorney General Holder Announces Updates to Justice Department Media Guidelines

WASHINGTON –Attorney General Eric Holder announced today expanded revisions to the Justice Department’s policy regarding obtaining information from, or records of, members of the news media.

The updated policy was announced via a memo by Attorney General Holder to all Justice Department employees.

“These revised guidelines strike an appropriate balance between law enforcement’s need to protect the American people, and the news media’s role in ensuring the free flow of information,” Attorney General Holder said.  “This updated policy is in part the result of the good-faith dialogue the department has engaged in with news industry representatives over the last several months.  These discussions have been very constructive and I am grateful to the members of the media who have worked with us throughout this process.”

Attorney General Holder first ordered a review of the department’s media guidelines in 2013.  He then announced initial revisions to those guidelines in February of last year.  The latest revisions arose following comments from federal prosecutors and other interested parties, including news media representatives.  These meetings with news media representatives included the inaugural convening of the Attorney General’s News Media Dialogue Group in May 2014.

Among the new revisions announced today, the Attorney General has directed that the guidelines eliminate the use of the word “ordinary” when describing newsgathering activities affected by the policy.  The revisions also serve to expand high-level review by the Attorney General for the use of certain law enforcement tools, such as subpoenas and applications for warrants, where the information sought from a member of the news media relates to newsgathering activities.

The updates announced today will revise existing department regulations, and the U.S. Attorney’s Manual will be updated to reflect the changes and provide further guidance to prosecutors as well.

A copy of the Attorney General’s memorandum accompanying the revised guidelines is attached.

AG HOLDER'S REMARKS AT FAREWELL CEREMONY FOR DEPUTY AG COLE

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Farewell Ceremony for Deputy Attorney General Cole
Washington, DCUnited States ~ Thursday, January 8, 2015

Good afternoon – and thank you all for being here.  This is a bittersweet day – for this department, for me, and, I know, for everyone in this Great Hall.  But it is a pleasure to share this occasion with so many good friends, valued colleagues and proud family members.  And it’s a great privilege to join each of our distinguished guest speakers in welcoming you all to the Justice Department this afternoon – as we thank Jim Cole for his exemplary service to our nation, not only over the last four years, but throughout his career; as we celebrate the many achievements that have defined his leadership of this department as Deputy Attorney General; and as we wish him well as he marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in his life.

I want to extend a special welcome to Jim’s wonderful wife, Susan; their son, Jackson; their daughter, Amanda; and every member of Jim’s extended family who’s here with us today.

As a former Deputy Attorney General myself, I understand in a personal way the toll that this highly-demanding – and far from glamorous – job can take.  I also know that having a family member serving in such a high-profile and high-pressure position has required great sacrifices from many of Jim’s friends and loved ones.  So I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your service, for your patience, and for your constant love and support over the last four years – which I know have meant the world to Jim, and which have made possible the record of achievement that will define his legacy as a senior leader in the Obama Administration.

What a legacy it is.  Over the past four years, Jim Cole has been my indispensable partner in leading the U.S. Department of Justice – and extending the promise of equality under the law for everyone in this country.

His persistence, his tenacity, and his relentless drive for results – on behalf of the American people he serves so faithfully – have marked him as an extremely effective Deputy Attorney General.  And his love of, and loyalty to, this great institution – and the extraordinary men and women who serve it – have earned him a reputation as a skilled and thoughtful manager; as a good steward of the principles that have guided this department since its earliest days; and as a champion of the cause of justice – in every case and circumstance.

As anyone who has worked closely with Jim over the years can tell you, many of these qualities have been evident since the moment he first reported for work at the Justice Department – as a member of the newly-created Public Integrity Section.

That, of course, is where Jim and I first met – more years ago than either of us would like to admit.  I quickly came to admire Jim’s work ethic, his judgment, his passion for public service and his intelligence and skill as an attorney.

Even before he was promoted to Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section, I saw – as did many of our colleagues – that Jim had a tremendous amount to offer to this department, and that he was destined for big things.  I'm not sure, however, that anyone could have predicted then that the two of us would someday lead the Justice Department.  But I knew, when he left the federal workforce and launched a distinguished career in private practice – that his service to our nation was not yet over.

Although neither of us would have dared to imagine it at the time, I was deeply gratified that our respective paths brought us back together in 2010.  And I have been both honored and humbled to lead this department alongside him ever since.

During times of great challenge and unprecedented resource constraints – through a hiring freeze and even a government shutdown – President Obama and I have relied upon Jim to ensure that the Justice Department operates as effectively and efficiently as possible.

His leadership and ingenuity have been critical in attaining historic results on behalf of the American people.  And, as one of the longest-serving Deputy Attorneys General in history, his management of the day-to-day operations of this department has left a profound and enduring impact.

On a policy level, his input, advice and strong leadership played a key role in the administration’s decision not to defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act – and he has been a clear and consistent advocate for LGBT rights throughout the country.

As we considered ways to improve America’s criminal justice system, Jim became a champion – and a key architect – of the Smart on Crime initiative, helping to guide and implement it from the ground up.  His work has been particularly important in driving new reentry policies and launching our new executive clemency initiative.

And from the historic resolution in the Deepwater Horizon case – which he helped make possible – to our aggressive and ongoing efforts to combat financial fraud and hold accountable those individuals and institutions who have undermined our economy, his efforts have greatly benefited the American people – touching and improving countless lives from coast to coast.

On questions large and small, throughout his tenure as DAG, Jim’s guidance and wise counsel have made him an irreplaceable advisor, a proven and trusted leader, and a steadfast and valued friend.

Jim, I have been proud to know you, to work with you, and to depend upon you for close to four decades.  I am honored to join everyone here in thanking you for your tireless work and faithful service over the years.  And although you will be dearly missed by dedicated public servants at every level of the Justice Department – and although I will miss working with you a great deal – I want to join our valued colleagues in wishing you all the best as you move on to bigger and better things.

You will always be a treasured member of the Justice Department family.  And I look forward to all that you’ll undoubtedly contribute and achieve in the months and years to come.

At this time, in recognition of your achievements and your many contributions over the years, it is my great privilege to present you with the highest award I can bestow on a Justice Department employee – the Edmund J. Randolph Award.  Congratulations, my friend – and good luck.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming to the podium – our Deputy Attorney General, and my great friend, Jim Cole.

BUILDING COMMUNITY TRUST TOUR WITH ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

THREE COLOMBIANS SENTENCED FOR MURDER OF DEA AGENT TERRY WATSON

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Friday, December 12, 2014
Three Colombian Nationals Sentenced to Prison for the Kidnapping and Murder of DEA Agent Terry Watson
Two Additional Colombian Nationals Also Plead Guilty For Their Roles

Three Colombian nationals were sentenced to decades in prison today in the Eastern District of Virginia for their roles in the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent James “Terry” Watson in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 20, 2013.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and Bill A. Miller, Director, U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service made the announcement.

“Throughout his law enforcement career, Special Agent Watson’s service was both selfless and courageous,” said Attorney General Holder.  “With this action, we continue our work to hold accountable those who were responsible for his murder.  In the weeks ahead, we expect to take additional steps to bring the perpetrators to justice.  And in all that we do, our nation’s Department of Justice will continue to honor Special Agent Watson’s sacrifice, to safeguard the nation he served, and to protect the values and principles he defended all his life.”

“Terry Watson was a courageous and accomplished DEA Special Agent who we will forever honor and remember for his dedicated career and sacrifice,” said DEA Administrator Leonhart.  “DEA is grateful that those who carried out this reprehensible and senseless act are now facing U.S. justice.  We will honor his life and career by continuing our global crusade with our domestic and international partners to defeat violent drug trafficking networks.”

Héctor Leonardo López, 34, Julio Estiven Gracia Ramírez, 32, and Andrés Álvaro Oviedo García, 22, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person.  Today, U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced López to 25 years, Gracia Ramírez to 27 years, and Oviedo García to 20 years.

In addition, Wilson Daniel Peralta-Bocachica, 31, pleaded guilty today to obstruction of justice and Edwin Gerardo Figueroa Sepúlveda, 39, pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2014, to conspiracy to kidnap and aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person.  Sentencing hearings for Peralta-Bocachica and Figueroa Sepúlveda are scheduled for Feb. 18, 2015.

In the statements of facts filed with their plea agreements, López, Gracia Ramírez, Oviedo García, and Figueroa Sepúlveda admitted that they conspired to conduct “paseo milionarios” or “millionaire’s rides” in which victims were lured into taxi cabs, kidnapped and then robbed.  They admitted that on the evening of June 20, 2013, they were part of a robbery crew that targeted Special Agent Watson.  Gracia Ramírez picked up Special Agent Watson in his taxi, while López drove a second taxi carrying the assailants.  Figueroa Sepúlveda entered the taxi carrying Special Agent Watson and shocked him with a stun gun while another defendant stabbed him.  Special Agent Watson was able to escape from the taxi, but he later collapsed and died from his injuries.  Oviedo García was part of the robbery crew, but shortly before Special Agent Watson was targeted, a third taxi encountered mechanical issues and Oviedo García stayed with the disabled taxi.  Peralta-Bocachica admitted that in the days following the kidnapping and murder, he washed the taxi in which Special Agent Watson was stabbed, removing blood from the back seat then discarding the cleaning rags, before turning the taxi over to the Colombian National Police.

Two other defendants, Omar Fabián Valdes Gualtero, 27, and Édgar Javier Bello Murillo, 27, are charged with second degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap in connection with their alleged involvement in the murder.  Trial is set for Jan. 12, 2015.  The charges in the indictment against these defendants are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the FBI, DEA and the Diplomatic Security Service, in close cooperation with Colombian authorities and with assistance from INTERPOL and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.  The case is being prosecuted by Special Counsel Stacey Luck of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Ben’Ary of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia.

The Department of Justice gratefully acknowledges the Colombian Attorney General’s Office, Colombian National Police, Colombian Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol (DIJIN), DIJIN Special Investigative Unit, Bogotá Metropolitan Police, Bogotá Police Intelligence Body (CIPOL) Unit and Colombian Technical Investigation Team for their extraordinary efforts, support and professionalism in responding to this incident.

AG HOLDER'S REMARKS AT CRIMINAL DIVISION AWARDS CEREMONY

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at the Criminal Division Awards Ceremony
Washington, DCUnited States ~ Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Leslie [Caldwell], for those kind words – and for your outstanding leadership as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division.  It’s a pleasure to share the stage with you, with Deputy Attorney General [Jim] Cole, and with so many other distinguished members of the Justice Department family.  And it’s a great privilege, as always, to join you in recognizing the extraordinary contributions of our dedicated colleagues; as we call attention to their inspiring individual efforts and collective accomplishments; and as we express our thanks and appreciation for their tireless work over the past year – to help achieve justice in every case, in every circumstance, and in every community.

I’d like to thank all of the Criminal Division leaders and support staff members who have worked so hard to make this event a success – as well as the numerous department leaders, colleagues, former colleagues, and past award recipients who are here today for this important celebration.  It’s a particular honor to join such a distinguished group in welcoming all of the proud family members, friends, and special guests who have taken the time to be here in the Great Hall, and whose support – and sacrifices – have been essential to everything that our awardees have accomplished.  Make no mistake: every one of you shares in the recognitions that we are about to bestow.

Every day, this year’s Criminal Division awards recipients – and so many other dedicated men and women both in, and far beyond, this room – make a profound, positive difference on behalf of the American people.  Your work is central to the mission of this department, and to the promise of our nation: the promise of equal justice under law.  Your efforts help to protect, and to realize, the rights – of safety, security, opportunity, and justice – to which your fellow citizens are entitled.  And all across the country – from our biggest cities, to our smallest towns; from rural areas to tribal lands – you play a crucial role in improving public safety, keeping dangerous criminals off the streets, cracking down on financial and health care fraud, and safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society from violence, exploitation, and abuse.

Especially over the past year, your work has led the Department of Justice to make remarkable – and, in some cases, even historic – progress in fulfilling the responsibilities we share.  And that’s why, today, although we single out 136 extraordinary, talented, and deserving Criminal Division attorneys, investigators, paralegals, support staff members, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and law enforcement personnel, I also want to take this opportunity to thank every one of this division’s employees, and their family members, for all that they’ve done in the name of public service.

It’s worth noting, in particular, that this year’s awardees helped to secure the largest financial penalty ever imposed in a criminal case, in United States v. BNP Paribas.  You helped to execute a groundbreaking take-down operation that dismantled the notorious Gameover Zeus botnet.  You’ve led our national efforts to implement “Smart on Crime” reforms that are strengthening – and recalibrating – America’s criminal justice system for the 21st century.  And you’ve made tremendous strides in a variety of additional areas – from ensuring the vigorous enforcement of federal laws and protecting national security, to restoring the integrity of our financial markets; from intervening in communities devastated by the cycle of poverty, incarceration, and crime, to forging relationships of trust and mutual respect where these bonds have been eroded over the years.

In so doing, you have achieved justice for so many who have been victimized, and shielded others from crime.  And you’ve extended the record of achievement that has surely defined today’s Criminal Division as one of the most effective in American history.

Most impressively, you’ve accomplished all of this in a time of evolving challenges and escalating global threats.  I know that, in many ways, your jobs have never been tougher, and the work you perform has never been more complex – or more urgent.  Yet the leaders in this room have persevered – not just to overcome significant obstacles, but to secure the progress, and bring about the extraordinary results, we celebrate today.

I know I speak for President Obama, for our counterparts at every level of government – and for the American people we’re privileged to serve – when I say: thank you for your service, for your leadership, and for all that you continue to help us achieve.  It has been the honor of my career to count you as colleagues, as partners, and as friends in the work with which we’ve been entrusted.  As you know, I first joined the Justice Department – more years ago than I’d like to admit – as an attorney in this division’s Public Integrity Section.  Although my time at this department will soon be drawing to a close, and my individual path will soon take me in a new direction, I will continue to seek ways to contribute to the work we share – and which has become the cause of my life.  And I will always be tremendously proud of this division, this department, and every one of you.

As we carry this work into the future – and resolve to keep extending the record of achievement we celebrate today – I challenge you to keep asking tough questions and taking on tough assignments.  Keep striving to build on the momentum you’ve established, and the great work that’s underway.  And keep inspiring your coworkers to reach for excellence, to demand the best from one another, and to serve the country we all love with humility, with patriotism, and with fidelity to the law.

Thank you, once again, for all that you do.  And please keep up the great work.

At this time, I’d like to welcome Leslie back to the podium to begin the award presentations.  Once again, congratulations on earning these prestigious awards.

A.G. HOLDER ANNOUNCES STRICTER POLICIES REGARDING PROFILING

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Monday, December 8, 2014
Attorney General Holder Announces Federal Law Enforcement Agencies To Adopt Stricter Policies To Curb Profiling

WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that the Justice Department will take new steps to bar profiling by federal law enforcement agencies, building upon a 2003 policy that had previously only addressed the consideration of race and ethnicity in conducting federal investigations. The new policy will address the use of other characteristics as well—including national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, and sexual orientation—and applies a uniform standard to all law enforcement, national security, and intelligence activities conducted by the Department’s law enforcement components. The new guidance also applies to state and local law enforcement law officers who participate in federal law enforcement task forces.

The issuance of the new policy completes a thorough review first launched by the Attorney General shortly after taking office, and reaffirms the federal government’s deep commitment to ensuring that its law enforcement agencies conduct their activities in an unbiased manner.

In announcing the new policy, the Attorney General said that biased law enforcement practices not only perpetuate negative stereotypes and promote mistrust of law enforcement, but also are counterproductive to the goal of good policing.

“As Attorney General, I have repeatedly made clear that racial profiling by law enforcement is not only wrong, it is misguided and ineffective – because it can mistakenly focus investigative efforts, waste precious resources and, ultimately, undermine the public trust.  Particularly in light of  recent incidents we’ve seen at the local level – and the concerns about trust in the criminal justice process which so many have raised throughout the nation – it’s imperative that we take every possible action to institute sound, fair and strong policing practices.”

The Attorney General added: “With this new Guidance, we take a major and important step forward to ensure effective policing by federal law enforcement officials – as well as state and local law enforcement participating in federal task forces throughout the nation.  This Guidance is the product of five years of scrupulous review.  It codifies important new protections for those who come into contact with federal law enforcement agents and their partners.  And it brings enhanced training, oversight, and accountability to federal law enforcement across the country, so that isolated acts do not tarnish the exemplary work that’s performed by the overwhelming majority of America’s hard-working law enforcement officials each and every day."

The new policy, which is spelled out in a memorandum circulated Monday, instructs that, in making routine or spontaneous law enforcement decisions, officers may not use race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity to any degree, unless listed characteristics apply to a suspect description. Under the policy, federal law enforcement officers will be prohibited from acting on the belief that possession of a listed characteristic by itself signals a higher risk of criminality.

In all activities other than routine or spontaneous law enforcement, officers may consider the listed personal characteristics only to the extent there is trustworthy information, relevant to the locality or timeframe, that links individuals with a listed characteristic to a particular criminal incident, criminal scheme, organization, a threat to national or homeland security, a violation of federal immigration law or an authorized intelligence activity.  In relying on any of the listed characteristics, an officer must also reasonably believe that the activity to be undertaken is merited under the totality of the circumstances.

A.G. HOLDER'S REMARKS AFTER MEETING WITH EU OFFICIALS REGARDING FOREIGN TERRORIST FIGHTERS AND COOPERATION

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks by Attorney General Holder at the Media Availability Following Meeting with European Union Officials About Foreign Terrorist Fighters and Other Areas of Mutual Concern
Washington, DCUnited States ~ Thursday, November 13, 2014

Thank you all for being here.  It has been a pleasure to welcome so many of my colleagues and counterparts to Washington, D.C., for this week’s important ministerial meeting.

Over the past two days, we have discussed the considerable work that’s currently enabling the U.S. and the EU to coordinate on common threats – in addition to the steps that we can, and must, take together in the days ahead.

In the last year alone, our nations have taken tough, coordinated action against cyber criminals, online child pornographers, and transnational organized crime.  We had the privilege of hearing today from some of our lead prosecutors on the Game Over Zeus cyber investigation and the action against Tor dark markets, including the second edition of the Silk Road website, that have taken place over the past few days.  Both, of course, involved U.S. authorities and multiple EU member states.

And we also have heard how we have worked together against traditional organized crime groups, including ’Ndranghta – where our coordinated work with Italy led to 25 arrests in New York and Calabria earlier this year.

Importantly, we also discussed a number of steps that the U.S. – and the EU and its member states – can take together to address the issue of foreign terrorist fighters, including through information sharing, investigations and prosecutions, and countering violent extremism.

One important area, we agreed, was developing the capabilities of our partner governments to deal with foreign terrorist fighters.

The Department of Justice is part of a U.S. Government-wide effort in this regard.

I can announce today that, with the support of the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, the Department of Justice has detailed federal prosecutors and senior law enforcement advisors to reside in key regions – including the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa – to work with countries seeking to increase their capacity to investigate and prosecute foreign terrorist fighters.

The Department of Justice has advisors residing in four Balkans countries.  And we will soon be placing a regional counterterrorism advisor in the area.

Justice Department prosecutors have also been placed in ten countries in the Middle East and North Africa.  These personnel will provide critical assistance to our allies in order to help prosecute those who return from the Syrian region bent on committing acts of terrorism.

Our counterterrorism prosecutors here in the U.S. also travel to other countries to collaborate with their counterparts.

And we have assigned a U.S. prosecutor as the Interim Director of the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, or IIJ – located in Malta – which provides a forum to discuss the Foreign Terrorist Fighter problem and work with international partners to arrive at solutions.

The Justice Department provides vital expertise and support to the IIJ, in partnership with the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, and in collaboration with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate.

Finally, we are working with other partners, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, to help build the capacity of partners world-wide to engage in mutual legal assistance on cases involving terrorism and transnational crime.

Our goal in all these efforts is to build the capacity to fight Foreign Terrorist Fighters within the rule of law – so we can stop the flow of fighters into conflict regions, stem the tide of violence, and aggressively combat violent extremism.

As our discussions have shown, in all of these areas, we can succeed only as partners.  And I am happy to have partners such as these on both sides of the Atlantic.

I appreciate this chance to join so many invaluable colleagues and counterparts here in Washington, as we keep advancing these critical discussions – and building on the great work that’s underway.  And I look forward to all that our nations must – and surely will – achieve together in the months and years ahead.

Thank you.

A.G. HOLDER'S PHONE CALL WITH MISSOURI OFFICIALS REGARDING FERGUSON RESPONSE PLANNING

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Readout of Attorney General Holder's Phone Call with Elected Officials From Missouri
The following statement is attributable to Justice Department spokesman Brian Fallon:

“The Attorney General participated in a conference call this afternoon with federal, state and local elected officials from Missouri. The Attorney General thanked the elected officials for their work in planning the local response to the ongoing demonstrations in and around Ferguson. He said he was encouraged by reports he has received about progress being made in those planning efforts, including dialogue with coalition leaders about constructive engagement in the weeks ahead. The Attorney General stressed that going forward, it will be more important than ever that the law enforcement response to the demonstrations always seek to deescalate tensions and respect the rights of protestors. At the same time, the Attorney General said, it must be clearly communicated that any acts of violence by the demonstrators, or other attempts to provoke law enforcement, are unacceptable.

“With respect to the Department’s ongoing investigations into both the shooting of Michael Brown and the Ferguson police department generally, the Attorney General said he could not provide a specific timeline for concluding those inquiries. He did stress, however, that he had devoted significant resources to these investigations in order to ensure they are conducted in as thorough and expeditious a manner as possible.

“The Attorney General concluded by offering the Department’s continued assistance, and by urging continued and direct communication between elected officials, law enforcement, and community leaders in the days ahead to help deescalate tensions and assist with planning.”

A.G. HOLDER'S STATEMENT ON PASSING OF JOHN DOAR

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Attorney General Holder Statement on the Passing of Civil Rights Leader John Doar

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Tuesday on the passing of civil rights leader John Doar:

"John Doar was a giant in the history of the Civil Rights movement, a courageous advocate for those who suffered discrimination, and a true champion of justice and equality over the course of many decades devoted to improving the country he loved so dearly.

"From Selma, to Montgomery, to the campus of Ole Miss, he stood with pioneers, rode with Freedom Riders, and marched with those who called for nothing more – and nothing less – than the rights which were theirs under the Constitution.  At a time when America's cities rioted – and Mississippi burned – he was never far from the front lines of this momentous struggle, leading efforts to overturn an unjust status quo and striving to achieve justice for civil rights workers who were senselessly murdered.

"Brave but unassuming, passionate but unbiased, he repeatedly risked his life to preserve the rule of law and stand up for that which was right.  He was one of the greatest leaders the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has ever known.  And during a period of great national turmoil and transformative change, alongside countless other leaders and seemingly-ordinary citizens, he helped usher in a brighter dawn, and build a better future, for everyone in this country.

"I have always regarded John Doar as a personal hero and an embodiment of what it means to be a public servant.  In so many ways, he defined what is best about the Department he served so faithfully during one of its golden eras – proving every day, by word and by deed, that the law can be a strong, deft instrument of lasting, positive change.

"I was deeply saddened to learn of John Doar's passing, and I join President Obama and others throughout the nation in extending my deep condolences to his family and friends.  Although he will be sorely missed, we vow today that his vital work will go on – and his contributions, and shining example, will not merely endure; they will continue to push us forward."

AG HOLDER DISPATCHES POLL MONITORS TO HELP PREVENT VOTER DISCRIMINATION

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Monday, November 3, 2014

Ahead of Election Day, Attorney General Holder Dispatches Federal Poll Monitors to Aid in Efforts to Prevent Voter Discrimination

In an effort to reaffirm the Justice Department’s commitment and responsibility to protect eligible Americans from discrimination at the ballot box, Attorney General Eric Holder released a video today to announce that the Department of Justice will send federal monitors to 18 states across the country.  These monitors will be on the ground gathering information on numerous aspects of local election procedures including voter discrimination, resources for bilingual voters, and adequate services for individuals with disabilities.

“This year, as citizens across the country go to the polls on Election Day, I want the American people to know that the Justice Department will stand vigilant – working, in a fair and nonpartisan manner, to ensure that every voter can cast his or her ballot free of intimidation, discrimination, or obstruction,” said Attorney General Holder in a video message recorded for the Justice Department’s website.  “Over the last few months, leaders from the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division have received information from a wide variety of citizens and groups.  Based upon our independent and non-partisan consideration and expertise, we have dispatched federal monitors to polling places around the country – just as we do during every election season.”

The complete text of the Attorney General’s video message is below:

“One of the Justice Department’s most sacred responsibilities is ensuring access to the ballot box for every eligible American.  Over the last six years, my colleagues and I have taken robust action to safeguard this fundamental right: challenging unnecessarily restrictive proposals like certain voter ID laws; advocating for accessible polling places in remote and underserved communities; and fighting back against redistricting proposals and early voting limits that may prevent many Americans from making their voices heard.

“This year, as citizens across the country go to the polls on Election Day, I want the American people to know that the Justice Department will stand vigilant – working, in a fair and nonpartisan manner, to ensure that every voter can cast his or her ballot free of intimidation, discrimination, or obstruction.  Over the last few months, leaders from the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division have received information from a wide variety of citizens and groups.  Based upon our independent and non-partisan consideration and expertise, we have dispatched federal monitors to polling places around the country – just as we do during every election season.

“These officials will gather information on numerous aspects of local election procedures, including whether voters are treated differently depending on their race or color; whether jurisdictions are adequately serving individuals with disabilities; whether jurisdictions are complying with the provisional ballot requirements of the Help America Vote Act; and whether jurisdictions are complying with the Voting Rights Act’s requirement to provide bilingual election materials and assistance in areas of need.

“The integrity of our elections, and the ability of our citizens to access the franchise, are fundamental to who we are – both as a nation and as a people.  That’s why, last year, President Obama established a bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration to recommend a series of steps to make it simpler to cast a ballot.  The Commission’s recommendations included expanding online voter registration and early balloting, updating electronic voting equipment, and making polling places more accessible.  The Commission also suggested that bilingual poll workers should be available at any polling place with a significant number of voters who do not speak English.

“These are promising – and necessary – reforms, and I call upon jurisdictions across the country to adopt them.  In the meantime, we must also ensure that the way we administer the laws currently on the books is appropriate, and lives up to our highest values.  Making it more difficult to vote with restrictive measures like burdensome voter ID laws is out of step with our history.

“So I call on election officials and poll workers around the country to consider, as they perform their duties, the importance of the responsibilities that they are working to fulfil.  I encourage every citizen of this country to remember the sacrifices made by generations of patriots to expand and ensure the franchise.  And I urge all eligible Americans – no matter their party affiliation or political views – to exercise their own sacred duty to cast a ballot, to make their voices heard, and to contribute to the direction of our great democracy.”

AG HOLDER'S REMARKS AT INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE CONFERENCE

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks by Attorney General Holder at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference

Orlando, FLUnited States ~ Monday, October 27, 2014

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Chief [Yost] Zakhary, for that introduction; for your leadership as President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police; and for your dedicated service to the people of Woodway, Texas – as Police Chief, as City Manager, and as Public Safety Director – for over three decades.

It’s a pleasure to join you here in Orlando today.  And it’s a tremendous privilege, as always, to stand with so many distinguished law enforcement leaders.  I’d like to thank the IACP’s Board of Directors – and every one of your members – for inviting me to take part, once again, in this important annual conference, as we confront a range of evolving challenges and reaffirm our shared commitment to honoring all who wear the badge.

Over the course of my career in public service – and especially during my tenure as Attorney General – I have been fortunate to work closely with many of the leaders in this room, and with your colleagues across the country, to address urgent and emerging threats; to improve our collective ability to protect the communities we serve; to secure the resources we need to keep our officers safe; and to ensure that America’s criminal justice system is as fair – and as effective – as possible.

It has been among the greatest honors of my career to count you as colleagues, as partners, and as friends in advancing this important work.  For over 120 years, the IACP and its members have stood on the front lines of America’s struggle against crime, violence, and victimization.  You have been keepers of a sacred public trust, and stewards of a proud tradition of service, that predates our Republic.  And especially in recent years – in the face of sequestration, government shutdown, and other unprecedented difficulties – you have repeatedly proven the power of cooperation and collaboration across jurisdictions and even international borders, speaking out for the physical and mental health of those brave few who wear the badge – and risk their lives – to keep their communities safe.

We gather today at an auspicious moment.  Thanks to your leadership – and the extraordinary valor of every one of our officers on the street – the past two decades have been defined by dramatic reductions in criminal activity.  As you know, the rate of violent crime that was reported to the FBI in 2012 was about half the rate reported in 1993.  It has declined by more than 11 percent just since President Obama took office.  And the rate of incarceration has gone down by more than 8 percent over the same brief period – the very first time these two critical markers have declined together in more than 40 years.

This signal achievement owes a great deal to the courage, and the profound sacrifices, of our men and women in law enforcement – each of whom shoulders tremendous burdens, at great personal risk, in order that others might live safe and free.  As we come together here in Orlando, we must bear in mind just how challenging – and how often thankless – their vital work can be.  We have a great deal of work to do when it comes to increasing support for law enforcement officials and their families; forging close bonds of trust between our officers and the communities they serve; and overcoming the mistrust and misunderstanding that some people bring to interactions with the police – and that some officers may bring to interactions with certain communities.

But as we open a new chapter in this important conversation, we must never lose sight of the immense and unyielding difficulties that are inherent in the law enforcement profession – from the dangers these brave men and women face every time they put on their uniforms, to the split-second decisions they often must make, to the anguish of family members who awaken at night to the sound of a ringing telephone –hoping for the best, but fearing tragic news about a loved one out patrolling the streets.

As our nation’s Attorney General, I have always been proud – and steadfast – in my support for law enforcement personnel and their families, who make tremendous and often unheralded sacrifices every single day to keep us safe.  These sacrifices are too often overlooked.  And I believe we do ourselves, our communities, and our nation a grave disservice if we ignore these difficulties – just as we do ourselves a disservice if we dismiss, or fail to address, the conditions and lingering tensions that exist just beneath the surface in so many places across the country – and that were brought to the surface, and raised to the urgent attention of this group and others, by this summer’s events in Ferguson, Missouri.

As law enforcement leaders, it is incumbent upon each of us to take constructive, inclusive steps to rebuild trust and instill respect for the rule of law in all of the communities where these tensions are uncovered.  This is something that our new Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Vanita Gupta – who’s here with us today – understands well.  She recognizes, as we all do, that this is best accomplished through a collaborative process with law enforcement, with the proactive leadership of OJP and the COPS Office, under Karol Mason and Ron Davis.  We are all committed to standing with you in the effort to build trust.  And fortunately, thanks to robust partnerships that bind the Department of Justice to the IACP – and the innovative work of so many of the chiefs who are here in Orlando today – together, we are making great strides to do just that.

As a result of the leadership that so many local police are providing – and the Justice Department-led reform efforts that are underway in St. Louis County and elsewhere – we are making this effort a focused, national priority.  The Justice Department has launched a substantial new program – known as the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice – to enhance procedural justice, to reduce implicit bias, and to support racial reconciliation.  Through this and other programs – as in our regular interactions with exemplary law enforcement executives like you – my colleagues and I are doing important work to see that tensions are addressed, rather than swept under the rug; to build dialogue and bridge longstanding divides; and to ensure fair treatment for everyone who comes into contact with police – while enhancing citizen compliance with law enforcement authorities.

At its core, this is about far more than addressing the issues highlighted by the intense public response to events in Ferguson.  It’s about practicing sound and effective law enforcement.  That’s why, under the leadership of our COPS Office, the Justice Department is working with the IACP and others to conduct a broad review of policing tactics, techniques, and training –so we can help the field swiftly confront emerging threats, better address persistent challenges, and thoroughly examine the latest tools and technologies to enhance the safety, and the effectiveness, of law enforcement.

Going forward, I will support not only continuing this targeted review, but expanding it – to consider the profession in a comprehensive way – and to provide strong, national direction on a scale not seen since President Lyndon Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement nearly half a century ago.

After all, we’ve come to understand over the years that – when people have faith in the integrity of the process – they are more likely to cooperate with local authorities and obey the law, even if they disagree with particular outcomes.  And that’s why our COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to keep our streets and communities safer through community policing – funding over 126,000 officers; awarding approximately 39,000 grants to state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies; and training more than 700,000 law enforcement personnel, community members, and government leaders.

In September, I announced a new round of investments in this work – in the form of nearly $124 million in grants under the COPS Hiring Program.  This important funding will support the hiring and retention of 944 officers at 215 agencies and municipalities around the country.  And the impact of these grants will extend far beyond the creation and preservation of law enforcement jobs – helping to strengthen relationships between these officers and the communities they serve, to improve public safety, and to keep more officers on the streets.

This has the potential to make a profound, positive difference in the lives of millions of people.  But it’s only the beginning.

Through our highly successful Byrne Justice Assistance Grants – or Byrne-JAG – the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a part of our Office of Justice Programs, has awarded nearly $290 million in funding to 56 states and territories, and more than 1,000 local jurisdictions, during the last fiscal year alone.  These resources are helping to spur innovation and drive evidence-based policing in countless communities.  And thanks to initiatives like VALOR, which has trained more than 15,000 officers at over 110 training events – and ALERRT, our active shooter response training partner through VALOR, which has trained over 50,000 officers – we’re making good on our commitment not only to ensure success, but to promote safety, among law enforcement professionals throughout America.

By helping to prevent violence, to improve officer resilience, and to increase survivability during violent encounters – including ambushes and active shooter situations – the Justice Department is empowering our local, state, and tribal partners.  And under our Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, we’re also helping to provide access to the lifesaving equipment that they need to stay safe.

Since we launched this important program in 1999, the Department has awarded more than $390 million toward the purchase of over 1.1 million bulletproof vests.  In 2013 and 2014 alone, protective vests saved the lives of at least 31 law enforcement and corrections officers.  And three of their vests were purchased, in part, with BVP funds.

Beyond these efforts, the Justice Department is striving to expand access to the tools our law enforcement officials need to counter a wide range of evolving public safety threats, from human trafficking to opioid addiction.  I’m pleased that a new e-Guide – available from our Office for Victims of Crime – gives law enforcement and victim service providers the information and insights they need to respond effectively to crimes involving forced sex and labor.  This updated resource will help strengthen anti-human trafficking task forces now in operation across the country.

And as we face down the growing threat posed by addiction to heroin and other opioids – including prescription painkillers – I’m proud to announce that the Justice Department is rolling out a new online toolkit to help law enforcement professionals respond to drug overdose emergencies both safely and effectively.

Because local police officers are often the first to arrive on the scenes of these overdoses, it is absolutely critical that we equip them to respond appropriately.  As you know, naloxone – also known as Narcan – is a fast-acting drug that’s extremely effective at restoring breathing to a victim in the midst of a heroin or other opioid overdose.  In recent months, I have begun urging local law enforcement authorities to equip their officers with naloxone.  I’ve directed federal law enforcement agencies under the authority of the Justice Department to review their policies to determine whether their personnel should also be equipped with this potentially-lifesaving remedy – just as ATF Special Response Team medics have been for some time now.  And in the course of my regular interactions with leaders like you, I’ve heard a number of requests to offer new information and assistance to public safety professionals who carry this drug.

In response, we’ve assembled new online toolkit, comprising over 80 resources from 30 contributing law enforcement and public health agencies.  This naloxone toolkit is available today on the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s website.  And I encourage you all to take full advantage of the information it provides.

Coupled with the targeted reforms we’ve made under the “Smart on Crime” initiative I announced last year, I am confident that these efforts will save and improve lives while conserving precious resources.  As you know as well as anyone, we must never – and we will never – stop being vigilant against crime, or the conditions and choices that breed it.  But investing in effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation; ensuring that incarceration is used appropriately – and reserving the toughest penalties for serious, violent, or high-level traffickers – can only serve to strengthen our criminal justice system as a whole.

Now, I know there are some who have suggested that recent changes in charging and sentencing policies might somehow undermine our ability – at the federal level – to induce cooperation from defendants in certain cases.  But – as I know from experience, and as so many of the seasoned law enforcement leaders in this room surely recognize – the reality is that these concerns are overstated.

Defendant cooperation depends on the certainty of swift and fair punishment, not on the length of a mandatory minimum sentence.  Like anyone old enough to remember the era before sentencing guidelines existed and mandatory minimums took effect, I can testify to the fact that federal guidelines attempted to systematize the kinds of negotiations that were naturally taking place anyway.  Far from impeding the work of federal prosecutors, the sentencing reforms I’ve mandated have strengthened their discretion.  And the belief that cooperation is wholly dependent on mandatory minimums does not align with objective facts.

Going forward – with these important, commonsense changes; with the resources and support the Justice Department is providing; and with the strong leadership of the IACP and each of its members – I am confident that we will continue to see crime and violence decrease in all of the jurisdictions represented here.  We will continue to ensure that America’s finest can protect themselves, and secure their communities, as effectively as possible.  And – with dedication and persistence, in partnership with one another, and thanks to the bravery of our men and women on the front lines – we will continue to make the progress that our citizens both need and deserve.

In the weeks ahead – wherever my individual path may take me – I want you to know that my commitment to this work, and my abiding respect and admiration for you and your colleagues, will never waver.  I am proud of all that we have accomplished together over the last six years.  I look forward to everything we will achieve in the critical days to come.  And I thank you all, once again, for your tireless work, for your friendship – and for your ongoing service to the nation we love so dearly.

AG HOLDER ANNOUNCES RECOGNITION OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGES IN SEVEN STATES

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Friday, October 17, 2014

After Supreme Court Declines to Hear Same-Sex Marriage Cases, Attorney General Holder Announces Federal Government to Recognize Couples in Seven New States

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the federal government will recognize same-sex marriages taking place in the states affected by the Supreme Court’s recent decision to decline to review rulings from three federal appeals courts that had struck down bans on same-sex marriage. The Attorney General added that the Department of Justice will work with agencies across the administration to ensure that all applicable federal benefits are extended to those couples as soon as possible.

“We will not delay in fulfilling our responsibility to afford every eligible couple, whether same-sex or opposite-sex, the full rights and responsibilities to which they are entitled. With their long-awaited unions, we are slowly drawing closer to full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans nationwide,” Attorney General Holder said.

The complete text of the Attorney General’s video message is below:

“Last week, the Supreme Court declined to review rulings from three federal appeals courts that had struck down bans on same-sex marriage in five states across the country.  Going forward, marriage equality will be the law in those states.

“The practical consequences of the Court’s decision are profound for families throughout the nation.  Within hours of the decision, same-sex couples in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin were able to have their unions recognized in the states where they live—to stand with their partners, and with their children, as loving and committed families with the full protection of the law.

“I am pleased to announce that the federal government will recognize the same-sex marriages now taking place in the affected states, and I have directed lawyers here at the Department of Justice to work with our colleagues at agencies across the Administration to ensure that all applicable federal benefits are extended to those couples as soon as possible.  We will not delay in fulfilling our responsibility to afford every eligible couple, whether same-sex or opposite-sex, the full rights and responsibilities to which they are entitled.

“With their long-awaited unions, we are slowly drawing closer to full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans nationwide.  By letting the lower-court decisions stand, the Supreme Court expanded the number of states allowing same-sex marriage from 19 to 24, along with the District of Columbia.  Just one day after the Supreme Court’s action, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit joined the other courts that have invalidated bans, extending marriage rights even further.  In the past eight days, at least half a dozen additional states have recognized marriage equality.  And even more states covered by the lower-court rulings will almost certainly be joining them in short order.

“The steady progress toward LGBT equality we’ve seen – and celebrated – is important and historic.  But there remain too many places in this country where men and women cannot visit their partners in the hospital, or be recognized as the rightful parents of their own adopted children; where people can be discriminated against just because they are gay.  Challenges to marriage restrictions are still being actively litigated in courts across the country.  And while federal appeals courts have so far been unanimous in finding that bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, if a disagreement does arise, the Supreme Court may address the question head-on.  If that happens, the Justice Department is prepared to file a brief consistent with its past support for marriage equality.

“In the meantime, we will continue to extend federal benefits to same-sex couples to the fullest extent allowed by federal law.  And we will continue to work—to the very best of our ability—to bring about a more equal future for all Americans nationwide.”

AG HOLDER'S STATEMENT ON COURT RULING AGAINST TEXAS VOTER ID LAW

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Attorney General Holder Statement on Federal Court Ruling Against Texas Voter Identification Law

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement late Thursday after a federal district court ruled in favor of the Justice Department's lawsuit against Texas' voter identification law:

"We are extremely heartened by the court's decision, which affirms our position that the Texas voter identification law unfairly and unnecessarily restricts access to the franchise. Even after the Voting Rights Act was seriously eroded last year, we vowed to continue enforcing the remaining portions of that statute as aggressively as possible. This ruling is an important vindication of those efforts.

"We are also pleased that the Supreme Court has refused to allow Wisconsin to implement its own restrictive voter identification law.

"This Department will never yield in its commitment to protecting that most sacred of Americans' rights - the right to vote."

AG HOLDER CALLS CUTS TO EARLY VOTING CUTS IN OHIO "A MAJOR STEP BACKWARD"

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Monday, October 6, 2014

Attorney General Holder Calls Cuts to Early Voting a 'Step Backward' as Restrictions Take Effect in Ohio, Elsewhere

On the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision late last month to allow Ohio’s new voting law to go into effect, Attorney General Eric Holder criticized the law’s restrictions on early voting, which he said were “heavily used” by African-American voters.

“It is a major step backward to allow these reductions to early voting to go into effect,” the Attorney General said in a video message posted on the Justice Department’s website.  “Early voting is about much more than making it more convenient for people to exercise their civic responsibilities.  It’s about preserving access and openness for every eligible voter, not just those who can afford to miss work or who can afford to pay for childcare.”

The Ohio law has been the subject of a lawsuit by civil rights groups and the Justice Department filed a brief in the case in July.  A federal judge ruled that the law violated the Voting Rights Act and blocked it from taking effect.  A federal appeals court judge upheld that ruling, but the Supreme Court disagreed and ruled the law should go into effect immediately. Absent the Court’s ruling, early voting would have begun in Ohio last Tuesday.

In North Carolina, the Justice Department has directly challenged a state law that cuts back on early voting and eliminates same-day registration.  While no ruling on the merits has been issued yet in that case, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week to allow much of the law—including the reductions to early voting—to go into effect in the meantime.

The complete text of the Attorney General’s video message appears below.

“One of the Justice Department’s most solemn responsibilities is ensuring access to the ballot box for every eligible citizen.  And over the last six years, my colleagues and I have taken robust action to protect the voting rights of all Americans – including communities that have been too long overlooked and too often underserved.

“Before the Shelby County case was wrongly decided, we successfully challenged efforts in Texas and Florida that would have disproportionately disenfranchised citizens of color in those states, and South Carolina had to make changes to its voting restrictions.  It should not be lost on us that almost as soon as the Supreme Court decision in Shelby County was handed down, the state of Texas implemented a photo ID law that the courts had previously blocked, and that North Carolina implemented sweeping restrictions on voting rights.  The Department of Justice has now been forced to challenge those discriminatory laws in court.

“Our work has taken us to other parts of our nation as well.  We have worked to protect the voting rights of servicemembers, and to ensure accessible polling places throughout Indian Country and Alaska Native communities.  And we have fought back against discriminatory redistricting proposals that may make it more difficult for many Americans to make their voices heard.

“Despite these efforts, in some places, we’ve continued to see troubling new measures that unnecessarily restrict the ability of particular Americans to participate in the democratic process.  Ohio, for example, has imposed new restrictions that significantly reduce opportunities for early voting – opportunities that had in the past been heavily used by African-American voters.

“The early voting times targeted for cancellation – including weeknight and Sunday hours – previously provided critical opportunities for many people to get to the polls.  In 2012, tens of thousands of Ohio voters cast their ballots during the voting days that Ohio has now eliminated.  And studies suggest that these restrictions will disproportionately affect people with childcare responsibilities, hourly salaries, and reduced access to transportation – people who may have difficulty getting to the polls at any other time, and who are much more likely to be low-income or minority individuals.

“It is a major step backward to allow these reductions to early voting to go into effect.  The public should be demanding the state officials who seek to impose these restrictions to justify—clearly, factually, and empirically—why they are necessary.  Early voting is about much more than making it more convenient for people to exercise their civic responsibilities.  It’s about preserving access and openness for every eligible voter, not just those who can afford to miss work or who can afford to pay for childcare.  That’s why a number of states have expanded early voting in recent years.  Throughout our nation’s history, we’ve repeatedly seen that there is simply no good reason – no good reason – to reduce voting access.  Indeed, the arc of our nation’s history has, until recently, been to expand access to the ballot.  Restricting voting hours in ways that would disproportionately impact minority communities is not only unnecessary and unwarranted – it is out of step with our history of continually expanding the franchise.  It is contrary to our fundamental values of equality, opportunity, and inclusion.  And it is an affront to millions who have marched, and fought, and too often died to make real America’s most basic promise.  Three brave young men gave their lives in 1964, as did a courageous Detroit mother of five in 1965, so that others might be able to vote and be truly free.  Are we now to turn our back on those ultimate sacrifices?

“We at the Department of Justice will never rest in our efforts to ensure the right to vote.  Nor will I.  And today, I’m calling on election officials and other public servants at every level across the country – men and women who are charged with upholding America’s highest ideals – to consider their responsibilities not to political constituencies, but to the country we all serve.  To think about the deep unfairness of curtailing voting opportunities.  And to reflect on their place in the history of this country to which they are potentially consigning themselves.

“In a great nation governed both by and for the people, our advances have always been of our own making.  And going forward, it will be up to all of us to ensure that engagement in that democratic process remains the responsibility and the birthright of every American.”

AG HOLDER ANNOUNCES FEDERAL PRISON POPULATION DROP AFTER SENTENCING REFORMS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

One Year After Launching Key Sentencing Reforms, Attorney General Holder Announces First Drop in Federal Prison Population in More Than Three Decades
In a speech at the Brennan Center for Justice, Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the federal prison population has dropped by roughly 4,800 inmates since September 2013.  This represents the first time the federal inmate population has fallen, rather than risen, over the course of a fiscal year since 1980.

Moreover, Attorney General Holder announced that current Bureau of Prisons estimates project this downward trend to continue in each of the next two fiscal years.  In FY15, the inmate population is projected to drop by another 2,200 inmates.  In FY16, the population is projected to drop by 10,000 inmates - or the equivalent of six federal prisons.

“This is nothing less than historic,” said Attorney General Holder. “Clearly, criminal justice reform is an idea whose time has come.  And thanks to a robust and growing national consensus – a consensus driven not by political ideology, but by the promising work that’s underway – we are bringing about a paradigm shift, and witnessing a historic sea change, in the way our nation approaches these issues.”

While these statistics show progress at the federal level, there is similar progress at the state level.  Overall, incarceration rates have fallen by roughly 10 percent since President Obama took office, and that has occurred simultaneously with a similarly-sized reduction in crime rates.

The Attorney General’s full remarks to the law enforcement conference, as prepared for delivery appear below:

Thank you, Jim [Johnson], for those kind words; for your friendship over the many years we’ve known one another – since we served together in the Clinton Administration; and for your leadership, along with Doug Jones, as co-chair of the Brennan Center’s Blue Ribbon Panel.

I’d also like to thank the Brennan Center’s distinguished president, my friend Michael Waldman, and your entire staff – particularly the Justice Program – for bringing us together today.  It’s an honor to take part in this important conference.  It’s a privilege to be at NYU Law School for the second time in as many weeks.  And it’s a great pleasure, as always, to be back home in New York City.

For nearly two decades, the Brennan Center has provided indispensable leadership on issues ranging from campaign finance and voting rights to national security and equal justice.  You’ve offered rigorous research and expert guidance to policymakers at every level of government.  And with this conference – and the report you’re unveiling today – you’re taking yet another step to advance our efforts to address some of our nation’s most critical challenges – few of which are more complex, or more urgent, than the need to strengthen America’s criminal justice system and reduce our overreliance on incarceration.

As you know, we gather this afternoon just over a year after the launch of the Justice Department’s Smart on Crime initiative – a series of important changes and commonsense reforms I set in motion last August.  Already, these changes are fundamentally shifting our response to certain crime challenges – particularly low-level, nonviolent drug offenses.  And this initiative is predicated on the notion that our work as prosecutors must be informed, and our criminal justice system continually improved, by the most effective and efficient strategies available.

After all – as I’ve often said – the United States will never be able to prosecute or incarcerate its way to becoming a safer nation.  We must never, and we will never, stop being vigilant against crime – and the conditions and choices that breed it.  But, for far too long – under well-intentioned policies designed to be “tough” on criminals – our system has perpetuated a destructive cycle of poverty, criminality, and incarceration that has trapped countless people and weakened entire communities – particularly communities of color.

In recent decades, the effects of these policies – and the impact of the “truth-in-sentencing” mindset – have been dramatic.  Although the United States comprises just five percent of the world’s population, we incarcerate almost a quarter of its prisoners.  The entire United States population has increased by about a third since 1980.  But the federal prison population has grown by almost 800 percent over the same period.  Spending on corrections, incarceration, and law enforcement has exploded, consuming $260 billion per year nationwide.  And the Bureau of Prisons currently commands about a third of the Justice Department’s overall budget.

Perhaps most troubling is the fact that this astonishing rise in incarceration – and the escalating costs it has imposed on our country, in terms both economic and human – have not measurably benefited our society.  We can all be proud of the progress that’s been made at reducing the crime rate over the past two decades – thanks to the tireless work of prosecutors and the bravery of law enforcement officials across America.  But statistics have shown – and all of us have seen – that high incarceration rates and longer-than-necessary prison terms have not played a significant role in materially improving public safety, reducing crime, or strengthening communities.

In fact, the opposite is often true.  Two weeks ago, the Washington Post reported that new analysis of crime data and incarceration rates – performed by the Pew Charitable Trusts, and covering the period of 1994 to 2012 – shows that states with the most significant drops in crime also saw reductions in their prison populations.  States that took drastic steps to reduce their prison populations – in many cases by percentages well into the double digits – saw crime go down as well.  And the one state – West Virginia – with the greatest increase in its incarceration rate actually experienced an uptick in crime.

As the Post makes clear: “To the extent that there is any trend here, it’s actually that states incarcerating people have seen smaller decreases in crime.”   And this has been borne out at the national level, as well.

Since President Obama took office, both overall crime and overall incarceration have decreased by approximately 10 percent.  This is the first time these two critical markers have declined together in more than 40 years.  And although we have a great deal of work to do – and although, last year, some states continued to record growth in their prison populations – this is a signal achievement.

We know that over-incarceration crushes opportunity.  We know it prevents people, and entire communities, from getting on the right track.  And we’ve seen that – as more and more government leaders have gradually come to recognize – at a fundamental level, it challenges our commitment to the cause of justice.

Fortunately, I can report today that we are finally moving in the right direction, at least at the federal level.  Over the past year, the federal prison population declined by roughly 4,800 inmates – the first decrease we’ve seen in many ‎decades.

Even more promising are new internal projections from the Bureau of Prisons.  In a dramatic reversal of prior reports – which showed that the prison population would continue to grow, becoming more and more costly, overcrowded, and unsafe – taking into account our new policies and trends, our new projections anticipate that the number of federal inmates will fall by just over 2,000 in the next 12 months – and by almost 10,000 in the year after.‎

This is nothing less than historic.  To put these numbers in perspective, 10,000 inmates is the rough equivalent of the combined populations of six federal prisons, each filled to capacity.  Now, these projected decreases won’t result in any prison closures, because our system is operating at about 30 percent above capacity.  But my hope is that we’re witnessing the start of a trend that will only accelerate as our Smart on Crime changes take full effect.

Clearly, criminal justice reform is an idea whose time has come.  And thanks to a robust and growing national consensus – a consensus driven not by political ideology, but by the promising work that’s underway, and the efforts of leaders like Senators Patrick Leahy, Dick Durbin, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul – we are bringing about a paradigm shift, and witnessing a historic sea change, in the way our nation approaches these issues.

Of course, for these changes to become permanent, we’ll need to rely on the dedication – and the leadership – of federal prosecutors in Washington and in all 94 of our United States Attorney’s Offices.  As a career prosecutor myself – and as former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia – I have always had the utmost confidence in, and respect for, these hardworking men and women.  And that’s why, as Attorney General, I’ve consistently advocated policies that push discretion out into the field.

The Smart on Crime initiative is in many ways the ultimate expression of my trust in the abilities – and the judgment – of our attorneys on the front lines.  And although some have suggested that recent changes in charging and sentencing policies might somehow undermine their ability to induce cooperation from defendants in certain cases, today, I want to make it abundantly clear that nothing could be further from the truth.

As I know from experience – and as all veteran prosecutors and defense attorneys surely recognize – defendant cooperation depends on the certainty of swift and fair punishment, not on the length of a mandatory minimum sentence.  Like anyone old enough to remember the era before sentencing guidelines existed and mandatory minimums took full effect, I can testify to the fact that federal guidelines attempted to systematize the kinds of negotiations that were naturally taking place anyway.  As our U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, John Vaudreuil, often reminds his colleagues, even without the threat of mandatory minimums, it remains in the interests of all attorneys to serve as sound advocates for their clients – and for defendants to cooperate with the government in exchange for reduced sentences.

Far from impeding the work of our prosecutors, the sentencing reforms I’ve mandated have strengthened their discretion. The contention that cooperation is somehow dependent on mandatory minimums is tied to a past at tension with the empirical present, and is plainly inconsistent with history, and with now known facts.  After all, as the Heritage Foundation observed earlier this year: “[t]he rate of cooperation in cases involving mandatory minimums is comparable to the average rate in all federal cases.”

Of course, as we refine our approach and reject the ineffective practice of calling for stringent sentences against those convicted of low-level, nonviolent crimes, we also need to refine the metrics we use to measure success; to evaluate the steps we’re taking; and to assess the effectiveness of new criminal justice priorities.  In the Smart on Crime era, it’s no longer adequate – or appropriate – to rely on outdated models that prize only enforcement, as quantified by numbers of prosecutions, convictions, and lengthy sentences, rather than taking a holistic view.

As the Brennan Center and many others have recognized – and as your landmark report on Federal Prosecution for the 21st Century makes crystal clear – it’s time to shift away from old metrics and embrace a more contemporary, and more comprehensive, view of what constitutes success.  This means developing a new system of assessment – because, as you’ve noted, what gets measured is what gets funded and what gets funded is what gets done.  That’s why I want to commend this organization – and each of our Blue Ribbon Panelists, including some of our very best sitting and former U.S. Attorneys – for examining new ways for the Justice Department to leverage our resources to better serve America’s communities.

Your concrete recommendations – that federal prosecutors should prioritize reducing violence, incarceration, and recidivism – are consistent with the aims of the Smart on Crime initiative.  The new metrics you propose – such as evaluating progress by assessing changes in local violent crime rates, numbers of federal prisoners initially found in particular districts, and changes in the three-year recidivism rate – lay out a promising roadmap for us to consider.  And my pledge to you today is that my colleagues and I will not merely carefully study this critical report – we will use it as a basis for discussion, and a vital resource to draw upon, as we engage in a far-reaching process to develop and codify new success measures – with the aim of cementing recent shifts in law and policy.

One of the key points underscored by your report – and emphasized under the Smart on Crime approach – is the need for the Justice Department to direct funding to help move the criminal justice field toward a fuller embrace of science and data.  This is something that we – and especially our Office of Justice Programs and Bureau of Justice Assistance – have taken very seriously throughout the Obama Administration.  And nowhere are these ideals more fully embodied – or more promisingly realized – than in our Justice Reinvestment Act and Second Chance Act programs.

As we speak, the states that participate in Justice Reinvestment are making fundamental policy reforms that aim to reduce unnecessary confinement, save taxpayer dollars, and reinvest funding in strategies proven to enhance community safety.  A report issued in January highlighted 17 states that are projected to save $4.6 billion over 10 years.  Another study, in June, highlighted seven states that have achieved substantial reductions in three-year recidivism rates.  And these successes are notable not only for their magnitude, but for the political consensus that drove them.

Thanks to bipartisan support from Congress, funding for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative has more than quadrupled this year.  That, on its own, is an extraordinary indication of the power and importance of this work.  And this additional funding is allowing us to launch a new challenge grant program – designed to incentivize states to take the next major step in their reform efforts.

Today, I am pleased to announce that five states – Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, and Oregon – will be receiving these grants, which can be used to expand pre-trial reforms, to scale up swift and certain sanctions, to institute evidence-based parole practices, or a number of other options.  I am also pleased to announce that five states have been selected to receive new funding under the Second Chance Act to help reduce recidivism.  Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Vermont will each be awarded $1 million to meet their recidivism reduction goals.  And each will be eligible for an additional $2 million over the next two years if they do so.

In addition to these and other Second Chance awards, our Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is providing $7 million in Second Chance Act funding to support reentry demonstration programs and other important efforts at the juvenile level.  A further $1.8 million will support a new Juvenile Reentry Legal Assistance Program through our partners at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  And we’ll soon be launching a broader partnership with HUD – a partnership rooted in the Pay for Success model championed by the Brennan Center – to focus on finding permanent supportive housing for those returning from incarceration.

The Justice Department has transferred $5 million to HUD for this program, which will announce the competition in the coming months.  Together, these exciting efforts reaffirm our commitment to strengthening America’s justice system at every level.  They underscore our determination to help people get back on the right path.  But they’re only the beginning – because, beyond our Smart on Crime reforms and our emphasis on evidence-based practices, I believe the federal government has an even broader and more critical role to play in securing the fundamental promise of equal justice under law.

As we saw all too clearly last month – as the eyes of the nation turned to events in Ferguson, Missouri – whenever discord, mistrust, and roiling tensions fester just under the surface, interactions between law enforcement and local residents can quickly escalate into confrontation, unrest, and even violence.  These tensions simmer every day in far too many communities across the country.  And it’s incumbent upon all of America’s law enforcement officers and leaders to work with the communities they serve to defuse these charged situations by forging close bonds, establishing deep trust, and fostering robust engagement.

The situation in Ferguson has presented leaders across the nation, and criminal justice and civil rights leaders in particular, with a moment of decision – and a series of important questions that can no longer be avoided.  Will we allow this time – our time – to be defined by division and discord?  Or will we summon the resolve, the fortitude, and the vision to reassess – and even to remake – our system, through cooperation, consensus, and compassion?

Will we again turn a blind eye to the hard truths that Ferguson exposed, burying these tough realities until another tragedy arises to set them off like a powder keg?  Or will we finally accept this mandate for open and honest dialogue, reach for new and innovative solutions, and rise to the historic challenge – and the critical opportunity – now right before us?

These questions are not rhetorical.  And as we seek to address them, we must take into account the preconceived notions that certain people may bring to interactions with police – preconceptions that may be informed by generations of experience; by the totality of what it has meant to be a person of color in the United States.  We must consider corresponding notions that police may bring to interactions with certain communities and individuals.  And we must never lose sight of the immense and unyielding difficulties inherent in the law enforcement profession – from the training they receive to the risks these brave men and women incur every time they put on their uniforms; from the dangers they face, and the split-second decisions they often must make, to the anguish of family members who awaken at night to the sound of a ringing telephone – hoping for the best, but fearing tragic news about a loved one out walking the beat.

As the brother of a retired law enforcement officer, I understand well how challenging – and how thankless – their vital work can be.  As our nation’s Attorney General, I will always be proud – and steadfast – in my support for law enforcement personnel and their families, who make tremendous and often unheralded sacrifices every single day to keep us safe.  And as an African-American man – who has been stopped and searched by police in situations where such action was not warranted – I also carry with me an understanding of the mistrust that some citizens harbor for those who wear the badge.

So today, it’s time to ask ourselves – as a nation – are we conducting policing, in the 21st century, in a manner that is as effective, as efficient, as equitable, and as just as is possible?  It’s time to build on the outstanding leadership that so many local police are providing – and the reform efforts that are underway in St. Louis County and elsewhere – by making this work a focused, national priority.

Just last week, the Justice Department launched a substantial effort to do just that – by establishing a National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice to promote credibility, to enhance procedural justice, to reduce implicit bias, and to support racial reconciliation.  Separately, President Obama has directed federal agencies to carefully review programs that may provide military equipment, or funding for military equipment, to local police – a process that remains ongoing.  Through a range of other programs like the President’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative – and the department’s regular interactions with exemplary law enforcement executives across the country – my colleagues and I are doing important work to resolve tensions and promote mutual understanding;  to bridge divides and spark constructive dialogue; and to ensure – above all else – that everyone who comes into contact with the police is treated fairly.

This is important, and in some cases life-changing, work.  But I believe we need to take these efforts even further.  That’s why, under the leadership of our COPS Office, the Justice Department is working with major police associations to conduct a broad review of policing tactics, techniques, and training – so we can help the field swiftly confront emerging threats, better address persistent challenges, and thoroughly examine the latest tools and technologies to enhance the safety, and the effectiveness, of law enforcement.  Going forward, I will support not only continuing this timely review, but expanding it – to consider the profession in a comprehensive way – and to provide strong, national direction on a scale not seen since President Lyndon Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement nearly half a century ago.

In this ongoing effort, and in so many others – as we seize this important moment, renew our determination to combat crime, and accept the historic opportunities now before us – my colleagues and I will continue to look to the Brennan Center, and each of the leaders in this audience, for guidance; for edification; and for frank and honest advice.  We will continue to rely on the experience, and the thoughtful consideration, that you have brought to today’s discussion – and to countless others over the past two decades.  And we will always be both proud and humbled to count you as partners, and as essential allies, in the considerable work ahead.

I want to thank you all – once again – for your leadership, your vision, and your unwavering commitment to the mission we share.  I look forward to building on this dialogue in the weeks and months to come.  And I am optimistic – despite the challenges we face, and the obstacles we must confront – about where your efforts will take us, and all that we will achieve – together – for the exceptional nation we all love.

Thank you.