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Good morning. I am pleased to be here today wearing two hats actually: as Executive Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, representing Chief of Police Charles H. Ramsey; and on behalf of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Division of State and Provincial Police.
This week, police officers here in the District of Columbia and across the nation are stepping up enforcement of child passenger safety violations. Sounding one voice, we are declaring zero tolerance for drivers who allow unbuckled children in their vehicles. Our message is as simple as it is clear: drivers who break the laws protecting children will be stopped, and enforcement action will be taken.
In the District of Columbia, Mayor Anthony Williams and Chief Ramsey have established an ambitious goal when it comes to children being buckled up: 100 percent compliance through strict law enforcement and aggressive public education. When I was Director of the Illinois State Police, I adopted the same approach. And just a few months ago, the leaders of the state patrols in all 50 states, through the IACP, adopted a resolution supporting a policy of zero tolerance for unbuckled children in every state.
Zero tolerance means doing what it takes to get every child buckled up -- every time. Here in the District of Columbia ...
- We have strong laws, with stiff fines and two points on your license for seat belt and child passenger safety violations.
- We have ongoing, consistent enforcement throughout the year -- and periodic, highly visible enforcement fforts four times each year, such as the one we are conducting this week as part of the nationwide Mobilization.
- And we embrace the concept of zero tolerance as a community. Through the DCs Clickin'! Coalition -- a broad-based group of DC government leaders, health professionals, DC SAFE KIDS Coalition, and The George Washington University Medical Center -- we are working together to educate residents about our seat belt and child safety laws. The Coalition has also developed the innovative Project Safe Child program, which provides loaner child seats for infants and toddlers, and now booster seats as well. So there truly is no excuse for a child of any age to be without an appropriate safety seat in our city.
As a police officer, a motorist, a parent and, now, a grandparent, I am very excited to hear that our efforts here in Washington, DC -- and across the nation -- are getting results. As more drivers buckle up themselves, and make sure their children are buckled too -- there will be fewer tragic scenes that our officers must respond to, fewer families devastated with the news that a child needlessly died or suffered serious injury because he or she wasn't buckled up.
And this effort involves more than just the police. I understand that nationwide, more than 1,000 organizations have lent their support to law enforcement this week by issuing "endorsements for enforcement." This means a lot to us.
In order to do our job, we in law enforcement need that kind of support. And we need a strong mandate from our communities. Our goal is not to write tickets, but to save children's lives. There is not a police officer anywhere who wants to have to pull another seriously injured child from a car crash. But if strict enforcement and aggressive public education are what it takes to get motorists to obey the law and protect our kids, then that is what we will do -- this week, and every week of the year.
Having seen the results of past Mobilizations, we know that this week's nationwide commitment to zero tolerance will make a difference in the lives of countless children and their families -- here in our nation's capital and all across America. Thank you very much.