"If I am entrusted with the Presidency, I will launch a sweeping anti-crime strategy to make our families safe and secure. I will intensify the battle against crime, drugs, and disorder in our communities." -Al Gore

Government's most basic duty is to ensure law and order and keep citizens safe from crime. Over the last eight years, we have put in place a tough, comprehensive crime-fighting strategy in communities across the country. That strategy is working - with violent crimes at their lowest levels in a generation. But even a single crime is one too many. That is why Al Gore will fight to increase the number of community police on our streets, and give them the high-tech tools and the training they need to keep crime down. He will strengthen the laws against serious criminals and increase the number of prosecutors to help ensure those laws are enforced. He will fight to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and away from children. He will toughen our fight against illegal drugs, and demand that prisoners addicted to drugs agree to a simple deal - get clean to get out, stay clean to stay out. He will make schools safe havens for students to learn and teachers to teach. He will put the rights of victims and families first again. And he will push for more crime prevention, to stop the next generation of crime before it's too late.

GETTING TOUGH ON CRIME

• Help communities hire 50,000 more community police officers for our streets.
• Cool off crime hot spots by: providing funding to hire additional community police and prosecutors and providing these communities with the latest in crime fighting technologies, such as crime-mapping, to help identify emerging crime patterns and deploy resources effectively.
• Extend the budgetary "Lock Box" created by the 1994 Crime Act that would protect funding for more police, prosecutors, and victims.
• Hire 10,000 community prosecutors to put more criminals behind bars.
• Empower local communities to bring special legal actions in federal court against gang activity to break the gangs up, once and for all.
• Grant the Attorney General new authority to block and terminate telephone service to telemarketers who prey illegally on the elderly.
• Support strong enforcement of tough penalties for violent crimes including the federal death penalty for heinous crimes.

CREATING A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT REFLECTS OUR VALUES AND RESPECTS THE RIGHTS OF THE VICTIMS

• Support passage of a Victim's Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
• Ensure that victims of crime can take leave to attend the trial of their assailant without fear of losing their employment or being discriminated against in the future by their employer.
• Increase the limit on the Crime Victims Fund, ensuring that funds go to compensate and support programs for victims of crime.
• Protect women and children by reauthorizing the Violence Against Women's Act (VAWA), restoring important protections to prevent domestic violence, encouraging innovative violence prevention strategies and providing temporary housing vouchers for victims of domestic violence.
• Put an end to hate crimes by working with the Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act that will expand the definition of hate crimes and allow for the prosecution of these crimes under federal law.
• End the unjust practice of racial profiling.

BREAKING THE CYCLE OF CRIME AND DRUGS

• Create a matching grant program for states and localities to systematically drug test, treat, and sanction probationers, prisoners, and parolees.
• Support the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to deter illegal drug use by young people; expand availability of treatment options for youth; and reform, strengthen, and increase the funding for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program.
• Expand Drug Courts providing judicial supervision over drug offenders and provide frequent drug testing and treatment for offenders.
• Double the number of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs), which creates a greater degree of coordination and focus on drug problems within a geographic area, and can assist in curtailing the growing use of drugs like Methamphetamine.
• Ensure proper funding the Drug-Free Communities Program.
• Toughen drug penalties for those who sell drugs to kids, use kids to sell drugs, and sell drugs on or near school property.

DRAMATICALLY INCREASE CRIME PREVENTION EFFORTS

• Increase after-school programs to give young people positive alternatives during the critical 3-8 pm time period, when most juvenile crime occurs.
• Create second-chance schools-where kids headed for trouble, and those caught with guns, can receive the strict discipline and intensive services they need.
• Expand eligibility of faith-based organizations for federal grants to supplement our efforts to fight gangs, juvenile delinquency and youth drug abuse.

KEEPING GUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF CRIMINALS AND AWAY FROM CHILDREN

• Tougher Law Enforcement: Al Gore will toughen enforcement against gun criminals by increasing gun-related criminal penalties helping communities build tough gun enforcement programs and adding additional federal, state, and local gun prosecutors, as well as ATF agents and inspectors.
• Getting Guns Out of the Hands of Criminals: Al Gore will increase efforts to get guns out of the hands of criminals by creating a state-based photo licensing system for handgun purchasers, banning cheap handguns known as "junk guns" that are so often used in crimes, limiting handgun sales to one-a-month, requiring a three-day waiting period for purchases, and closing the gun show loophole.
• Protecting Children from Guns: Al Gore will fight to protect children from gun violence by requiring child safety locks for handguns, raising the minimum age for handguns from 18 to 21, banning juveniles from possessing assault weapons, insisting on a policy of zero tolerance of guns in our schools, and extending the Brady Law to violent juveniles, to permanently ban juveniles convicted of serious violent crimes in juvenile court from ever owning a gun again.

APPROACH

Government's most basic duty is to establish law, order, and freedom and keep citizens safe from crime. When crime is rampant, families are forced off the streets and behind closed doors. When children are ducking for cover, they have a hard time reaching for their dreams. When people are afraid to walk in their own neighborhood, communities are robbed of the basic sense of decency and togetherness. When a burdened justice system lets criminals off easy, good parents have a harder time teaching their children right from wrong.

Over the last eight years, America has put in place a tougher, more comprehensive strategy than anything tried before. That strategy is working - with violent crimes at their lowest levels in a generation. But even a single crime is too many. So Al Gore will fight to increase the number of community police on our streets, and give them the high-tech tools and the training they need. He will toughen the laws against serious crime and increase the number of prosecutors to help ensure those laws are enforced. He will fight to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and away from children. He will fight against illegal drugs, and demand that prisoners addicted to drugs agree to a simple deal - get clean to get out, stay clean to stay out. He will make schools safe havens for students to learn and teachers to teach. He will put the rights of victims and families first again. And he will push for more crime prevention, to stop the next generation of crime before it's too late.

ADDING MORE COMMUNITY POLICE OFFICERS AND MORE TOOLS TO FIGHT CRIME

• Help Communities Hire 50,000 More Community Police Officers: Gore believes that any effective anti-crime strategy must start with America's law enforcement officers. He is proposing to expand on the Administration's successful 100,000 community police program by funding an additional 50,000 community police officers. In addition, Gore would fight for reauthorization of the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund to create a budgetary "lock box," guaranteeing funding for more police and other state and local crime fighting assistance. Gore would also provide grants to police departments to make sure police officers get the training they need.
• Cooling Off Crime Hot Spots: Gore will help provide law enforcement the new technology and tools they need to fight crime, such as making new crime mapping technology available to local communities so that they can target crime "hot spots" and help get crime under control. To extinguish these crime "hot spots", Al Gore will establish a fund that would: 1) provide funding to hire additional community police and prosecutors to communities, as well as funds for overtime pay to put existing police on the street immediately to wipe out crime "hot spots"; 2) provide these communities with the latest in crime fighting technologies, such as crime mapping to help identify emerging crime patterns and deploy resources effectively; and 3) create "hot spot" task forces comprised of federal law enforcement officers and the local U.S. attorney to work with local authorities to provide immediate assistance and access to critical, crime fighting federal resources.
• Upgrade Crime Labs: Gore also supports more funding to upgrade crime labs across the country to help state and local authorities solve more crimes and catch more criminals.
• Protections for Off-Duty Officers: Police officers put their lives on the line every day, whether or not they are in uniform and whether or not they are on the job or off duty. Threats against our police don't stop when their shifts are over - and neither should their ability to meet those threats. The legislation will extend that right to retired state and local officers who pass a regular recertification test. However, laws that allow concealed weapons into our churches and schools make police officers' jobs harder, which is one reason why Gore has proposed a national ban on that practice.
• Budgetary "Lock Box" for Law Enforcement: Al Gore supports creating a federal budgetary "lock box" to fund law enforcement. The funds would protect criminal justice funding for the next five years, and would allow local communities to plan for the future without having to worry every year that their funds would be used for other purposes.

MAKING ANTI-CRIME LAWS TOUGHER, FASTER, AND FAIRER

• 10,000 Community Prosecutors to Take More Criminals Off Our Streets: According to a 1996 Bureau of Justice Statistics report, 1 in 4 of the nation's prosecutor offices do not have a full-time prosecutor on staff. To ensure that criminals are tried without delay and serve their time, Al Gore is proposing that 10,000 local and state prosecutors work in our communities. Gore will provide grants to states and localities to hire prosecutors who work side by side with community police and neighborhood residents to combat and prevent crimes and take more criminals off our streets. The grants would be awarded on a competitive basis, and communities that apply would have to provide a match to the federal investment. Along with the additional community police that Al Gore is proposing, these prosecutors will ensure that there is a faster, firmer, and fairer administration of justice.
• Cracking Down on Gangs: Gore will support a new federal law that would empower local communities to bring special legal actions in federal court against gang activity to break the gangs up, once and for all. Anti-gang injunctions can be a valuable tool for communities seeking to reclaim public space in a neighborhood where residents are intimidated by gang activity. These civil injunctions, which will help communities create zones that are free of gangs, must be approved by a judge and can be obtained only upon a solid showing of gang involvement by all of the individuals affected.
• Shutting Down Fraudulent Telemarketers: Gore will seek legislation to grant the Attorney General new authority to block and terminate telephone service to telemarketers who prey illegally on the elderly.
• Death Penalty: Al Gore supports strong enforcement of tough penalties for violent crimes - including the federal death penalty for particularly heinous crimes, such as murdering a federal law enforcement officer. However, Gore believes we must be vigilant in not allowing race, class, or absence of competent counsel to have any influence in such crucial decisions. Gore understands that when we use this extraordinary punishment, we must use extraordinary care. One way to help achieve that is by increasing diversity and sensitivity at all levels of our criminal justice system. Gore advocates measures to ensure the integrity and fairness of the death penalty - create a criminal justice system that truly protects the rights of all Americans.

CREATING A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT REFLECTS OUR VALUES AND RESPECTS THE RIGHTS OF CRIME VICTIMS

• Pass a Victim's Rights Amendment: Crime victims deserve a system that respects their rights, not just the rights of criminals. As President, Gore would support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution - one that is consistent with fundamental Constitutional protections - to protect crime victims' rights, including: the right to attend public court proceedings, the right to a trial without unreasonable delay, the right to be heard in the sentencing process and to not be excluded from any public proceedings relating to the crime, the right to restitution from their convicted attacker, and the right to be notified of a perpetrator's release and to consider the safety of the victim in determining any conditional release.
• Strengthen Enforcement of Existing Laws: As President, Al Gore will insist that existing federal and state laws to protect victims' rights are enforced. Recent studies show that victims are denied rights already provided. Gore would ensure that these rights are honored and properly enforced.
• Ensure Leave for Victims: Al Gore proposes national crime victims' leave legislation to ensure that victims can take leave without fear of losing their employment or being discriminated against in the future by their employer. Under his proposal, it would be illegal for an employer to refuse to hire, fire or discriminate against someone because she or he may be a victim of a serious crime. Crime victims would be entitled to unpaid leave to attend legal proceedings and be able to return to their jobs. Such legislation will build on similar laws in a growing number of states and localities.
• Increase the Limit on the Crime Victims Fund: Al Gore proposes to substantially increase the limit on the amount of awards that can be paid out from the Crime Victims Fund, ensuring that funds go to compensate victims and support programs for crime victims.
• Protect Women and Children: According to a recent Department of Justice report, women experienced over 20 percent fewer violent offenses at the hands of an intimate partner than in 1993. While the trend remains encouraging, the fact remains that there still 876,340 violent offenses against women in 1998. Al Gore believes that we must address this issue. He will fight to:
• Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA): Al Gore fought hard for the 1994 crime bill that included the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Now, Gore is calling on Congress to reauthorize VAWA this year, including grant programs to help women who are victims of violence and the federal criminal provisions that punish interstate domestic violence and stalking crimes.
• Restore important protections to prevent domestic violence: Earlier this year, the Supreme Court (United States vs. Morrison) struck down a key provision of VAWA that gave victims of gender-motivated violence the power to sue their attackers for lost earnings, medical expenses, and other damages. As President, Al Gore will submit legislation that would restore these important protections while addressing the Court's Constitutional concerns.
• Protect children from abuse, neglect, and domestic violence: Al Gore will encourage innovative violence prevention strategies through grants for comprehensive collaborations between community-based organizations and local agencies responding to domestic violence, child abuse, and youth violence. For example, funds could support a community that creates partnerships between child care centers, fatherhood programs, schools and law enforcement agencies to train individuals working with children to detect early signs of child abuse and domestic violence, support early childhood, or parenting classes.
• Provide housing vouchers for victims of domestic violence: Al Gore will create 4,000 new, short-term housing vouchers to help families who are victims of domestic violence live in a safe place.
• Put an End to Hate Crimes: America cannot afford to tolerate hate crimes. As President, Al Gore will continue to fight for Hate Crimes legislation to protect victims who are targeted simply because of who they are - whether it is race, color, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or gender. He will work with the Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act that will expand the definition of hate crimes and allow for the prosecution of these crimes under federal law.
• Racial Profiling: Good policing demands mutual trust and respect between the community and the police who serve them. We shouldn't let the acts of a few rogue officers undermine that trust. Gore will end the unjust practice of racial profiling.

BREAKING THE CYCLE OF CRIME AND DRUGS

• Get Clean to Get Out, Stay Clean to Stay Out: Drug abuse is a key contributor to recidivism: one-third of state prisoners committed their crime under the influence of drugs, and one out of five committed their crime in order to get money to buy drugs. Gore believes that before prisoners get out of jail, they need to be free from drugs. And to stay out, they need to stay clean. Gore would create a matching grant program to states and localities to help systematically test, treat, and sanction probationers, prisoners, and parolees. This program would require twice-weekly testing for targeted probationers and parolees and escalating sanctions - including returning to prison - for failure to stay free from drugs.
• National Anti-Drug Media Campaign: Gore will expand the national media campaign to deter illegal drug use by young people, expand availability of treatment options for youth, and reform, strengthen, and double the funding for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program.
• Expand Drug Courts: These courts provide judicial supervision over drug offenders and provide frequent drug testing and treatment for offenders, helping ensure that offenders stay drug-free and out of trouble.
• Double the Number of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs): Gore will support HIDTAs, which create a greater degree of coordination and focus on drug problems within a geographic area, and can assist in curtailing the growing use of drugs like Methamphetamine.
• Funding the Drug-Free Communities Program: Gore will strengthen community based coalition efforts to reduce substance abuse. Since the program began in 1997, 474 communities applied for grants, but only 93 have been funded.
• Tougher Drug Penalties: Gore will increase penalties for those who sell drugs to kids, use kids to sell drugs, and sell drugs on or near school property.
• Responsibility Contracts for Ex-Offenders: Gore will create a new initiative to help instill responsibility among ex-offenders and help reduce recidivism. Under the Gore plan, ex-offenders would sign responsibility contracts - agreeing to increased supervision by law enforcement, routine drug testing, and payment of child support. In return, these ex-offenders would get help making it in the workforce so they can leave a life of crime behind. This initiative would fund additional law enforcement to supervise offenders and locally-administered services for offenders in participating communities.

DRAMATICALLY INCREASE CRIME PREVENTION EFFORTS

• Increase After-School Programs: Gore will double investment in after-school programs, to give young people positive alternatives during the critical 3 - 8 pm time period, when most juvenile crime occurs.
• Second Chance Schools: Gore will create second-chance schools-where kids headed for trouble, and those caught with guns, can receive the strict discipline and intensive services they need.
• Working with Faith-Based Organizations: Gore will expand eligibility of faith-based organizations for federal grants to supplement our efforts to fight gangs, juvenile delinquency, and youth drug abuse - while protecting the Constitutional rights of recipients and ensuring a secular alternative.
• Improving mental health care and preventing violence in schools: Gore will enact measures helping teachers learn how to spot signs of mental illness in their students and helping communities improve school safety and mental health care.

KEEPING GUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF CRIMINALS AND AWAY FROM CHILDREN

• Tougher Law Enforcement: Al Gore will toughen enforcement against gun criminals by increasing gun-related criminal penalties, creating a new national grant program to help communities build tough gun enforcement programs to crack down on gun criminals, adding additional federal, state, and gun prosecutors as well as ATF agents and inspectors to help put gun criminals behind bars, improving efforts to trace gun ownership through "supertracing" technology, and banning concealed weapons from houses of worship.
• Getting Guns Out of the Hands of Criminals: Al Gore will increase efforts to get guns out of the hands of criminals by requiring photo licensing for handgun purchasers, banning cheap handguns known as "junk guns" that are so often used in crimes, limiting gun sales to one-a-month and requiring a three day waiting period for purchases, and closing the gun show loophole to the Brady Law that exempts gun shows and unlicensed dealers from the Brady Law, allowing them to sell guns without a background check.
• Protecting Children from Guns: Al Gore will fight to protect children from gun violence by requiring child safety locks on handguns, raising the minimum age for guns from 18 to 21, closing the gun show loophole for underage children that allows underage children to purchase handguns from unlicensed dealers, banning juveniles from possessing assault weapons, insisting on a policy of zero tolerance towards guns in our schools, and extending the Brady Law to violent juveniles which would permanently ban juveniles convicted of serious violent crimes in juvenile court from ever owning a gun again.

Source: Al Gore for President 2000 Web Site