Proclamation 6396

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

High-quality training is an essential component of effective law enforcement. The dedicated men and women who serve in this field have sworn to uphold the constitutional rights of individuals while promoting and defending the public safety. Meeting that challenge requires that every officer—from the rookie on the street to the most experienced chief or investigator—be equipped with certain knowledge and skills.

Today law enforcement training is as rigorous and as wide-ranging in scope as the day-to-day demands of an officer's job. First, every man and woman behind the badge must have knowledge of the law itself, including the rules of proper conduct and procedure. Because their work places them on the front lines in the war against drugs and crime, law enforcement officers also devote many hours of study and practice to self-defense techniques and to the safe use of firearms. Basic law enforcement training also includes physical conditioning, as well as lessons and exercises in the administration of first aid. Whether they are called to the scene of an accident or to the site of a violent domestic dispute, law enforcement officers know that lives depend on their preparedness and skill.

While the fundamentals have remained the same, recent advances in science and technology have changed many aspects of law enforcement and law enforcement training. To fight back against increasingly sophisticated crimes, police officers and other law enforcement agents are employing increasingly sophisticated tools and methods, from computers and toxicology to genetic "fingerprinting" and psychological profiling. Thus, those individuals who provide law enforcement training—including continuing education for veteran personnel—are part of a large, multidisciplinary team of professionals.

This week, as we gratefully salute all those who conduct and participate in law enforcement training, we also acknowledge the many rewarding career opportunities that it offers through its related disciplines. Young Americans who aspire to serve in our Nation's law enforcement and criminal justice system are encouraged to learn more about them.

To heighten public awareness of the importance of law enforcement training and its related fields, the Congress, by Public Law 102—206, has designated the week of January 5 through January 11, 1992, as "National Law Enforcement Training Week" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning January 5, 1992, as National Law Enforcement Training Week. I invite all Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and sixteenth.

George Bush

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:01 a.m., December 23, 1991]