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In our changing security environment, it is imperative that members of our law enforcement community have access to critical training programs.  Our security personnel are certainly feeling the pressures of preparing to defend our country against potential terrorist attacks, to provide the nuts and bolts of criminal investigation, to address issues relative to the influx of illegal immigrants, and to combat increased crime and the scourge of methamphetamine drug trafficking. 

 

A strong arm of the training to address these problems takes place right here in our state at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) located in Glynco, Georgia.  More than 80 federal agencies send their law enforcement personnel to FLETC, where they receive basic training instruction from experienced professionals and learn the various skills that prepare them to protect our country.  

 

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit FLETC and get a first-hand look at the latest technology and training exercises being used to prepare security personnel for their missions, and I was extremely impressed with the state of the art training these folks receive.  In one instance, I heard from students back from the field of duty who underscored that the training they received at the facility literally saved their lives, particularly those who served in Iraq.  This gives me great pride and confidence in the work being performed at the Georgia facility.

 

To ensure that this important training continues to move forward, I have worked closely with my colleague, Senator Johnny Isakson, to secure $2 million in the fiscal year 2007 Department of Homeland Security funding bill for additional counterterrorism training courses to be constructed and facilitated at FLETC.  Additionally, we have also worked to ensure that the missions carried out at FLETC continue to remain unique to Georgia by including a provision in the bill that strictly prohibits any other federal agency from duplicating the programs and services offered there. 

 

Additionally, Senator Isakson and I are working to establish a program that would create a Rural Policing Institute at FLETC, because we share the concern that our law enforcement personnel in rural areas do not have access to training that is more readily available in urban areas.  The program would provide for experts to be deployed directly to rural communities and provide at-home training on a local level for individuals who may not otherwise have access to specialized training opportunities.

 

The training they receive will go a long way in making our communities safer and more secure, and we need to ensure that they receive the training to keep themselves safe as well.  After all, they leave their families each day and put themselves in harm’s way to protect us all.  Staying focused on their needs will continue to be a top priority.  

 

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