When we started this 100,000 police program, the violent crime rate had tripled in the previous 30 years, but the size of the police forces, in the aggregate, had gone up only 10 percent. So we got the violent crime rate and the overall crime rate coming down, but there's still not an intersection. This will help to hire and redeploy an additional 30,000 to 50,000 community police officers over that same period. It will be the best investment we can make in a safe future for our children, and I hope we can pass it with your help. We also, as has already been said, need to make sure that our police officers have 21st century tools to do their jobs.
Criminals have the best technology.
Police should, too. But when police can report from their squad cars, rather than return to the station to fill out paperwork, they spend more time on the beat. When officers can track crime as it happens, using innovative crime-mapping technology, they can respond more quickly and effectively. Chief Samarra has told us what a difference these new tools can make here, in Alexandria. And the Vice President has put together a task force to help more communities take maximum advantage of available technology.