Remarks by President Trump at International Association of Chiefs of Police | Eastern North Carolina Now

    We have secured the most funding in history to give you the tools and resources that you need to hunt down the traffickers, stop these poisonous drugs from coming into our country, and to save American lives.

    In fact, today I'm announcing another $42.4 million for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program to attack this epidemic. (Applause.) This grant funding will go to more than 50 innovative projects targeting the greatest drug threats facing the United States.

    And I will tell you that, last year in the budget - this year also - last year, we got $6 billion - $6 billion - to work on the opioid problem at every level, including people - really helping people that are in need of help.

    Last year, we increased the average federal sentence for drug trafficking to its highest level since 2013. For the first time in years, we are ensuring there are real, tough consequences for those who flood our streets with deadly poison.

    Thanks to your partnership, last year, our brave ICE agents seized 1 million pounds of narcotics, including almost 7,000 pounds of heroin and more than 2,300 pounds of fentanyl - saving thousands upon thousands of American lives. And this year, we're way ahead of those numbers.

    Last year alone, ICE removed nearly 130,000 criminal aliens from our country. And, as you know, my competitors don't like that. They don't like that. That's the other thing you're going to have to explain to me someday. Including thousands of vicious gang members and MS-13 predators. They're gone. They're gone. (Applause.)


    Yet, these brave ICE officers have been subjected to shameless attacks by leading members of the Democrat Party, including outrageous calls to abolish ICE. And also, they're not a big help to us in law enforcement. They don't want to give us the kind of funds that you people are requesting. But you're getting them anyway because we're giving them to you. But they fight us at every turn. (Applause.) The Democrats fight us at every single turn. Whether it's law enforcement or military, they fight us at every turn. But we win.

    We condemn the vilification of law enforcement and law enforcement officers, and we stand proudly with the heroes of ICE, and Border Patrol, and law enforcement in general.

    We also strongly oppose efforts from politicians to shackle local police departments and prevent them from cooperating with their federal partners. So let's see whether or not Chicago - as an example, locally - accepts help. They need it. And we'll straighten it out fast. We're going to straighten it out fast.

    I assume they want to straighten it out. Sometimes I think, "Maybe is it possible that they don't?" But we're going to be there. We're going to try and help them.

    Every day, these sanctuary city policies force the release of criminal aliens and gang members right back onto our streets, putting innocent civilians at grave risk - many people being killed.

    I will fight every day for your right to cooperate with federal law enforcement and to protect your communities as you wish. And I know most of you in this room - I think probably everybody in this room - works brilliantly with our federal authorities. And it's our honor to do it - including funding, by the way - including funding. Thank you. (Applause.)

    Last week, my administration also provided historic levels of funding to improve school safety. Through STOP School Violence grants, we are giving local schools and police departments the resources they need to hire more officers, and train more teachers, and better detect and address early warning signs of mental illness before it's too late. I made a lot of strides in the last year. (Applause.) Heavy funding - but you've made a lot of strides.

    In every action we take, we are defending American safety and treasuring the extraordinary - I mean, we're just helping as much as we can the extraordinary men and women who protect our communities.

    Here with us today are all four nominees for the IACP Police Officer of the Year Award.

    Officer Taylor Rust serves with the Plano, Texas Police Department. Good place. (Applause.) Where's Taylor? Taylor. Where's Taylor? Come on up here, Taylor. Run up here. They'll let you up. Come on up. We'll get all of them up. Come on. (Applause.)

    A year ago, Taylor raced to the scene of an active shooter in a neighborhood, entered the house without any backup at all, and shot and killed the murderer - it turned out to be somebody with a lot of bad past - saving the lives of four civilians.

    Officer Rust, we salute you and your remarkable courage. You are a great gentleman. Stay up here with me, okay? (Applause.) Say - come on, say couple of words.

    OFFICER RUST: Thank you. Thank you. You'll have to forgive me, I'm much more comfortable in the situation Mr. President described than being up here. (Laughter.)


    It's a tremendous honor for me to be here. I appreciate everything IACP has done for us, my family. My wife, Amber, is here. She's been a tremendous support, as well, through this whole thing. (Applause.)

    It's been a very humbling experience for me, and it's been an honor to be spoken in the same breath with the other three officers that are sitting over there today. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

    THE PRESIDENT: That was a good job. He'll be running for office soon. You watch. (Laughter.) Thank you very much, Taylor.

    Last May, Officer Mark Dallas was on duty at Dixon High School, in Illinois, when he heard gunshots. Within - listen to this - three seconds, he was at the scene, right outside the auditorium where the entire senior class was gathered and was in a lot of trouble.

    The shooter fled and fired shots at him, but Officer Dallas chased him down before a single student was injured. (Applause.) Officer Dallas's son Joshua was one of the seniors inside that auditorium. Afterwards, Joshua said, "I wasn't scared for my life at all because I knew my dad would protect us." How good is that? (Applause.)

    Thank you, Officer Dallas. Where are you? Officer Dallas, come on up here. That's pretty good. That's pretty good. (Applause.)

    So his son had a little confidence in him. That's not bad. That's beautiful. Beautiful.

    OFFICER DALLAS: Public speaking is not my best, but I'm - I'm extremely nervous. (Laughter.) Mr. President, I appreciate everything, and the support you give us. And I'm honored to be here with the IACP and the other nominees.

    My son said he wasn't scared because dad was out there. I was "dad" to 182 other kids in that gymnasium. (Applause.)

    I just want to say thank you. I'm honored and blessed to be here. Thank you.

    THE PRESIDENT: Beautiful story. Thank you very much. (Applause.) That's a beautiful story. And your son was right.

    In October of last year, Washington State Trooper Nathaniel Dawson pursued a car that violated a traffic law. When the car stopped, two gunmen began shooting at Trooper Dawson, and shooting very violently. Despite heavy fire, Trooper Dawson got out of his vehicle and fired back until the shooters ran away and were later apprehended. They were very dangerous criminals.

    Our streets are safer, and our criminals recoil in fear because of brave officers like Trooper Dawson. And I want to thank you. Come up, please, Trooper Dawson. (Applause.)

    TROOPER DAWSON: Wow. It's a great honor to be here tonight. Thank you all for coming - Mr. President. I think we all would say the same: We're just doing our job. And to be recognized is just extra. So thank you again. (Applause.)

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. These people have a lot of respect for you. They don't sit down when you're up here. (Laughter.) They have a lot of respect, right? (Applause.) That's great. Beautiful.

    Finally, Sergeant Luis Celis of the Doral - I know it well - Florida Police Department - they are fantastic - responded to the call that you all read about - a big story at the time - that a shooter was in the lobby of Trump National Doral. Can you believe this is happening to me? And I didn't say, "Put this man..." I knew what he did. But they put him. Threatening a lot of people that were in the hotel, including the employees.

    Sergeant Celis entered the building, engaged in a vicious shooting attack, and captured the criminal before anyone was hurt - which was incredible, actually. (Applause.)

    Sergeant Celis, that was really a job well done. People are still talking about it. It was an amazing job. Please come up. (Applause.)


    SERGEANT CELIS: I guess he's a tough act to follow - (laughter) - what the guy said over here.

    Thanks everybody for being here. My wife, Olga. And congratulations to everybody else. Thank you. (Applause.)

    THE PRESIDENT: And just to conclude, I have to say, in each of these stories we see the unmatched strength, and character, and courage of our amazing heroes in blue.

    Every day, our police officers race into darkened allies and deserted streets, and onto the doorsteps of the most hardened criminals - people you don't want to be dealing with. And you deal with them well. Incredible. They see the worst of humanity, and they respond with the best of the American spirit.

    America's police officers have earned the everlasting gratitude of our nation. In moments of danger and despair, you are the reason we never lose hope - because there are men and women in uniform who face down evil and stand for all that's good and just and decent and right.

    No matter what threat you face, you never give in. You never back down. You are people of tremendous courage and strength. We appreciate it. (Applause.) Appreciate it.

    Nothing can break your spirit or bend your will - I've seen it over many years - because you are the proud men and women of law enforcement.

    We thank you. We salute you. We honor you. And we promise you: We will always have your back. Now and forever, we will have your back. (Applause.)

    So it's my great honor to be with you today, and I thank you and I thank everyone in this incredible room of heroes - the International Association of Chiefs of Police. You have very, very special, very smart, very brave, brave people.

    And on behalf of our incredible country - our country that's getting stronger and bigger and richer and just better - we're making it greater. (Laughter.) And that's okay. It's greater. We're making it greater. (Applause.)

    I want to say God bless you, God bless your families, and God bless America. Thank you very much. Great honor. Thank you.

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