By Ed Somers
June 19, 2006

Under the leadership of Elizabeth (NJ) Mayor J. Christian Bollwage, the Criminal and Social Justice Committee debated and approved a number of major policy resolutions during the 74th Annual Conference of Mayors.

The Committee approved two resolutions on comprehensive immigration reform which call on Congress and the President to approve legislation that:

strengthens border security;

includes a fair and efficient guest worker program;

provides a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented people in the United States provided: they have not committed serious crimes; have learned, or are in the process of learning English; and pay taxes and social security on their earnings;

does not criminalize undocumented workers for their presence in the United States; and

does not require cities, without reimbursement or training, to enforce immigration violations, or reduce local government’s federal grants in an attempt to coerce them into enforcing federal immigration laws.

The committee also approved a resolution on gun safety that calls on Congress to reject legislative proposals that limit cities’ ability to solve and prevent crime; for law enforcement be given access to ATF gun trace data; for Congress to remove restrictions on the availability and use of trace data; for ATF to resume publication of Annual Crime Trace Reports; and for mayors to adopt and work together to find innovative new ways to advance comprehensive gun safety principles.

The Committee also adopted a resolution opposing mandatory minimum sentences, but amended the resolution to call on states to study the impact of state and federal mandatory minimum sentencing and then move forward.

Soft Target Training on Homeland Security

The Committee was joined by its former Chair, Jeff Griffin, who served as mayor of Reno. Griffin is now working with The University of Nevada Las Vegas Institute for Security Studies on a program they are developing for mayors on soft target terrorist attacks.

The institute is focusing on what mayors and local law enforcement can do to protect targets such as shopping malls, and can design targeted training that meets the needs of police agencies of various sizes and with differing security concerns.

Adopted Resolutions

Development of Regional Logistics Centers

City To City Mutual Aid

Opposing Mandatory Minimum Sentences

In Support of Efforts to Fight Illegal Guns

In Support of Border Security and Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act