Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Anniversary

FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CENTER ANNIVERSARY -- (Senate - September 13, 2005)

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, commonly known as FLETC. Since its inception in 1970, FLETC has provided primary and advanced law enforcement training for at least 81 Federal agencies. It also serves as the project manager for the International Law Enforcement Academies. Over the past three and one-half decades, FLETC has grown from a fledgling organization into the world's premier law enforcement training center. For this, and for the countless lives that have been saved by the proud graduates of FLETC, I extend my heartfelt congratulations.

When FLETC was first conceived 35 years ago, the training of Federal law enforcement agencies suffered from varying levels of quality. The costs of providing high-quality training were far too high for any single agency to bear. It was in these prevailing circumstances that people started to talk about standardizing and consolidating training operations for law enforcement agencies with similar operational skills. That FLETC has managed to save taxpayers dollars by creating high-quality and cost-effective training programs is a tribute to its leaders, instructors, and graduates.

I have a personal connection to FLETC because there is a FLETC campus in my home State of New Mexico. The town of Artesia in the southeastern section of New Mexico has played a special role in the history of FLETC. First opened in 1989, FLETC-Artesia is one of three full-scale residential training facilities currently in operation. Although originally a small college campus, FLETC-Artesia is now a 2,540-acre site that includes grounded aircraft, large classrooms, drug and fingerprint labs, physical techniques facilities, outdoor firearms ranges, vehicle proficiency courses, and a number of dormitory buildings.

These and other training tools have proven valuable to multiple Federal law enforcement agencies. In the weeks and months following the devastating attacks on September 11, 2001, the training environment at FLETC was reoriented to address the American people's demands for greater in-flight security. The number of students being trained at FLETC-Artesia swelled from an average of 150 per day to 700 per day as part of this mobilization. Air marshals continue to be trained by FLETC and the Federal Flight Deck Officer training module was transferred to Artesia in the fall of 2003. The Border Patrol has also consolidated its training activities in New Mexico. It is therefore no stretch of the imagination to say that FLETC-Artesia is at the forefront in protecting our Nation's skies and borders.

Mr. President, I offer my congratulations to those who have worked at FLETC over the past 35 years. They have done their country a great service. The fact that FLETC trainees continue to excel is a tribute to their hard work. I am proud to have played a role in establishing a FLETC campus in my home State and I look forward to working with FLETC in the future.

http://thomas.loc.gov/