Honoring Brian Brady

HONORING BRIAN BRADY -- (Extensions of Remarks - June 24, 2004)

SPEECH OF
HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2004

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent Brian Brady who is retiring as Chief of Police of Novato, California. He has served in this capacity since 1992, undertaking many innovative projects in the city and earning the respect of the community.

Educated at Golden Gate University and Sonoma State University, Chief Brady served in several cities in California and New Mexico before coming to Novato in 1982 as Captain of both the Operations and Services and Administration Divisions. With a commitment to the principles of Community Policing, he assisted in the development of the city's first Police Advisory and Review Board and the Multi-Cultural Oversight Committee. A broad community collaboration that involved all officers, including service on boards of directors, Community Policing resulted in constant interactions, constructive dialogues and creation of additional successful programs such as:

School Resource Officers project uses uniformed officers on campus as part of the day to day operations at high schools and middle schools.

Project X is a youth team building project in which officers work with an Auto Shop Class at San Marin High School to build and maintain a drag racing vehicle. It has been painted to look like a police car and has been raced successfully, bringing money back to the program.

Girls Forum, developed after incidents of sexual assault, offers self-defense classes as well as instruction in self-esteem with women officers as role models. It is also supported by Soroptomist and Rotary.

Chief Brady's tenure will be especially remembered for his leadership in confronting hate crimes. I had the privilege of observing his work first hand after the racially motivated stabbing of a young Asian man outside a supermarket in Novato. Under his direction, the Police Department treated the incident as a hate crime from the outset by assigning top staff to the case and comforting the victim. Novato held public meetings to address the crime, resulting in the filming of Not in Our Town II, in which the city's response to hate crime is featured as an example to the nation. He continues to promote the use of diversity materials, including those that deal with lesbians and gays, in local classrooms.

Mr. Speaker, Brian Brady's inclusive vision for police work promotes the best in our communities. It is an honor to consider him a friend and to have shared in some of his inspiration and success.