Congressman Mike Ross, Fourth Congressional District of Arkansas

Volume 7, Issue 18
{May 11, 2007} Weekly Newsletter MIKE'S WEEKLY MESSAGE National Police Week, Honoring Our PoliceThis year, the week of May 12^th through May 17^th is recognized as “National Police Week.” This tribute to our police force began in 1962, when President John F. Kennedy designated a week in the honor of our nation’s police departments. This designation is an opportunity to honor those law enforcement officers who, through their courageous deeds, have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities, states and nation, or have become disabled in the line of duty.

As the U.S. Representative for Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District, one of my top priorities is to make sure that our local police departments have the resources they need to keep us safe. By ways of important federal initiatives through the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, among others, I have the opportunity to help secure funding for our local police departments across the state. The funding our police departments receive ensures that they have the best tools possible to protect the families and residents of our towns and communities.

Recently, I joined with the Hot Springs Police Department to unveil a new SWAT van and equipment they were able to purchase as the result of a grant from the Department of Homeland Security. These federal grants are just as critical to our country’s national security as they are to our hometown safety.

Every day nearly 900,000 local, state and federal law enforcement officers take their post on the front lines of our criminal justice system. They are not only fighting crime, but they are risking their lives to serve and protect the public and I am proud to honor them not only this week, but throughout the year for their brave work and invaluable contributions to make our communities safe places to live.

Ross, Judge McElroy Work
to Preserve Historic Sites in South Arkansas

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) and Desha County Judge Mark McElroy worked Thursday to identify federal funding to maintain of Arkansas’s two Japanese-American Internment Camp Sites. Ross and McElroy met with Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15), who spent time as a child in an internment camp, in the U.S. Capitol to discuss the preservation of these sites and to invite him to visit the Rohwer and Jerome Detention Camps in South Arkansas.

“These camps signify a dark period in our nation's history, and I applaud Judge McElroy for his efforts to preserve these historical landmarks so we may never forget the injustices waged against Japanese Americans living in the U.S. during World War II," Ross said. “Judge McElroy's hard work to protect the structures at these camps has been tremendous and I am committed to helping him secure the necessary federal resources to ensure their proper preservation as a vital part of our country’s history.”

“I am excited about the opportunity to meet with Representative Honda and Representative Ross about the Relocation Center in Rohwer,” McElroy said. “I was impressed with his attention and willingness to work with Desha County on this project and I look forward to making the Relocation Center at Rohwer a tourist stop for all people visiting Arkansas.”

On November 16, 2005, Ross helped pass H.R. 1492 which was signed into Public Law 109-441 by President Bush on December 21, 2006. This bill provides for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. This legislation would provide federal funding to localities to preserve Japanese-American Internment Camp Sites through grants from the Department of the Interior.

There were 10 Japanese-American Internment Camp Sites in the United States, of which two are in Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District. They are located in Rohwer and Jerome, AR. The Rohwer Detention Camp, located in Desha County, opened in September of 1942 and detained more than 11,000 people. The Jerome Detention Camp, located in Drew County, opened in October of 1942 and detained over 10,000 people.

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Ross: Hot Springs Police Department
Receives New SWAT Vehicle

Washington –U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) and the Hot Springs Police Department recently unveiled the department’s newest vehicle, a SWAT van. The van was purchased with federal funds Rep. Ross previously helped the department secure through the Department of Homeland Security's Buffer Zone Protection Plan (BZEP). The Hot Springs Police Department received $99,000 through the BZEP grant to equip the department to handle possible threats.

“Our local law enforcement agencies are the front lines of national security and we must equip them with the tools they need to keep our communities safe,” Ross said. “I am proud that these funds will help provide the Hot Springs Police Department with the necessary resources to protect the families and residents of Hot Springs and its surrounding areas.”

The grant allowed for the purchase of a SWAT van, bomb sniffing equipment, a portable illumination system and video equipment.

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  Please Contact Mike at
1-800-223-2220
mike.ross@mail.house.gov or
www.house.gov/ross

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