FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          AG
SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1995                             (202) 616-2777
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

             STATEMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO

     Attorney General Janet Reno released the following statement
today on the crime bill:

     "It's easy to stand up and talk tough on crime.  But President
Clinton and this administration have been doing something that the
critics haven't -- making tough choices for two years.  And now I
understand that reported serious crimes fell 3 percent last year.

     "While others talked, we fought to ban assault weapons,
pressed forward to put 100,000 new police officers on the street,
worked for tough, new prison sentences, made '3 Strikes And You Are
Out' the law of the land.

     "Last year's crime bill was more than talk -- it was the real
thing.  It was tough and it was smart.  It combined policing,
punishment and prevention.  It was endorsed by every major police
organization in America.

     "The time for talk is long gone.  We've been making the tough
decisions for two years.  We can't go backwards now."

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