By Ben Anderson, CNS Staff Writer

More than 2,000 rank-and-file law enforcement agents from across the country are taking President Bill Clinton to task over what they say is a continued effort to exploit police officers while pushing an anti-gun agenda.

The officers are also unhappy with Clinton's record on enforcing the law, citing a 46 percent drop in criminal prosecutions since Attorney General Janet Reno took control of the Department of Justice.

The Law Enforcement Alliance of America will launch an ad campaign on Thursday opposing the president, congressional Democrats and other gun control advocates. "This president, almost on a daily basis, exploits the rank-and-file of the law enforcement community to further his anti-gun agenda, yet his own administration has a reprehensible record of prosecuting criminals who violate the laws already on the books," said Jim Fortiss, executive director of the Law Enforcement Alliance of America. "It is an insult to the injured and maimed police officers and all in law enforcement who risk their lives on a daily basis to even consider more gun legislation, not to mention releasing convicted terrorists for politically motivated reasons," Fortiss said.

Boasting of 65,000 members, the LEAA will launch its effort this Thursday, the same day Clinton is scheduled to appear with a group of police chiefs "for another political photo-op to push his anti-gun agenda," according to an LEAA statement released Friday.

In addition to the Clinton Administration's record on prosecutions, the LEAA is also concerned that Clinton hasn't done enough to support successful law enforcement programs. The alliance cites prosecution efforts like Project Exile, a cooperative effort between local, state and federal agents using federal laws to prosecute criminals who commit a felony while possessing a firearm. Under Project Exile, criminals caught committing a felony while possessing a firearm have fewer appeals and longer sentences.

Another of LEAA's concerns is Clinton's offer to grant executive clemency to 16 convicted Puerto Rican nationals serving prison sentences for terrorist activities against government officials and police officers between 1974 and 1983. Clinton has offered to reduce the 35 to 90-year prison sentences of 16 members of the Puerto Rican nationalist group Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) convicted for, among other things, firearms violations and conspiracy involving 130 attacks on police, elected officials and the military.

Clinton reportedly ignored warnings and objections by the federal Bureau of Prisons over the release of the convicted FALN members, raising concerns among some congressional Republicans about his motives in light of Mrs. Clinton's likely New York senatorial campaign which will inevitably involve a Puerto Rican voter base.

The Bureau of Prisons has reportedly recorded conversations between members of FALN indicating they would continue their violent activities. The September 6 issue of NEWSWEEK, reports of secretly taped conversations of some of the convicts saying that "as soon as they get out of there, they were going to return to violence."

Clinton gave the FALN members until 5 p.m. this Friday to accept his offer but the White House has so far received no positive response. This weekend Mrs. Clinton announced she had reversed her position and now says the clemency proposal should be rescinded drawing criticism from the Puerto Rican community in New York.

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