[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO TROOPER JAMES NOYES
Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a brave and
dedicated New Hampshire State Trooper, Sgt. James Noyes, who was killed
tragically in the line of duty at Gilford on this past Monday, October
3. Sergeant Noyes was the first State trooper to be killed by gunfire
in the 47-year history of the New Hampshire State Police.
Mr. President, Sergeant Noyes was off-duty, at home with his family
in Madison, when he learned of a stand-off in Gilford in which a
despondent man who had lost his wife earlier this year was barricaded
inside his home with a rifle, threatening to harm himself and others.
True to his life-long sense of duty, Sergeant Noyes responded to the
situation by rushing to the scene to help.
An expert hostage negotiator and a long-time leader of the State
police swat team, Sergeant Noyes spent many hours patiently attempting
to persuade the distraught man to lay down his weapon. Tragically,
those efforts did not succeed and Sergeant Noyes, age 40, was shot to
death. Sadly, the bullet that killed him passed behind the bullet-proof
vest that he was wearing.
As grief-stricken as they are at his untimely death, the family of
Sergeant Noyes can take justified comfort and pride in the fact that he
lived his life so well. Reared in Massachusetts, James Noyes joined the
New Hampshire State Police soon after graduating from the University of
Massachusetts in 1976. Not long after that, he became a member of the
State Police's Special Weapons and Tactics [SWAT] team. He became a
leader of that elite corps of troopers, who handle hostage situations
and other crises that require officers who have special training and
the proper temperament.
Remembering how well-suited Sergeant Noyes was to his duties, Conway
Police Lt. David Bennett said that he ``had a natural presence--he
could defuse most situations. He was unique in law enforcement.''
Moreover, Lieutenant Bennett remembered, Sergeant Noyes ``was a dynamic
trooper. He was in a learning mode continuously--he wanted to know how
to do a better job.''
Mr. President, the many tributes that I have read emphasize the
degree to which Sergeant Noyes kept his priorities straight. As
dedicated as he was to his career, he remained uncommonly devoted to
his wife, Debra and their children, Nathan, Daniel, and Brianna. ``He
was a family man first,'' said Kenneth High School Athletic Director
Ken Girouz. ``He was with his sons and daughter as much as possible,
and this is something that is difficult to do in his profession. ''
Sergeant Noyes also dedicated himself to his community, coaching
local team sports and assisting with an anti-drug program in the
schools. ``One of the children said that when (Sergeant Noyes) coached,
he cheered for his own team and the other team as well,'' said Madison
Elementary School Principal Pat Durgin.
In its fine editorial paying tribute to Sergeant Noyes, the
Manchester Union-Leader offered a profound insight. In the wake of the
fatal shooting of Sgt. James Noyes * * *,'' the editorial said:
Citizens should reflect on the risks faced daily by all law
enforcement officers. And when one dies in the line of duty,
it is important that we remember that ``he'' is ``we'', that
he put himself in harm's way as our surrogate so that we did
not have to do so.
Mr. President, my heart goes out to Debra, Nathan, Daniel, and
Brianna Noyes as they mourn the tragic loss of their husband and
father. I know what it is like to lose a father in the line of duty.
May God bless them as they lay to rest a good and brave man who lived a
life of service to others and who died a hero so that others might be
safe.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full Manchester
Union-Leader article be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Manchester Union-Leader Oct. 4, 1994]
Double Tragedy
acceptance does not come easily
(By Jim Finnegan)
Given the grave risks of the profession, it was inevitable
that a New Hampshire State Police officer would one day be
gunned down while performing his duty.
But what makes especially tragic Monday's shooting death of
State Police Sergeant James Noyes--the first such occurrence
in the agency's 57-year history--is the circumstances in
which it occurred.
The Madison man and other members of the SWAT team were not
trying to flush out some hardened criminal when they
approached a home at 119 Morrill Street in Gilford at 5:45
Monday morning. On the contrary, Sergeant Noyes' killer,
James Monsante, was a respected member of the community who
by all accounts was depressed to the point of complete
despair by the death of his beloved wife and apparently
seeking ways to end his own life.
Sunday night's attempt by the police to negotiate with him
had failed.
Monsante fatally shot Noyes and then died after he fired on
police officers who had tossed a gas canister into his
barricaded home. Theirs was a failed attempt to disorient the
distraught man, whose family sought to have him undergo
treatment through involuntary emergency admission to a mental
hospital.
It is the very unpredictability of domestic violence cases
that renders them so dangerous.
Sergeant Noyes, a much-respected family man and promoter of
sports in his home town of Madison, was a skilled 17-year
veteran of the SWAT team. Yet, he and his State Police
comrades had no reason to anticipate tragedy when, responding
to a request for assistance from the Gilford Police
Department, they attempted to perform inherently dangerous
duty that, to them, probably seemed almost routine.
So, what we have here obviously is a double tragedy,
attested to by the fact that SWAT team members, although
brought to tears by the loss of one of their own, embraced
the Monsante family members who offered them heartfelt
apologies.
In the wake of the fatal shooting of Sergeant James Noyes,
who wanted to live, by James Monsante, who wanted to die,
citizens should reflect on the risks faced daily by all law
enforcement officers--faced, that is, regardless of how well
they are trained. And when one dies or is injured in the line
of duty, it is important that we remember that ``he'' is
``we,'' that he put himself in harm's way as our surrogate so
that we did not have to do so.
To be sure, we all appreciate their sacrifice. But
shouldn't we make a special effort to tell them so,
individually . . . before it is too late? A simple ``thank
you'' will suffice.
Tragedies such as the one that occurred in Gilford are
almost beyond human comprehension. We are told on such
occasions that we must not forget the deceased, but that we
must accept the fact of his or her death, and that is true.
That acceptance, of course, does not come easily.
But it will come.
In the meantime, The Union Leader extends its sympathies to
the Noyes and Monsante families in this their shared time of
grief. May their departed loved ones rest in peace.
Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I will conclude by saying that today was
the funeral for James Noyes, and it is with deep sadness that I report
this to my colleagues here in the Senate and to the country. He was, as
many law enforcement officers are around the country, dedicated to his
profession, and fully prepared to accept the risks. He died much too
young.
Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the remainder of my time.
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