[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 167 (Thursday, October 26, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2037]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               POLICE OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY

                                 ______


                            HON. JIM RAMSTAD

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 25, 1995

  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, a few months ago I delivered a statement on 
the occasion of National Peace Officers Memorial Day, a day dedicated 
to the thousands of peace officers who have given their lives to 
protect their communities.
  I listed the names of 17 Twin Cities' area police officers who were 
killed by a gunman's bullet since 1970. These names are inscribed on 
the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, located 
just a few blocks from the Capitol.
  Two other brave Twin Cities officers--John J. O'Brien and John Harold 
Larson--are also immortalized on the memorial's walls. These two men 
also sacrificed their lives serving their communities.
  Officer John Larson died tragically on August 10, 1974, in a 
collision with a fire vehicle responding to the same emergency to which 
he had been called.
  On April 16, 1981, Officer John O'Brien was killed in an auto 
accident resulting from a high-speed chase. John's older brother Frank 
and younger brother Michael are still serving on the St. Paul police 
force.
  These two men epitomize the finest qualities of our brave men and 
women in law enforcement--dedicated to serving their communities and 
selfless in their sense of duty, putting their lives on the line daily 
for people they may never know and people who may never be able to 
think them.
  Their ultimate sacrifice will live on forever, not only on the walls 
of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, but also in the 
hearts of the people they served and the officers who served with them.
  On behalf of a grateful State and a grateful Nation, I salute these 
two brave men and the thousands like them who lay down their lives 
every day so our streets can be safer and our children have a secure 
place to grow up.

                          ____________________