[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 26, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H2858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE HEROISM OF LT. JOSEPH P. TADE AND HIS FELLOW OFFICERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Jones] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, we live in a world where crime rates are 
rising daily, and where acts of violence against innocent people are 
escalating, at an alarming rate. It is rare when we hear of citizens 
who go above and beyond the call of duty to help their fellow man.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to give special recognition 
to one of those individuals, Lt. Joseph P. Tade, of the Elizabeth City, 
NC Police Department.
  Lieutenant Tade embodies the qualities of honor, tenacity, and 
dedication. He has recently received three national awards for acts of 
courage and valor in the line of duty. The American Police Hall of 
Fame, has awarded Lieutenant Tade two separate Silver Stars for Bravery 
and the Legion of Honor Medal.
  The Incidents, for which Lieutenant Tade earned his medals say much 
about his bravery and character.
  On October 12, 1980, then-Patrolman Tade and his partner, intervened 
when an armed man attempted to flee the scene of a robbery, at a local 
grocery store. The suspect, opened fire on an innocent bystander and on 
the officers. After unsuccessfully attempting to convince the gunman to 
surrender, the officers pursued the suspect as he fled in his car. The 
chase ended when the officers cut off the suspect's can and the suspect 
took his own life.
  Lieutenant Tade earned his second Silver Star when a routine traffic 
stop pin 1984 turned into a high speed chase that reached 95 miles per 
hour. When the chase appeared to have stopped, one of the three 
suspects aimed his gun at Tade and his partner, and then opened fire. 
Fearing for he and his partner's lives, Tade returned fire, striking 
the gunman twice. The suspects were apprehended a short time later and 
the gunman survived his wounds.
  Lieutenant Tade's actions, in April of 1995, earned him The Legion of 
Honor Medal. While attempting to separate a local male and female 
involved in a violent altercation, Tade was severely cut by the female 
who had suddenly produced a razor blade. Although bleeding profusely--
from a two inch long wound--he was still able to disarm the youth and 
take her into custody. Despite the many stitches required, Lieutenant 
Tade recovered and suffered no permanent damage.
  Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant Tade is by no means alone in deserving our 
recognition. Every day and night, in this country and abroad, hundreds 
of thousands of Federal, State and local law enforcement officers, risk 
their lives to maintain peace, uphold justice, rid our neighborhoods of 
violent criminals, and keep our children and families safe. Words alone 
seem inadequate, but I would like to express to Lieutenant Tade, and 
his fellow officers throughout American, a sincere ``Thank you'', for 
your dedication to your fellow citizens.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the entire summary of 
Lieutenant Tade's courage, be included in the Record.
  Mr. Speaker, in a world where crime rates are rising daily, where 
acts of violence against innocent people are escalating at an alarming 
rate, it is rare when we hear of citizens who go above and beyond the 
call of duty to help their fellow man. Mr. Speaker, at this time I 
would like to give special recognition to one of those individuals, Lt. 
Joseph P. Tade, of the Elizabeth City Police Department in Elizabeth 
City, NC.
  Lieutenant Tade embodies the qualities of honor, tenacity, and 
dedication. He has recently received three national awards for acts of 
bravery and heroism in the line of duty. The American Police Hall of 
Fame has awarded Lieutenant Tade two separate Silver Stars for bravery 
and the Legion of Honor Medal.
  The incidents for which Lieutenant Tade earned his medals say much 
about his bravery and character. On October 12, 1980, then-Patrolman 
Tade and his partner intervened when an armed man attempted to flee the 
scene of a robbery of a local grocery store. The suspect fired multiple 
shots at a bystander and the officers. Fearing for the lives of 
everyone in the area, the officers returned fire, including two warning 
shots in the air and shots by Tade aimed at the suspect's tires. After 
attempting to convince the gunman to surrender, the officers pursued 
the suspect as he fled in his car. The chase ended when the officers 
cut off the suspect's car and the suspect took his own life.
  Lieutenant Tade earned his second Silver Star when a routine traffic 
stop in 1984 turned into a high speed chase that reached speeds of 95 
miles per hour. At night and on patrol with a police cadet, Tade once 
again demonstrated bravery and courage in the face of danger. When the 
truck they were chasing appeared to have stopped, and the officers had 
exited their vehicle, one of the three suspects fired multiple shots at 
Tade and his partner from the truck. Once again, fearing for he and his 
partner's lives, Tade returned fire, striking the gunman twice. The 
driver of the vehicle suddenly pulled away and another chase ensued. 
After evading several road blocks, the suspects were apprehended and 
the gunman survived his wounds.
  Lieutenant Tade's actions in April 1995 earned him The Legion of 
Honor Medal. While he and his partner, Capt. W.O. Leary, were 
attempting to separate a local male and female involved in a violent 
altercation, Tade was severely cut by the female who had suddenly 
produced a razor blade. Bleeding profusely from a 2-inch cut on the 
hand, he was still able to disarm the youth and take her into custody. 
Lieutenant Tade required 10 stitches and luckily suffered no permanent 
damage.
  These are certainly not Tade's only awards. In 1980, he was named 
Outstanding Young Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Elizabeth 
City Jaycees. Throughout his career, Tade has received commendations 
from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the North Carolina State 
Bureau of Investigations, the North Carolina Division of Alcohol Law 
Enforcement, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Currituck County Sheriff's 
Office, the Edenton Police Department, in addition to countless 
interdepartmental commendations.
  Lieutenant Tade, a 20-year veteran, has a long and distinguished 
career with the Elizabeth City Police Department. He joined the 
department in 1976 and served as a cadet until 1978, when he was sworn-
in full time. He immediately became involved in criminal 
investigations, as the department had no full-time investigators. In 
1987, Tade was promoted to the rank of sergeant and became one of the 
department's first two full-time investigators. In 1989, Tade was 
promoted to the rank of lieutenant. In 1992, Tade was appointed as 
commander of the newly formed northeast regional drug task force. In 
1995, Tade was appointed supervisor of a new division within the 
department. The neighborhood interdiction team, where he continues to 
serve today. This team is a community policing and street drug 
enforcement group working mainly in high crime areas of the city.
  Over the course of his highly successful career, Lieutenant Tade has 
been involved in over 2,500 local, State and Federal drug arrests 
alone, reaching to such places as New York City, NY, and Allentown, PA. 
These arrests have resulted in record seizures of illicit drugs and 
currency, well in excess of $1.5 million. In addition, Tade has 
completed over 1300 hours of advanced law enforcement training.
  Lieutenant Tade, a resident of Elizabeth City since the age of 10, 
currently lives with his wife Janet and their 3 daughters, Summer, 
Jessica, and Jordan.
  Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant Tade is by no means alone in deserving our 
recognition. Every day and night, in this country and abroad, hundreds 
of thousands of Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers risk 
their lives to maintain peace, uphold justice, rid our streets, our 
neighborhoods and our businesses of violent criminals, and keep our 
children and families safe. To Lieutenant Tade and his fellow officers, 
I say ``thank you.''

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