[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 40 (Tuesday, April 8, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2861-S2862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THE DEATH OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICER SCOTT WILLIAMS

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today in real sadness to 
report to my colleagues about the senseless murder last Thursday of 
Scott Williams, a decorated correctional officer at the Lompoc Federal 
Penitentiary.
  Scott was just 29 years old when he was attacked savagely by an 
inmate with a makeshift knife. The stabbing occurred during a time of 
day when inmates walk freely through Lompoc's corridors. He is the only 
officer killed in the line of duty in the prison's history. My heart 
goes out to the family Scott Williams leaves behind--to his wife, 
Kristy, and their two young daughters, Kaitlin and Kallie.
  Scott was a model officer, much admired by his colleagues at Lompoc, 
where he had been employed for only 4 years. But in those 4 years this 
young man had been promoted once and had received six awards for 
outstanding service. Scott Williams was as admired for his 
professionalism and commitment to duty as he was for his kind manner.
  Sadly, Scott's training and commitment were not enough to sustain him 
in the terrifying and deadly moments of the attack, for he was unarmed. 
Four other officers--Mark Stephenson, Marcos Marquez, Scott Ledham, and 
Scot Elliott--were injured as they rushed to his side and finally 
subdued the attacker.
  This tragic episode highlights the very real dangers that confront 
correctional officers across the country. And such incidents are on the 
rise throughout the Federal prison system. Nowhere is the record for 
attacks on guards worse than at Lompoc.
  Few of us can appreciate the perils faced daily by our correctional 
officers. The job is fraught with danger, and it takes a special person 
to come through each day with one's spirit and confidence intact. But 
Scott Williams was such a man, and now his family and friends must go 
on without him.
  I grieve for the family that is no more: for the husband and wife who 
can no longer dream of growing old together, for the young daughters 
denied

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a lifetime of their father's love and affection. I grieve for the 
people of Lompoc, and Los Alamos--Scott's hometown, still stunned and 
shocked by this murder in their midst.
  I intend to initiate some inquiries concerning the appropriate way to 
prevent such acts of senseless savagery from happening in the future. 
As a proper testament to the life of Officer Scott Williams, it is 
incumbent upon us to do no less.

                          ____________________