[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 59 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H3059-H3062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO HAVE DIED IN LINE 
                                OF DUTY

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 422) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that law enforcement officers who have died in the line 
of duty should be honored, recognized, and remembered for their great 
sacrifice.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 422

       Whereas law enforcement officers work daily in communities 
     across the Nation, assisting individuals in the pursuit of 
     life, liberty, and happiness;
       Whereas law enforcement officers are, most often, the first 
     contact individuals have with their representatives of 
     government, and they perform the duties and responsibilities 
     of that important liaison role with wisdom and compassion;
       Whereas law enforcement officers are expected to perform 
     duties above and beyond those of the average person, 
     including duties such as rescuing individuals from a 
     multitude of life-threatening incidents and assisting 
     families during times of great personal sorrow;
       Whereas law enforcement officers engage in a variety of 
     tasks, from visiting with home-bound elderly citizens, 
     mediating domestic disputes, and providing counsel to 
     youngsters on our streets, to retrieving lost pets and 
     bringing a spirit of friendship and compassion to an 
     environment often lacking in these essential qualities;
       Whereas law enforcement officers daily encounter 
     individuals within our society who reject all moral values 
     and ethical codes of conduct in pursuit of criminal 
     activities;
       Whereas law enforcement officers risk their health, lives, 
     and future happiness with their families in order to 
     safeguard communities from criminal predation;
       Whereas in the course of their duties, law enforcement 
     officers may find themselves not only in harm's way, but also 
     victims of violent crime; and
       Whereas 159 law enforcement officers throughout the country 
     lost their lives in the performance of their duty in 1997, 
     and more than 14,000 men and women have made that supreme 
     sacrifice to date: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that the contributions made by law 
     enforcement officers killed in the line of duty should be 
     honored, their dedication and sacrifice recognized, and their 
     unselfish service to the Nation remembered.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. McCollum) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum).


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on the resolution being considered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, police officers who have died in the line of duty 
sacrifice not only their own lives, but the lives of their spouses, 
children, parents, and friends. In fact, the whole community suffers 
the loss when a police officer dies.
  H. Res. 422 expresses the sense of Congress that contributions made 
by law enforcement officers should be honored, and their unselfish 
service to the Nation should be remembered.
  Mr. Speaker I could not agree more, and I believe we in Congress 
should go even further. That is why on Thursday in this week, the 
Subcommittee on Crime will hold a hearing to specifically highlight 
acts of heroism and valor by police officers who engage in such acts as 
a matter of their official duties.
  Following this hearing, I expect to introduce legislation to honor 
our Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers by creating a 
national medal to recognize their acts of bravery. Mr. Speaker, many 
other countries have such a medal, and I believe the United States is 
sorely lacking in this regard.
  Our police officers are at war every day against criminal elements 
which threaten the sanctity and security of this country. A national 
medal is the least which we in Congress can do to thank them for their 
sacrifices.
  I am proud to support this resolution that is before us today, and I 
hope that many Members who support this bill will cosponsor the 
legislation produced shortly, creating the medal for public safety 
heroism by our officers.
  I must say the resolution that we are here to debate today is 
exemplary. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), my good friend who 
has been so instrumental in this, I want to commend him in bringing 
this forward.
  I think it is an exceedingly important matter for us to dedicate this 
week when we have a special law enforcement service that, every year, 
we have to honor those who have given their lives and have been slain 
in the line of duty.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to 
yield time for the proponents of H.Res. 422.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation. We have heard a 
lot of talk this year about the falling crime rate. Violent crime is 
down more than 16 percent in the past 5 years. We are very pleased with 
that, of course, across this country. This is a remarkable 
accomplishment.
  I might observe that many of us believe that the President's crime 
program and community policing have contributed to that result. But in 
the midst of celebrating, we must not forget the terrible price paid by 
the people most responsible for this achievement, police officers.
  We at the Federal level talk a lot about law enforcement, about 
crime, and about bringing down the crime rates in this country, but we 
know full well that it is not at the Federal level that we fight crime, 
not even, frankly, primarily at the State level, but the local level, 
at the municipal level.
  There were 159 police officers, Mr. Speaker, killed in the line of 
duty just last year; 159. The even worse news is this number was a huge 
increase from 1996, during which there were 116 line-of-duty 
fatalities. It is clear that it is getting more dangerous to protect 
the rights of citizens in this country.
  I believe this resolution is absolutely correct. It honors those law 
enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, who have, in 
Lincoln's word, given their last full measure of devotion to the cause 
of protecting the rest of us from harm. For that devotion, the police 
officers of this country have earned the undying gratitude of their 
fellow Americans.
  Just a few minutes ago, Mr. Speaker, we considered a bill to provide 
more bulletproof vests for officers. That is a crucial initiative, and 
I hope it will be signed into law within the month. But even with those 
vests, even with those vests, police officers will still have to walk 
out of the door each morning prepared, if necessary, to put their lives 
at risk in the name of justice, to put their lives at risk in the name 
of peace and good order, to put their lives at risk so that others of 
us might have safer schools, safer neighborhoods, safer

[[Page H3060]]

communities, safer streets, put their lives at risk so that democracy 
and freedom and justice can prevail.
  These brave men and women are true American heroes, Mr. Speaker, and 
they deserve to be recognized, not just rhetorically, but in any way 
that we can, to recognize their heroism, to recognize their absolute 
critical role in the preservation of democracy and justice and order.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is very, very simple in its wording, and 
I want to commend the sponsor and the introducer of this resolution, 
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton). Very simply, it says that this 
resolution indicates it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that the contributions made by law enforcement officers killed in the 
line of duty should be honored, their dedication and sacrifice 
recognized, and their unselfish service to the Nation remembered.
  Later this week, Mr. Speaker, the Nation's law enforcement community 
will gather from all over the country and will join us in our Nation's 
capital to remember the over 14,000 men and women in blue who have made 
the ultimate sacrifice to serve and protect.
  During the course of their ceremony, Officer Bill Glover of the 
Ashtabula City Police Department from my district and 15 officers from 
other jurisdictions will have their names solemnly added to the silent 
walls here in the Capitol. Their service is what protects the law-
abiding from the lawbreaking, and their sacrifice should be honored and 
remembered by all in any way that we possibly can. That is what makes 
H.Res. 422 so fitting and appropriate.
  When I have the opportunity to visit the Police Officers' Memorial 
here on the Capitol on an annual basis, I am often reminded of remarks 
that we wish that all of the men and women who don police officers' 
uniforms in this country could die in bed with their socks on, next to 
their loved ones, and that we would have no need of a memorial to mark 
those men and women who fall protecting us from those who are bent on 
violence and destruction.
  It is appropriate that we have that memorial. It is a solemn occasion 
that we will remember this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I would 
urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 422.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 2 minutes to 
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).
  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding 
to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I only want to make these few comments. I serve on the 
Committee on National Security and also serve on the Committee on the 
Judiciary, the Subcommittee on Crime, so I have the unique perspective 
to share a comment on this measure before the House today.
  I applaud the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) for bringing the 
measure. From a national security standpoint, we all know and 
understand the almost $250 billion we spend as a Nation to ensure that 
our peace and security is there as we live in the world. But we should 
also remember our domestic security; and that is those of whom have 
placed themselves by their own choosing in an environment that involves 
great hardship, a tremendous amount of risk, and even places themselves 
in peril.
  When I said they do that by their own choosing, they understand that 
they are serving something that is greater than themselves, and that is 
that they want to ensure that the children and those who live within 
the community do so in peace.
  They have to make judgments. At times, it would be very easy for them 
not to place themselves in a high-risk environment, but they step 
forward and place themselves in a high-risk environment knowing that 
they placed themselves at risk of even possible death and serious 
bodily injury.
  They do that to serve, I think, a higher cause, which makes their 
service to our communities, our State, and their country that of high 
honor and something that we should admire. So when I think about all of 
those that have given their life in the line of duty, I think that 
their risk and what they have done should be recognized by our country.
  So often we think about the soldiers that die on a distant 
battlefield, and we give them high honor and respect, but we should 
also give equal high honor and respect to those who serve in the 
battlefields within our communities.
  That is what we are doing here today, coming together in a bipartisan 
fashion here in the House to pause and say thank you, not only to those 
servicemen and servicewomen who are in our communities, but also to the 
families out there, the widows and their orphans.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, just to briefly comment on the last speaker's 
observations, I think he is absolutely correct. The gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) and I have participated in a brief ceremony 
earlier today in which we honored the police officers here on Capitol 
Hill who responded to the fire in Longworth and who also responded to 
the fire in the O'Neill Building.
  The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) made the observation 
that we lost 28 people in the Persian Gulf War when that Scud attack 
occurred and they were in their barracks; and we lamented that loss, 
properly so. It was a grievous loss for our country.
  As I mentioned just a little while ago, over 150 lost their lives 
last year as police officers on the streets of America. It is right and 
proper that we honor them, as we honor those who we ask to defend us 
abroad, that we equally honor those who we ask to defend us here at 
home.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as 
he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the 
distinguished chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, it has been said, and I do not want to be 
redundant, but it is difficult to not want to pay homage to the 
soldiers, the foot soldiers in the battle against crime. We honor our 
veterans on Memorial Day. We have monuments and we have parades because 
they courageously fought in a war to preserve our freedom. But a war 
had a beginning and it has an end.
  This war has no beginning and no end. It goes on daily, hourly, every 
night in our big cities and in some of our rural areas. There are 
people willing, for low pay and for not much recognition, to risk their 
lives and, of course, their families to protect civilization, protect 
society, and to protect freedom, just as the soldiers and the sailors 
and the airmen did in time of war. So we are fortunate to have people 
who are willing to risk everything to protect society and protect the 
community and to protect our way of life. So we owe them.

                              {time}  1730

  This resolution is little enough that we can do, but it is something. 
It acknowledges their sacrifice and their great contribution to our 
society. But I think we can do more, and we should try to work to make 
this country and make our communities the sort of places that they are 
defending and they are fighting for and that they have offered their 
lives for. To give one's life for a cause is about as noble and high a 
gesture as you can make. One hundred fifty-nine law officers gave their 
lives last year defending the freedom and civilization that we pride 
ourselves on.
  So they are in the finest tradition of the soldiers and the sailors 
and the airmen, only they are fighting a never-ending war, and we 
acknowledge our unpayable debt to them.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 422, 
bringing honor, recognition and remembrance for the sacrifice of law 
enforcement officers. This legislation gives these dedicated 
individuals the recognition they fully deserve on May 15,

[[Page H3061]]

1998, National Peace Officers' Memorial Day. The purpose of this bill 
is to show honor and appreciation for those fallen law enforcement 
officials who have given their lives in the line of duty. These 
individuals represent the first contact citizens often have with our 
government.
  Law enforcement officials' responsibilities include saving people 
from life-threatening situations and assisting our families during 
times of personal suffering.
  Last year, 159 law enforcement officials died in the line of duty. 
More than 66,000 officers are assaulted each year, while 24,000 are 
injured on the job. To date, 14,000 police officers have given their 
lives protecting our communities. Statistics continue to show that 
every other day another man or woman is killed while serving in a law 
enforcement capacity. This illustrates the incredible risk that these 
officers take to keep America safe.
  Law enforcement officials are consistently faced with dangerous 
situations that provide safety, direction and support in our society.
  Protection of our citizens from crime is one of our government's most 
fundamental responsibilities. Law enforcement officers provide this 
most necessary service and should be duly recognized for their actions 
above and beyond the call of duty.
  This resolution was introduced by the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Burton), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Government 
Reform and Oversight, and it will recognize and honor those law 
enforcement officials who have sacrificed their lives on the job.
  This bill gives law enforcement officials the remembrance they have 
earned by sacrificing for our Nation. As we remember those who have 
given their lives while serving their Nation in war, we should remember 
those who risk their lives each day protecting our community and 
protecting our loved ones. Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to join in 
support of this bill, which will bring honor, recognition and 
remembrance to those law enforcement officers who lost their lives.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield one minute to the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Traficant), a member of the House, but who was a former law 
enforcement officer, a sheriff himself, and knows firsthand that which 
we commemorate.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I think one of the things that Congress 
might do, other than having commemorative events and putting names on 
memorials, I personally believe and have tried to in fact encourage the 
Congress to give a legislative ear to the following initiative: The 
killing and murder of a law enforcement officer in America should 
become a Federal crime, and it should be handled in the Federal Court 
system. That is the way the Congress could best reward the men and 
women that go out and put their life on the line.
  I have offered it for years. I get a lot of legal constitutional 
mumbo-jumbo. I think it is time to do that. I am going to reintroduce 
the bill, and I would hope that everybody who is very concerned, and 
genuinely so, would take a look at making it a Federal crime to shoot, 
to kill, our law enforcement officers.
  Mr. Speaker, I support the legislation.
  Mr. LATOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, for all of the reasons stated by all of our eloquent 
colleagues here this evening, I would respectfully urge unanimous 
passage of H. Res. 422.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to give my unequivocal 
support of H. Res. 422, a resolution expressing the sense of the House 
that slain law enforcement officers should be honored. The officers of 
the law that struggle mightily against the powers that be to protect 
all of us from capricious and unchecked violence in our streets, 
against our persons and in our homes, deserve the highest of honors 
that we can give.
  These men and women are usually the only buffer that we have between 
the all too thin line of safety and danger. But the difficult burden of 
such a job, despite its many rewards, is the risks that one must take 
each and every day to fulfill one's duty. To serve in law enforcement, 
one must be prepared to look death right in the eye. And too often, no 
matter how many precautions are taken, they are simply not enough.
  We often lose some of our most valiant officers to the forces that 
they have been charged to battle against, and simply, I agree without 
reservation, that they should be remembered. Like any hero who 
sacrifices their life for others, these brave officers of the law 
should be remembered. So I support the urging of the Congress to the 
nation to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice of 
service, those who have given all that they had to all of us; the 
officers of the law that have fallen in the line of duty. Officers like 
Cuong Trinh of the Houston Police Department who was slain on April 6 
of 1997, in his parents' grocery store while trying to stop an armed 
robbery attempt. This example, unfortunately, is just one of the 160 
such incidents involving law enforcement officers in 1997, and thus, I 
urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 422, and encourage the 
formal remembrance of our nation's slain law enforcement officers.
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for 
House Resolution 422, which honors law enforcement officers killed in 
the line of duty.
  As a member of the Border Patrol for 26 years, I know the dedication 
of our nation's men and women of law enforcement. In defending our 
nation's borders, the agents I supervised were faced with numerous 
risks and dangers. With our War on Drugs, I saw how criminals became 
increasingly sophisticated and dangerous. Every day our officers face 
these dangers and do an outstanding job to protect and secure our 
communities.
  Unfortunately, however, there is a heavy price to be paid for this 
security. We honor during National Police Week those officers who were 
killed in the line of duty. These officers deserve our highest respect 
as they made the ultimate sacrifice as public servants for our well 
being.
  With this resolution we honor the memory of these officers for their 
service to our communities. We express our gratitude and offer our 
condolences to their families. As we celebrate National Police Week, 
let us remember that their sacrifices can not and must not ever be 
taken for granted or forgotten. I strongly support and encourage the 
passage of this bill.
  Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, every day in America 
police officers keep the peace in our communities. They stand as 
guardians of that line that too many thugs and hoodlums dare to cross. 
Tragically, in the line of that duty, some of these brave protectors 
are killed.
  Today we have passed legislation to provide assistance to the men and 
women out there on the job in our neighborhoods. We passed a measure to 
make it easier for communities to give their police the protection of 
bulletproof vests. We also expressed our deepest gratitude to those who 
have died and our greatest affection for the loving families left 
behind.
  As a grateful nation, we should all take a moment to remember the 
heroes in blue that have given their lives so that we may enjoy a 
little more security in ours. This week, as we observe the annual 
memorial for police officers that died on duty, there will be a number 
of services here in our nation's capital.
  Tomorrow evening, I am honored to lend my voice at a candlelight 
vigil where the names of those fallen heroes will be read. In addition 
to reading their names tomorrow, I want to take this opportunity to add 
North Carolina's fallen peace officers to the Congressional Record so 
that we may always remember their sacrifice. North Carolina is a better 
place for the efforts they made. Their names and the year they lost 
their lives are as follows: James H. Becton, February 22, 1908; Samuel 
J. Brothers, May 6, 1939; Thomas William Buck, April 3, 1963; Daniel C. 
Chason, March 2, 1907; Mark A. Conner, October 24, 1910; Charles 
Woodson Easley, August 20, 1940; Willis Jackson Genes, March 16, 1939; 
William Earl Godwin, May 22, 1997; Paul Andrew Hale, July 11, 1997; 
Willard Wayne Hathaway, July 18, 1997; David Walter Hathcock, September 
23, 1997; Melvin Duncan Livingston, November 14, 1892; Owen Lockamy, 
March 2, 1907; Lloyd E. Lowry, September 23, 1997; James Woodard 
McLaurin, March 3, 1951; Wat G. Snuggs, January 22, 1917; and Mark 
Allen Swaney, December 25, 1997.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate those 
men and women who enforce our Nation's laws.
  We are a nation of laws and protecting citizens and their property 
from crime is one of the government's most fundamental 
responsibilities. This responsibility is carried out daily by men and 
women who choose to serve their communities as law enforcement 
officers.
  Their service often involves significant hardships and difficulties, 
and tragically, some of them lose their lives while performing their 
duties.
  Since records were started in 1794, more than 14,000 law enforcement 
officers have lost their lives in the line of duty.
  Sadly, every other day another law enforcement officer is killed 
while serving in an American community.
  In 1997 alone, 159 officers were killed in the line of duty.

[[Page H3062]]

  On average, more than 66,000 officers are assaulted each year, and 
24,000 are injured.
  Law enforcement officers who have paid with their lives while 
defending their fellow citizens are fully deserving of the honor and 
recognition of the U.S. House of Representatives.
  May 15, 1998, is National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and I believe 
this resolution is a fitting tribute to those Americans who sacrificed 
their lives to uphold the rule of law.
  We as a nation can never repay the price that has been paid by police 
officers who have fallen in the line of duty while attempting to 
enforce our laws.
  We can, however, honor and recognize their supreme sacrifice and the 
great loss to their families.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hefley). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 422.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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