[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 61 (Thursday, May 14, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF MILLBRAE POLICE OFFICER DAVID JOHN CHETCUTI

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 1998

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to invite my colleagues to join 
me in expressing our deepest sorrow at the devastating loss last month 
of Officer David John Chetcuti of the Millbrae, California, Police 
Department. Officer Chetcuti, who was only 43 years old, was killed on 
April 25 while aiding another officer during an exchange of gunfire 
with a heavily armed man.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing our most 
sincere condolences to his wife Gail, his three sons--David, Jr., John, 
and Rickey--and their friends and family in Millbrae and throughout the 
Bay Area. All of us have been touched by Officer Chetcuti's generosity, 
service, duty and commitment to his community.
  Last month's tragedy hangs even more heavily in our hearts this week 
as we commemorate National Police Week. President Clinton's words 
proclaiming this solemn occasion ring especially true in reflecting 
upon Officer Chetcuti: ``This week a grateful Nation pauses to honor 
the more than half a million dedicated law enforcement officers across 
our country who put their lives on the line each day to protect us. 
These courageous and dedicated men and women daily wage the timeless 
battle for right over wrong, peace over conflict, and the rule of law 
over anarchy. . . . We lean heavily on this thin blue line, and it 
never breaks.''
  Officer Chetcuti honored this truth every day of his life through his 
extraordinary commitment to protecting all of us. As Mike Parker, Chief 
of the Millbrae Police Department, so eloquently remarked, ``We lost 
Officer David J. Chetcuti when he was doing what he loved and did best, 
helping others.''
  David John Chetcuti was born in San Francisco on March 5, 1955. He 
was the youngest of seven children born to John and Lily Chetcuti. Dave 
graduated from Capuchino High School in San Bruno, and later joined the 
Millbrae Police Department as a Reserve Police Officer in November, 
1983. In April 1987, Dave was hired as a Deputy Sheriff with the 
Alameda County Sheriff's Department. He returned to the Millbrae Police 
Department in December, 1987, shortly after graduating from Alameda 
County's 91st Basic Academy.
  Throughout his distinguished eleven-year career, Officer Chetcuti 
consistently performed as an outstanding officer and leader in many 
different service capacities. In 1992, he was the first officer from 
the Millbrae Police Department to receive recognition for the highest 
number of drunk driving arrests during the ``Avoid the 23'' campaign. 
In 1995, he received the Department's Lifesaving Award for initiating 
CPR on a heart attack victim. Over the years, Officer Chetcuti received 
more than 33 written commendations and was named in countless news 
stories reporting arrests, investigations, and outstanding 
achievements.
  Mr. Speaker, 23 police officers have died in the line of duty in the 
history of San Mateo County, California. Behind each murder is a family 
grieving, a department devastated, and a community shaken. As we mourn 
Officer Chetcuti, and as we share our grief with his family, friends, 
and the people of Millbrae, I would like to pay tribute to these 22 
brave men who preceded him in making the ultimate sacrifice for the 
safety and security of all of us.
  These 22 officers are: Hugo Olazar, California Highway Patrol (1989); 
Joel M. David, East Palo Alto Police (1988); George L. Garrett, Jr., 
Redwood City Police (1981); Ralph Percival, California Highway Patrol 
(1974); Gordon Joinville, San Mateo Police (1968); Richard J. Klass, 
Daly City Police (1966); Charles Manning, Broadmoor Police (1964); Dale 
Krings, California Highway Patrol (1962); William E. Pitois, California 
Highway Patrol (1960); John W. Lyle, Menlo Park Police (1960); Eugene 
A. Doran, Hillsborough Police (1959); William Moyle, South San 
Francisco Police (1953); James Dalziel, California Highway Patrol 
(1945); Forrest Gerken, California Highway Patrol (1944); Herman G. 
Fleishman, Redwood City Police (1939); Jack Doyle, Daly City Police 
(1936); Pierre J. Larrecou, Sheriffs' Department (1927); Albert D. 
Coturri, San Bruno Police (1924); Herbert W. Lampkin, Sheriff's 
Department (1924); Arthur G. Meehan, San Bruno Police (1924); William 
Phillip McEvoy, Sheriff's Department (1897); and George Washington 
Tallman, Sheriff's Department (1988).
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to 
the courageous officers of the Millbrae Police Department and all other 
police officers across America who risk their lives every working day. 
As we mark National Police Week, let us all take a moment to honor 
them, and to remember Officer David J. Chetcuti and his selfless 
contributions to the people of Millbrae.

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