[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 120 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1701-E1702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN MEMORY OF HAROLD A. BREIER, FORMER MILWAUKEE CHIEF OF POLICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GERALD D. KLECZKA

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 11, 1998

  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Harold A. Breier, our 
former chief of police in Milwaukee who died Wednesday at the age of 
87. Mr. Breier's name was synonymous with law and order in Milwaukee.

[[Page E1702]]

  Many compare his stature to a rock of granite, immovable to the waves 
of controversy that sometimes washed over him. He ruled with an iron 
fist but a soft heart for those he called the good people of Milwaukee.
  Mr. Breier devoted more than 44 years to law enforcement with the 
Milwaukee Police Department. He was chief of police during some of the 
most tumultuous times in Milwaukee and was a man of action who 
disdained sitting behind a desk. He remained a tough street cop 
throughout his career and was considered a crack marksman, who shot 
three criminal suspects in the line of duty during his career. None of 
them died from their wounds.
  He climbed quickly through the ranks and was first promoted to 
detective in 1946, serving on the vice squad. After that followed 
promotions in swift succession; lieutenant in 1954, captain in 1958, 
deputy inspector in 1960, inspector of detectives in 1962 and chief of 
police on February 15, 1964, a position he would hold for more than 20 
years.
  Mr. Breier has been praised as a valued and trusted leader, a man who 
played no favorites in the enforcement of the law, and a tough guy who, 
at the same time, was very sensitive to his family and especially his 
wife.
  Mr. Breier was married to his wife Eleanore for 57 years. He courted 
her for seven years before they married. Through the years, before her 
death in May at the age of 82, Mr. Breier did much of the cooking, 
grocery shopping and house cleaning. He also cultivated flowers and 
vegetables in his backyard.
  He was a true product of the South side, a working man before his 
career in law enforcement, who held jobs as a timekeeper, an 
electrician's helper, a factory inspector and tempoary sheriff's 
deputy. He also played left tackle on the Braumeister Beers and other 
teams in an amateur football league called the West Allis Majors.
  Mr. Speaker, Harold Breier's memory is cherished by many in 
Milwaukee. We offer condolences to his daughter Suzanne and his son 
Thomas. We will miss his no-nonsense, straight shooting approach to 
life. His devotion to duty stands as an example to us all.

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