[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 3, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S2231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         OFFICER BRIAN ASELTON

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
young man who made the ultimate sacrifice for his community. Officer 
Brian Aselton of the East Hartford Police Department lost his life on 
January 23, 1999 when he responded to a noise complaint call that 
turned out to be anything but routine. Instead, Brian became the 
eleventh Connecticut police officer killed in the line of duty in the 
last ten years.
  This tragedy has touched the entire region; more than ten thousand 
civilians and law enforcement officials attended Brian's funeral. We 
have all tried to come to terms with the utter senselessness of his 
death. Brian was a young man at the start of a promising career with a 
supportive nucleus of family and friends. Truly, he embodied the 
determination, strength, and spirit that is such an integral part of 
our nation's history. Yet, in an instant, Brian's life and the lives of 
everyone who loved him changed forever.
  Every law enforcement officer puts his or her life on the line to 
protect citizens every day. Too often, we as civilians forget the 
dangers of the occupation and do not show these brave and dedicated 
officers the respect they deserve. Officer Aselton, killed in the line 
of duty, serves as a solemn reminder to us all of the responsibility 
borne by police officers across the state and nation. Every day, the 
men and women in uniform put their lives at risk so that we can live in 
communities where we and our families can feel safe. And unfortunately, 
it takes a tragic event like this for us to truly understand the 
dedication of these peace officers to the neighborhoods they serve.
  With the support of the East Hartford Police Department and other 
officers across the region, the Aselton family has begun the necessary 
healing process. Yet, with his loss, the town of East Hartford and the 
State of Connecticut have been diminished. At Brian's funeral, everyone 
joined together across municipal and state borders and stood together 
as a single family honoring one of our own. Now that Brian is gone, it 
is incumbent on us to maintain those bonds. Each one of us must 
recognize that we are all part of the same family and the simple things 
important to us are also the simple things important to our neighbors. 
These are the personal steps that we should take to truly honor his 
memory. If we can each devote the same commitment to these principles 
that Brian devoted to his duties as a police officer, we will, through 
our progress as a society, have made some sense out of his untimely 
death.

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