[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 105 (Thursday, July 22, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S8980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          U.S. CAPITOL POLICE

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, like so many of my fellow Senators, I just 
came from the memorial service that took place in Statuary Hall for the 
two police officers, Detective Gibson and Officer Chestnut, who gave 
their lives 1 year ago defending the Capitol and those of us who work 
in these hallowed Halls.
  I just got to thinking, when I was there watching all of the 
uniformed police officers standing so gallantly up on the platform, 
what a tough job these policemen have, what a terribly tough job they 
have.
  On the one hand, because of the very nature of our jobs, we have to 
be accessible; we have to expose ourselves to the public on a daily 
basis, whether it is out in the front of the Capitol or over in the 
grass or walking between offices. We have to be available and 
accessible to the public. The police officers have to let us be 
accessible. We cannot put a shield around us.
  On the other hand, it is the police officers' sworn duty to protect 
us and to keep us safe from harm.
  All police officers have a tough job in this country. I think, above 
all, the police officers who work in and around the Capitol have the 
toughest job of all because they have these two conflicting 
responsibilities--to make us accessible, to not put shields around us, 
to keep this an open, public place, to be the shrine of freedom, and, 
on the other hand, to protect us and defend us from harm.
  I just must say, I am as guilty as anyone; I never take the time to 
thank the police officers who protect us. We pass by them every day. We 
go in and out of the doors. We see them on the subway. We exchange 
pleasantries.
  I am going to make an extra special effort from now on just to say 
thank you to these police officers, the men and women who protect us 
daily in the Capitol and who, as Officers Chestnut and Gibson showed a 
year ago, are willing to lay down their lives for us. We should thank 
them every day. I do so now and will make a special effort to do so in 
the future.
  (The remarks of Mr. Harkin pertaining to the introduction of 
legislation is located in today's Record under ``Statements on 
Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

                          ____________________