[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           COMMEMORATING THE RETIREMENT OF CHIEF HELENA ASHBY

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                          HON. JULIAN C. DIXON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 1, 2000

  Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the March 31st 
retirement of Chief Helena Ashby, the first female Division Chief in 
the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Chief Ashby began her work 
with the Sheriff's Department in 1964 absent a role model; 36 years 
later, she is herself a role model for women and African Americans. Her 
leadership and dedication will be missed.
  During her tenure with the Sheriff's Department, Ms. Ashby has also 
commanded the Detective Division, as well as the Court Services 
Division. She spent five years as a Commander within Field Operations 
Region II and the Detective Division and has served as Captain of the 
Juvenile Investigations Bureau, Court Services West, Sybil Brand 
Institute for Women, and Personnel Bureau of the Administrative 
Division.
  Chief Ashby holds degrees from the University of Southern California 
and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is a 
graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Academy and 
the National Interagency Counterdrug Institute.
  The demands of her work in the Sheriff's Department have not 
precluded Ms. Ashby from establishing herself as a leader in the Los 
Angeles community. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Peace 
Officers Association of Los Angeles County, the Coro Foundation, and 
the Association of Independent Colleges of Southern California. Her 
contributions to the community have been recognized by the Soroptimist 
Club, the YWCA, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement 
Executives.
  Chief Ashby has said of the Sheriff's Department that ``Most of us 
leave here a better person than when we arrived.'' In Helena Ashby's 
case, her positive influence will also leave the Los Angeles County 
Sheriff's Department a better place than when she arrived.

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