[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 29, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E439-E440]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

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                       HON. STEVEN C. LaTOURETTE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 29, 2000

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to a beloved member 
of the Ashtabula County Sheriff's Department who lost his life 
Saturday, March 25, in the line of duty. The heroism of Cero Niemi is 
credited with saving the lives of at least two fellow officers. Cero 
answered the call to duty as a gunmen showered police with bullets 
following the shooting of an innocent bystander, Jefferson resident 
Walter A. Olson.
  Cero was the K-9 partner of Deputy William R. Niemi. The loyal German 
shepherd was born November 3, 1997, in Germany, and had received his 
Ohio Peace Officer Training and North American Work Dog Association 
certification in December 1999. Since that time, he had worked 
diligently for the K-9 unit at the sheriff's department, often 
assisting with felony apprehensions and drug arrests.
  Mr. Speaker, the death of K-9 Cero has deeply touched folks 
throughout Northeast Ohio, and the grieving extends beyond his partner, 
his partner's family, and the sheriff's department. Many people were 
moved by the heroic sacrifice of this dog, and folks are left to wonder 
how anyone could shoot and kill a human being and then a police dog in 
the blink of an eye. The shooting deaths of Walter Olson and K-9 Cero 
have plunged the community of Jefferson into a period of collective 
mourning.
  Mr. Speaker, Cero will be laid to rest tomorrow with full police 
honors, and officers and police K-9 units from throughout Ohio are 
expected to attend the service. Cero is the first police dog in 
Northeast Ohio to die in the line of duty in more than 20 years. I have 
asked that a United States flag be flown over the Capitol in honor of 
Cero Niemi, his partner, Deputy William Niemi, and the Ashtabula County 
Sheriff's Department.

[[Page E440]]

  Mr. Speaker, K-9 Cero is credited with saving the lives of at least 
two officers, and possibly more on this one violent morning. He died 
like any other officer in the line of duty; trying to make our streets 
and communities safe. K-9 Cero's duty and sacrifice are worthy of 
recognition, and I extend my sympathies to Deputy Niemi; his wife, 
Julie; their children, Heather, Brittany and Jonathan; and Cero's K-9 
companion, Abby.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to enter into the Record a poem 
in Cero's memory. It is by an anonymous author and captures the bond 
between officers and their K-9 partners.

                         Guardians of the Night

       Trust in me my friend for I am your comrade. I will protect 
     you with my last breath. When all others have left you and 
     the loneliness of the night closes in, I will be at your 
     side.
       Together we will conquer all obstacles, and search out 
     those who might wish harm to others. All I ask of you is 
     compassion, the caring touch of your hands. It is for you 
     that I will unselfishly give my life and spend my nights 
     unrested. Although our days together may be marked by the 
     passing of the seasons, know that each day at your side is my 
     reward.
       My days are measured by the coming and going of your 
     footsteps. I anticipate them at every opening of the door. 
     You are the voice of caring when I am ill, the voice of 
     authority when I've done wrong.
       Do not chastise me unduly for I am your right arm, the 
     sword at your side. I attempt to do only what you bid of me. 
     I seek only to please you and remain in your favor.
       Together you and I shall experience a bond only others like 
     us will understand. When outsiders see us together their envy 
     will be measured by their disdain.
       I will quietly listen to you and pass no judgment, nor will 
     your spoken words be repeated. I will remain ever silent, 
     ever vigilant, ever loyal. And when our time together is done 
     and you move on in the world, remember me with kind thoughts 
     and tales, for a time we were unbeatable, nothing passed 
     among us undetected.
       If we should meet again on another street I will gladly 
     take up your fight, I am a Police Working Dog and together we 
     are guardians of the night.

     

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