[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 121 (Tuesday, October 3, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9689-S9690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND AMERICA'S LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, two years ago this revered but relatively 
insulated complex we affectionately call Capitol Hill was rocked by a 
lone gunman who shot his way through two security checkpoints and, in a 
rampage, not only terrorized tourists and staff but took the lives of 
two dedicated U.S. Capitol Police officers who died defending them and 
the institution in which we all serve.
  As a trauma surgeon, I am used to blood and death, but it is one 
thing to treat the result of violence in a hospital; quite another to 
walk straight into its midst in a place you'd never expect. That day 
brought home not only at what great risk these dedicated police 
officers serve, but also how much we take their service--and their 
courage--for granted.
  But the U.S. Capitol Police are not the only ones who deserve our 
respect and support. Every officer, in every city and town across 
America, who walks a beat, patrols a street, intercepts a drug push, 
responds to the call of an angry neighbor or spouse, or even pulls over 
a speeding motorist, runs the same risk of death or serious injury from 
spontaneous violence that Officers Chestnut and Gibson faced that day. 
Each of those officers deserve our thanks and admiration, but most of 
all, they deserve our support.
  That is why I have consistently fought for more Federal block grant 
funds for local police departments, as well as the flexibility to use 
those funds wherever they're needed most--not just to hire more police 
officers, but to purchase the equipment or training they need to 
protect not only the lives of our citizens--which they are more than 
willing to do--but their own lives as well.
  Three weeks ago, I had the honor of meeting with the Board of the 
Memphis Police Association in Memphis, Tennessee--a hard-working group 
of law enforcement officials who represent the 1,800 police men and 
women who respond to over 800,000 calls annually, protecting lives and 
property in Tennessee's largest city.
  As always, they offered many constructive suggestions about how 
Congress might address a variety of law enforcement issues, including 
the issues of recruitment and quality of life. As the people who man 
the front lines in the war against crime and see first-hand the 
challenge that faces all of us, their perspective is invaluable, and I 
hope to translate some of their ideas into legislation for the Senate's 
consideration next year.
  One of the advantages of being a U.S. Senator is the opportunity to 
undergo

[[Page S9690]]

extraordinary experiences one would otherwise never have. Getting to 
spend time with the men and women who have made law enforcement their 
life's work--the officers, the sheriffs, and others--is one such 
extraordinary experience, and it always humbles me to witness their 
courage and dedication up close. They work long hours away from their 
families, often at great personal risk, and endure low salaries and 
years of stress at work and at home to make our lives safer and easier. 
And I, for one, wish to acknowledge the men and women of the Memphis 
Police Department, and all law enforcement personnel in Tennessee and 
across America, for the selfless work they do.
  We who work every day in this symbol of democracy are fortunate, 
because we get to know the men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police on 
a personal basis. We greet them every day, we witness their dedication 
to duty, they inquire after us and our families, they become our 
friends. Long after Officers Gibson and Chestnut were laid to rest, we 
remember still their warmth and their many kindnesses, their lives and 
their heroic sacrifice. Unfortunately, other officers with just as much 
courage and dedication to duty are not known by the people they 
protect. But that does not mean they should be appreciated any less.
  And it is not just the people of their communities who should 
appreciate them. As the representatives of those people in Washington, 
we also must recognize America's police men and women for what they 
are--American heros--and do whatever we can to support their efforts on 
our behalf.

                          ____________________