[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 68 (Thursday, May 17, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING DEDICATION AND SACRIFICES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2001

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 
116, a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives 
that a Peace Officers Memorial Day should be established to honor law 
enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. This 
resolution also calls upon the citizens of the United States to 
commemorate and pay homage to these officers with appropriate 
ceremonies of appreciation and remembrance as well as respect for the 
sacrifices they have made while protecting and serving our communities 
and our country.
  As someone who spent twenty six and a half years as a law enforcement 
officer, I realize how important it is to recognize the men and women 
who stand in the line of fire everyday and protect our cities and our 
neighborhoods. The establishment of a Peace Officers Memorial Day will 
ensure that everyone in this country recognizes the service given to us 
by our law enforcement community. Most of us can imagine such a day to 
include the flying of flags of tribute; the attendance of memorial 
services for fallen officers; the embraces given by family members, 
some to comfort and some to express gratitude; many will offer their 
thanks in knowing that our streets are safer since they are being 
watched by men and women brave enough to carry the badge of a law 
enforcement officer. The time has come to declare such a day of 
commemoration.
  Twenty-two police officers from my district of El Paso, Texas who 
were killed in the line of duty will be remembered at the El Paso 
Police Memorial Service to be held on Wednesday, May 16, 2001. The 
dates of their service range from the late 19th century to the present. 
Proud public servants such as Assistant City Marshal Thomas Mode who 
was killed on July 11, 1883 while answering a report of disturbing the 
peace; Officer Newton Stewart who died on February 17, 1900 during a 
jailbreak; Officer William Paschall who was killed by suspected 
burglars on the night of December 4, 1914; Detective Guillermo Sanchez, 
a two-year veteran of the El Paso Police Department and father-to-be 
who was killed by burglars on December 14, 1957; and Officers Arthur 
Lavender and Roger Hamilton who both died in traffic accidents 
respectively in 1966 and 1970. These officers will forever be 
remembered within the El Paso law enforcement community. These men 
served their community proudly, and I ask that they receive the 
recognition and respect they deserve by granting them a national day of 
remembrance.
  Finally, I am reminded of one of the most honored monuments that 
rests in our Nation's capital. The National Law Enforcement Officers 
Memorial, which has inscribed on its marble walls the names of more 
than 14,000 officers who have been killed in the line of duty, dating 
back to the first known death in 1794, contains an inscription that 
captures the spirit of all who are blessed upon seeing this Memorial. 
It reads: ``In Valor, There is Hope.'' May that hope live on forever, 
and continue along with the memory of every officer etched on that 
wall.

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