[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 14, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S6252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN RECOGNITION OF OFFICER KEITH P. THOMPSON

 Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, I rise today to 
congratulate Officer Keith P. Thompson of the Omaha Police Department 
on his selection as Officer of the Month for March 2003 by the National 
Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
  After receiving his initial training in law enforcement as military 
police officer in the U.S. Army, Officer Thompson joined the Omaha 
Police Department where he served the people of Omaha honorably until a 
tragic event occurred on August 28, 1996.
  On that day a stolen vehicle collided with Officer Thompson's 
cruiser. Miraculously, both he and his partner, Officer Mark Negrete, 
survived the crash. While Officer Negrete escaped with only minor 
injuries, the accident left Officer Thompson in a coma for 20 days. 
Against all odds, he survived the collision, the coma, and the surgery 
that followed, but complications left him paralyzed.
  It would have been easy for Officer Thompson to give up on his law 
enforcement career at that point. But instead, he fought back through 
months of grueling therapy, battling paralysis, memory loss, and 
difficulties with his speech.
  After rejuvenating his memory and fine motor skills, Officer Thompson 
enrolled in Goodwill's Head Injury Rehabilitation and Employment, or 
HIRE, program where he mastered computer keyboarding. Through it all, 
Officer Thompson's wife Ann and their three children believed in him 
and were at his side helping him overcome the challenges and obstacles 
that had been set in his path.
  On September 25, 1997, less than 13 months after the accident, 
Officer Thompson returned to duty at Omaha's Central Police 
Headquarters. He currently serves as the first line in nonemergency 
communications with the community as part of the Information Service 
Unit's Telephone Response Squad. He also speaks regularly to recruit 
classes about the dangers of high, speed pursuits.
  Officer Thompson serves his community every day he goes to work, but 
he also serves as an inspiration to all those who meet him or hear his 
story. He is living proof that with courage, determination, and heart, 
all obstacles can be overcome.
  I congratulate Mr. Thompson on the recognition he has deservedly 
received. It is truly an honor for him, his family, the Omaha Police 
Department, and the State of Nebraska.

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