[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 21, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           NATIONAL CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOHN E. SWEENEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2003

  Mr. SWEENEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, as a co-chair of the 
Correctional Officers Caucus, to honor the men and women working in our 
correctional facilities. On a daily basis, correctional personnel 
perform a wide range of jobs, from the routine to the extraordinary. 
Their work often goes unnoticed, but the efforts of correctional 
officers and employees were never more apparent than on September 11, 
2001.
  Following the horrific terrorist attacks, the New York Correction 
Department immediately sent personnel to assist in rescue operations. 
Department staff controlled traffic congestion enabling emergency 
vehicles to reach Ground Zero and assisted firefighters by delivering 
fuel to needy fire trucks. They built a small ``tent city'' equipped 
with heat, electricity, telephone and fax lines to provide additional 
support services for the temporary morgue at Bellevue Hospital. The 
Department also conducted security clearances and issued thousands of 
photo ID cards to secure access to Ground Zero and other restricted 
areas.
  Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, correctional 
officers and employees were deployed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 
to assist in various rescue and recovery efforts.
  We have introduced H. Con. Res. 180 to recognize National 
Correctional Officers and Employees Week, in gratitude for the courage 
and professionalism of the New York City Correction Department in the 
face of tragedy, as well as the daily work of all correctional officers 
and employees who perform their jobs with dedication and resolve.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to honor our Nation's correctional 
officers and employees. I urge my colleagues to recognize these men and 
women by supporting this important resolution.

                          ____________________