[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 57 (Thursday, April 29, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4681-S4682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO SLAIN CALIFORNIA LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, three law enforcement officers in the 
State of California have been murdered in the past three weeks in gang-
related slayings. And a fourth was killed in February.
  I come to the floor to pay tribute to these brave officers and 
discuss the perils police face every day, especially from gang members 
armed with high-powered assault weapons and other guns.
  Late Saturday night, April 10, one of San Francisco's finest young 
police officers, Officer Isaac Espinoza, was shot and killed.
  Officer Espinoza was gunned down with an assault weapon, an AK-47, 
taking three shots in the back as the gunman fired 15 rounds in just 
seconds. Officer Espinoza and his partner, who was also shot, had no 
time to seek refuge. The suspect in the shootings is a known gang 
member.
  Officer Espinoza, at 29 years of age, was a distinguished police 
officer, one of the Department's bright young stars who worked in one 
of the City's toughest areas.
  In fact, Officer Espinoza received three major service awards in his 
eight years with the Department including: the Silver Medal of Valor 
for his bravery in a shoot-out that occurred on October, 20, 2000; the 
Purple Heart for injuries sustained in a foot pursuit as he and his 
partner attempted to make a drug arrest on May 5, 2002; and the Police 
Commission Commendation for his work to reduce crime in the Bayview 
neighborhood.
  He was also recognized as Patrol Officer of the Month by the Captain 
of the Bayview Police Station in June 2003.
  Officer Espinoza also served as a new board member of the Police 
Officers Association. He was Assistant Commissioner of the softball 
league. And he planned to take the next Sergeant's exam.
  His death is a great loss to the Department and to the City. It is a 
particularly great loss to his wife and 3-year-old daughter.
  On April 15, Merced Police Officer Stephan Gray was shot and killed 
when a suspect he was chasing on foot turned around and fired two 
bullets into his chest.
  Officer Gray, 34 years of age, worked in the Merced Police 
Department's gang violence unit, working with some of his community's 
most dangerous offenders. In fact, the suspect in his killing is a gang 
member with whom he is believed to have had previous encounters.
  Officer Gray had served with the Merced Police Department for seven 
years. And in those seven years of service, he earned the admiration of 
his colleagues and once received a commendation for resuscitating an 
11-month old baby.
  Being a police officer was not just a job for Officer Gray, it was a 
way for him to change the world. He not only patrolled the streets, but 
he went out and got to know the neighborhood children in the 
communities he served. He shot baskets with the kids and, drawing on 
his days as a high school track star, taught them how to sprint.
  He was admired by his friends and neighbors for his loyalty to the 
police department, but also his devotion to his family.
  Officer Gray was a true pillar of his community. He is survived by 
his wife and three children, ages 13, 5, and 3.
  California Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Steiner, 35 years old, was 
murdered April 21 in a drive-by shooting in broad daylight. Officer 
Steiner had just walked out of the Pomona courthouse after testifying 
on a series of traffic cases when a 16-year-old shot him three times 
with a handgun, hitting him once in the head.
  According to Pomona Police Chief James Lewis, the teenager charged 
with the shooting did not know Officer Steiner, but was merely intent 
on ``killing a cop.''
  Apparently, the 16-year-old wanted to kill a cop in an attempt to 
prove himself to a Pomona street gang.
  Officer Steiner had been a member of the California Highway Patrol 
since 1999. His colleagues described him as a positive influence on the 
police force, the kind of guy who never had anything bad to say about 
anyone.
  On top of being a well-respected cop, he was an excellent marksman 
and an avid sports fan. Officer Steiner is survived by his wife, his 
13-year-old stepson, and his three-year old son.
  These three killings occurred in an 11-day period in April. They are 
but the latest deaths to report.
  Two months ago, Los Angeles Police Officer Ricardo Lizzaraga was 
killed while responding to a domestic violence call.
  At the apartment where the call originated, Officer Lizarraga 
confronted a man. Within seconds, the individual drew a gun and shot 
Lizarraga twice in the back as he and his fellow officers fled from the 
apartment. The suspect in the shooting was a known gang member.
  Officer Lizarraga, 31, had served two-and-a half years on the force. 
In that time, he quickly became a well-respected police officer known 
for his strong work ethic and great attention to detail.
  He was viewed as a gentle giant by his colleagues, friends and 
family. Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton described him as the 
``face of Los Angeles.''
  Officer Lizarraga is survived by his wife Joyce.
  These stories are chilling. They remind us that even those charged 
with protecting us are vulnerable. They reveal a segment of society 
that is utterly lawless, unbound by any code of decency.
  And sadly, they are just a few of the stories that we will tell this 
year of cops being killed in the line of duty.
  These tragic deaths are sure to continue because we have not done 
enough to stem the availability of guns nor curb the viciousness of 
gangs.
  This body knows well that the assault weapons ban is on the verge of 
expiration. However, what this Congress has failed to recognize is that 
if we allow assault weapons to be more freely available, law 
enforcement officers will be in even greater danger.
  Around 70 officers are killed each year by criminals. And, according 
to a study by the Violence Policy Center, 1 in 5 law enforcement 
officers killed between 1998 and 2001 were shot with assault weapons. 
Now, police officers in San Francisco and other cities are exploring 
whether to equip officers with military-style assault rifles and 
Kevlar-plated vests.
  And that's why nearly every law enforcement organization in the 
country supports renewing the ban on assault weapons--they know that 
the lives of their officers are at risk.
  The expiration of the ban would mean that assault weapons like the 
one used to kill Officer Isaac Espinoza will be easier to obtain 
whether at the nearest gun shop, sporting goods store or in someone's 
home.
  The easier it is for criminals to get their hands on these weapons, 
the easier it will be for them to terrorize communities.
  To honor the many law enforcement officers who have given their lives 
in

[[Page S4682]]

service to their communities, we must renew the assault weapons ban 
before it expires on September 13.
  But there is much more that we need to do to make communities and 
cops safer in America. In particular, we must check the rampant gang 
violence that plagues our city streets and, increasingly, our suburbs 
and rural communities.
  Gang violence used to be a local problem, demanding local solutions. 
But over the last 12 years, since I have been in the Senate, I have 
seen this problem spread from isolated neighborhoods to communities 
across this country.
  Gangs have become more sophisticated and more violent criminal 
enterprises. What were once loosely-organized groups centered around 
dealing drugs within a particular neighborhood are now complex criminal 
organizations whose activities include weapons trafficking, gambling, 
smuggling, robbery, and, of course, homicide.
  In 2002, over half of the 1,228 homicides committed in Los Angeles 
County were gang-related. Similarly, over half of the 499 murders 
committed in the city of Los Angeles during 2003 were the result of 
gang violence.
  The reach of gangs, however, extends far beyond Southern California.
  In fact, Los Angeles serves as a ``source city'' whose gang members 
migrate to other communities across the country and set up new criminal 
entities. One such operation, the L.A.-based 18th Street Gang, is known 
to have initiated gang activities all over California, in Southwest 
border and Pacific Northwest states, and in East Coast states including 
New Jersey and New York.
  Today's gangs are more sophisticated, more violent, and more numerous 
than they were 12 years ago. And that is why we need a strong federal 
response.
  I have introduced legislation with Senator Hatch that will give law 
enforcement and local communities the tools to deal with gang violence.
  Our legislation: Creates new federal crimes to enable prosecutors to 
target violent gang members; makes changes to current law to allow for 
effective prosecution for violent street gang crimes; authorizes $650 
million for law enforcement and community groups for suppression, 
prevention, and intervention programs.
  This bill gives us an opportunity to do something about the gang 
violence that beleaguers our communities and endangers our cops. We owe 
it to these fine officers who were killed so viciously to do what we 
can to prevent more violence by gangs.
  If we fail to act on both these measures, I am sad to say that I will 
be back here before long telling the story of some other fine law 
enforcement officer who is patrolling the streets of one of our 
communities right now. We must do everything possible to prevent these 
killings from happening over and over again.

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