[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 12, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RODNEY ALEXANDER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 2004

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the spirit of National 
Police Week to honor the 870,000 law enforcement officers who enforce 
our laws by risking their lives, and to remember the 145 officers who 
sacrificed their lives for our defense in 2003.
  This week, law enforcement officers will gather with the families of 
officers killed in the line of duty to honor the commitment of our 
Nation's police forces and to remember those they have lost. Just as 
our soldiers are called to protect our interests overseas, we depend on 
our police forces to protect our freedoms, secure our communities and 
keep us safe and free from fear.
  In this Chamber, we debate and pass laws to govern our country, to 
provide for the safety of our citizens. The laws we make are 
ineffectual without the selfless dedication of our police forces. 
Throughout history, these men and women have demonstrated strength and 
valor in protection and service on every level from local to national. 
From the routine task of guarding our neighborhoods to answering the 
call from terror on September 11, it is obvious that these men and 
women are heroes everyday.
  It is with sadness that I recognize two heroes from my district. 
Patrolman First Class David Ezernack and Patrolman Jeremy Carruth were 
serving a routine search warrant on February 20, 2003, an attempted 
arrest that wounded three officers and cost Patrolmen Ezernack and 
Carruth their lives. Their families and friends, and several officers 
of the Alexandria Police Department, are in Washington this week to 
participate in the Candlelight Vigil and to see the names of these two 
officers unveiled at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. We 
will never adequately express our gratitude, and our sympathies, to the 
sacrifice of these two officers.
  I stand in this Chamber grateful to all law enforcement officers, but 
also to give special recognition to officers who are especially 
challenged, serving in our Nation's rural areas. Though violent crime 
rates are lower in rural areas, these incidences are not decreasing 
over the years as rapidly as violent crime rates in urban areas. Most 
of the victims of violent crimes in rural areas are assaulted in their 
own homes, by people they know--friends, neighbors, family members--a 
setting more prevalent than in large cities. David Ezernack and Jeremy 
Carruth served a rural area, and their beat was no less dangerous than 
a street in a large city.
  Congress has continued to afford law enforcement officers with 
advancements in resources, such as bulletproof vests and enhanced 
technology. We must continue our commitment to providing our police 
forces with the best training and protection, and recognize the 
additional resources that may be necessary for the security of rural 
areas.
  This week, let us extend to these men and women our profound 
gratitude, for their exhibitions of bravery and the sacrifices they are 
called to make, and our sympathies to their families. As these noble 
men and women sacrifice for a pledge to protect and to serve, it is our 
duty to honor them, past, present and future, to the highest degree.

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