[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 67 (Thursday, May 13, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S5467]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN COMMEMORATION OF POLICE WEEK

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to the 145 law 
enforcement officers who gave their lives in service to their 
communities last year. They are true heroes, and their families are 
owed our gratitude.
  This is National Police Week. Tonight, the National Law Enforcement 
Officers Memorial Fund will host the 16th Annual Candlelight Vigil on 
the grounds of the National Law Enforcement Memorial here in 
Washington. Three hundred and sixty-two names will be added to the 
memorial tonight--145 officers who were killed in 2003, and 217 who 
were lost in prior years. Saturday, the Fraternal Order of Police will 
host the National Peace Officers' Memorial Day Service on the West 
Front of the Capitol. Together, these two events, along with other 
events throughout the city this week, should make us all pause and give 
thanks to police officers throughout the Nation who protect our 
communities against crime and terrorism.
  We lost fewer officers in the line of duty last year than we have in 
years past, and the total is well below the 230 officers killed in 
2001, when we lost 72 officers on September 11 alone. But the numbers 
of lost officers is still far too high. On average, one out of every 9 
officers is assaulted per year, one out of every 25 is injured, and one 
out of every 4,400 is killed in the line of duty annually. Police risk 
their own lives in our service each and every day, and we should keep 
these sobering statistics in mind every week, not just during police 
week.
  Law enforcement is an inherently dangerous undertaking, and police 
officers have become our front lines in the war on terror. I fear we 
are underfunding their efforts as we reorient Federal assistance to 
local law enforcement post 9/11, but that is a conversation for another 
day. Today, and this entire week, we give police officers our thanks, 
we remember those that paid the ultimate price while serving our 
communities, and we give comfort to the loved ones they have left 
behind.
  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise to recognize nine extraordinary 
individuals from my home State of Wisconsin. Each of them dedicated, 
and ultimately sacrificed, their lives to protect their fellow 
citizens.
  On Thursday, May 13, 2004, a candlelight vigil will be held at the 
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to add 362 more names to the 
memorial. Each day, law enforcement officers risk life and limb to 
serve the public. On average, 167 officers are killed each year in the 
line of duty. This memorial is a lasting tribute to these courageous 
individuals.
  Nine of the names being added today belong to law enforcement 
officers who served throughout the State of Wisconsin. For the 
sacrifices they have made on our behalf, the citizens of Wisconsin owe 
these brave individuals and their families a debt that can never be 
repaid. I would like to honor them by placing their names in the 
Record, along with the date of their untimely passing.
  They are: Harry O. Harris of St. Croix County--6/18/1904; Richard 
Meyer of Winnebago County--11/13/2003; Roland Silas Payne of Wisconsin 
Rapids--11/10/1939; Roy Sampson of La Crosse County--9/24/1952; Matt 
Schumacher of the Wisconsin Department of the Treasury--9/22/1934; 
Michael Eron Shannon of Adams County--3/7/2003; Charles Snover of 
Waukesha County--7/28/1935; Curtis Owen Starry of Viroqua--3/13/1953; 
and Bruce Allen Williams of Green Lake County--10/19/2003.
  Every day, public safety officers around the country put themselves 
in harm's way to make our communities safer. It is important that we 
honor their dedication and commitment to making our country and our 
communities a better place in which to live. That is particularly true 
of those who have lost their lives in the line of duty, but it is also 
true of those who take that risk day after day. For their commitment 
and dedication to their profession, we are forever in their debt.

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