[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 49 (Thursday, April 21, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE LIFE OF DETECTIVE SERGEANT JAMES ALLEN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 20, 2005

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of 
Detective Sergeant James Allen of Johnston, Rhode Island. After 
graduating from the police academy in 1978, Detective Sergeant Allen 
served on the force of the Providence Police Department for 27 years, 
until he was tragically murdered in his own police station while 
questioning a suspect on April 17, 2005.
  Detective Sergeant Allen was first and foremost a family man, and he 
leaves behind his wife Marguerite and two teenage daughters, Jennifer 
and Caitlin. In addition to his work on the police force, he held down 
a part-time job to help pay for his daughters' tuition at private 
school. He was a fixture at St. Thomas Catholic Church in his Fruit 
Hill neighborhood, where he had regularly attended services since 
fourth grade. The Reverend Francis Kayatta said, ``He was absolutely 
devoted to God and to his Catholic faith. He was absolutely devoted to 
his wife and his family. And he was absolutely devoted to the community 
that he gave his life for.''
  Detective Sergeant Allen followed his father Captain Lloyd Allen to 
the Providence Police Department. One of the longest-serving members of 
the force, James was a respected and well-liked member of the 
Department. Over the years, he had worked on some of the biggest cases 
in Rhode Island. In 1987, Allen evacuated several sleeping people from 
a burning tenement house. He received the Chiefs Award in 1989 for 
outstanding acts in the line of duty. In 2003, Detective Sergeant Allen 
played a key role in investigating a shooting at the Mount Hope Police 
Station, not far from his own office at the Providence Police Station. 
His affable demeanor, photographic memory, and attention to detail 
helped apprehend criminals and make Rhode Island a safer place to live.
  In America, one law enforcement officer is killed every 53 hours, and 
Rhode Island is not immune to this tragic statistic. Detective Sergeant 
Allen is the ninth Rhode Island officer killed in the line of duty 
since 1952, and the fourth since 1994.
  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Michael Crugnale 
and his dispatcher for Yellow Cab. Their quick thinking helped 
apprehend the suspected murderer shortly after the shooting.
  My thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues 
of Detective Sergeant Allen. Over the last quarter century, Detective 
Sergeant James Allen made a difference while protecting the people of 
Providence, and his absence will leave a large void in Rhode Island.

                          ____________________