[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 67 (Thursday, May 19, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5526-S5527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL POLICE WEEK 2005
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Shortly after noon on Wednesday May 11, I was
presiding over the Senate when the entire Capitol complex was evacuated
in response to the threat of an airplane in restricted airspace. The
officers of the United States Capitol Police reacted quickly and
evacuated the Capitol in record time, moving my colleagues, our staffs,
the press corps and our visitors to safe locations.
I cannot say enough about the men and women of our United States
Capitol Police. One of their slogans, ``You elect them . . . we protect
them,'' accurately describes the mission of this highly professional
force which was formed in 1828. That mission, simply stated, is to
protect democracy's greatest symbol, the United States Capitol, the
people who work here, and its owners, the American people, who visit
our offices.
When the Senate returned to its work, our leaders took the floor to
express our collective appreciation to the U.S. Capitol Police. Senator
Reid closed his statement with these touching words, ``Every day, we
see them standing around doors, and they don't appear to be working
real hard, but it is on days such as this that they earn their pay over
and over again.'' Senator Reid would know something about this because
of all of the things on his rather impressive resume, I understand that
he is proudest of his service as a member of the U.S. Capitol Police.
It is no small irony that the skills of our U.S. Capitol Police
Officers would be put to the test at the very moment that surviving
family members of fallen police officers from around the Nation were
arriving in Washington, DC, for the annual candlelight vigil at the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and then for Peace Officers
Memorial Day services at the west front of the Capitol.
At this time of year, it is appropriate not only to reflect on the
professionalism of today's U.S. Capitol Police Officers, but also on
three who have fallen in the line of duty. I am referring to Jacob John
Chestnut, who was fatally shot while tending one of those checkpoints
that Senator Reid referred to, by an armed assailant intent upon
entering the Capitol. I am also referring to John M. Gibson who was
fatally shot by the same individual while protecting the life of one of
our colleagues from that assailant.
And let us also not forget Christopher Eney, a U.S. Capitol Police
Officer who gave his life while participating in a training exercise in
1984. I understand that he was participating in the type of intense
training that would have proven very helpful on Wednesday, May 11.
Their names are all inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers'
Memorial on Judiciary Square. The headquarters of the U.S. Capitol
Police is named in the honor of each of them.
This is the third consecutive year that I have spoken in honor of the
men and women in law enforcement who have lost their lives in the line
of duty. This year, the names of 415 law enforcement officers have been
inscribed on the memorial; 153 of these brave men and women lost their
lives in 2004. The remainder lost their lives in other years--some
generations before the memorial was created.
In 2004 Alaska did not lose a law enforcement officer in the line of
duty. This year, no Alaskans have been added to the National Law
Enforcement Officers Memorial and for this we are grateful.
During National Police Week we are reminded that the 17,000 people
whose names are engraved on the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial were
heroes not for the way they died but for the way they lived. It was
Vivian Eney, the surviving spouse of U.S. Capitol Police Officer
Christopher Eney, who coined that phrase.
For 51 weeks a year the stories behind those 17,000 names are known
to family members and law enforcement colleagues. But during National
Police Week the memorial comes alive as surviving family members and
department colleagues decorate the memorial with shoulder patches,
photographs, stories and poems. Ultimately this material will be
available to the public 365 days a year at a museum that the Congress
authorized to be constructed on Federal land in 2000.
The museum will be developed, constructed, owned and operated by the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund--the same nonprofit
organization that built and now oversees the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial. Construction is expected to commence in 2007 and the
opening is slated for 2009.
The museum will replace a one room memorial visitor center in the
storefront of a downtown office building and will educate millions of
visitors about the tremendous contributions our law enforcement
officers have made throughout our Nation's history. It is a worthy
addition to the memorial and a project worthy of support by our
colleagues and the Nation.
During the annual Police Week observance thousands of survivors of
fallen law enforcement officers return to Washington, D.C., for the
annual conference of the support group Concerns of Police Survivors. I
was proud to welcome to my office the surviving family members of Kenai
Police Department Officer John Patrick Watson whose name was inscribed
on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 2004.
Laurie Heck Huckeba, the widow of fallen Alaska State Trooper Bruce
Heck, who gave his life on January 10, 1997, has returned to our
Nation's Capital in her role as Pacific Region Trustee of Concerns of
Police Survivors. She could not come to Capitol Hill to visit with me
because she was busy conducting orientation sessions for the survivors
of fallen law enforcement officers who are attending the Concerns of
Police Survivors meetings in Alexandria, VA for the first time. It was
not so long ago that Laurie was attending her first survivors'
conference and now she is helping other survivors rebuild their lives.
Laurie was raised in Glennallen, AK. Although Laurie has relocated from
Alaska to the Bakersfield, CA area, it is clear to me that the Alaskan
spirit of giving and sharing still burns strong within her. Thank you,
Laurie.
Mayor Steve Thompson of the City of Fairbanks has sent a wreath to be
displayed at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in memory
of Patrol Officer John Kevin Lamm who gave his life on January 1, 1998.
Thank you, Mayor Thompson.
The names of 42 Alaskans appear on the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial. During National Police Week, which officially begins
on May 15 and concludes on May 21 we will reflect on the contributions
of each of these heroes here in Washington and in ceremonies in my
State of Alaska.
To their colleagues in law enforcement and to the surviving members
of these 41 Alaskans and to the family, friends and colleagues of the
17,000 men and women whose names appear on the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial, let us remember during this National Police Week
that ``Heroes Live Forever.''
In valor there is hope.
I ask unanimous consent that the names of these 42 individuals, their
agencies and the date upon which each of their watches ended be printed
in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Alaskans Inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
Richard J. Adair, Juneau Police Department, August 17, 1979
Doris Wayne Barber, Sitka Police Department, July 28, 1960
Gordon Brewster Bartell, Kodiak Police Department, January
15, 1983
Robert Lee Bittick, Alaska State Troopers, October 11, 1994
Leroy Garvin Bohuslov, Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, March
5, 1964
Larry Robert Carr, Alaska State Troopers, December 11, 1974
Ignatius John Charlie, Alakanuk Police Department, May 10,
1985
Roland Edgar Chevalier, Jr., Alaska State Troopers, April
3, 1982
Dennis Finbar Cronin, Alaska State Troopers, February 18,
1974
Thomas Clifford Dillon, Bethel Police Department, November
19, 1972
Donald Thomas Dull, Juneau Police Department, October 19,
1964
Troy Lynn Duncan, Alaska State Troopers, May 19, 1984
Johnathan Paul Flora, Anchorage Police Department,
September 8, 1975
Harry Biddington Hanson, Jr., Anchorage Police Department,
July 17, 1986
Bruce A. Heck, Alaska State Troopers, January 10, 1997
James C. Hesterberg, Alaska Department of Corrections,
November 19, 2002
Earl Ray Hoggard, Ketchikan Police Department, March 30,
1974
[[Page S5527]]
Anthony Crawford Jones, Dillingham Police Department,
February 12, 1992
Harry C. Kavanaugh, Anchorage Police Department, January 3,
1924
Jimmy Earl Kennedy, Juneau Police Department, April 17,
1979
Harry Edward Kier, Anchorage Police Department, October 28,
1980
John Kevin Lamm, Fairbanks Police Department, January 1,
1998
Richard I. Luht, Jr. Internal Revenue Service, January 31,
1999
Alvin G. Miller, Fairbanks Police Department, November 2,
1908
Louie Gordon Mizelle, Anchorage Police Department, June 6,
1989
James A. Moen, Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection, June
25, 2001
Kenneth G. Nauska, Craig Police Department, January 30,
1966
Thomas P. O'Hara, National Park Service, December 20, 2002
Karl William Reishus, Juneau Police Department, May 4, 1992
Frank Stuart Rodman, Alaska State Troopers, December 11,
1974
Hans-Peter L. Roelle, Alaska State Troopers, November 24,
2001
James Arland Rowland, Jr., Palmer Police Department, May
15, 1999
Dan Richard Seely, Anchorage Police Department, October 26,
1996
John David Stimson, Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection,
January 14, 1983
Benjamin Franklin Strong, Anchorage Police Department,
January 4, 1968
John J. Sturgus, Anchorage Police Department, February 20,
1921
Claude Everett Swackhammer, Alaska Department of Public
Safety, October 11, 1994
John Patrick Watson, Kenai Police Department, December 25,
2003
Charles H. Wiley, Seward Police Department, October 4, 1917
Gary George Wohfeil, Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, March
5, 1964
Justin Todd Wollam, Anchorage Police Department, July 9,
2001
Ronald Eugene Zimin, South Nannek Village Public Safety
Officer, October 21, 1986
Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I rise today to say a few words in honor
of our country's many dedicated law enforcement officers, and to thank
them for their ongoing efforts to keep our families and communities
safe. As my colleagues know, May 15 is National Peace Officers Memorial
Day, and the week that follows marks National Police Week. Throughout
this week, the United States honors the courage, devotion, and
sacrifice of law enforcement officers from across the Nation, and
recognizes their invaluable contributions to the well-being of our
country.
First observed in 1962, National Police Week also provides us with an
important opportunity to remember those we have lost in the line of
duty. One hundred and fifty-three law enforcement officers lost their
lives while serving in 2004, including three from my home State. Last
month, their names were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers
Memorial, offering a stark reminder of the sacrifice all law
enforcement personnel stand prepared to make to protect the citizens
they serve.
Sadly, Senior Boarder Patrol Agent Jeremy Wilson of Ferndale, Officer
James G. Lewis of the Tacoma Police Department, and Sergeant Brad
Crawford of the Clark County Sheriff's Department all lost their lives
in the line of duty during 2004. The outpouring of community support
that accompanied each loss underscores the immense appreciation and
compassion felt by Americans for those ready to help in a time of need.
I would like to join with my fellow Washingtonians and take a moment to
pay tribute to Agent Wilson, Officer Lewis, and Sergeant Crawford for
their generous spirit and tireless devotion to duty. By sharing a
little bit about each of these officers with you, I hope to help honor
their sacrifice.
Currently, there are over 10,000 Federal law enforcement officers
deployed along our country's borders. The deserts, wilderness, and
rivers that line many of our Nation's edges often present these agents
with extreme and trying conditions that can sometimes lead to tragedy.
On Sunday, September 19, 2004, Senior Border Patrol Agent Jeremy Wilson
fell overboard during a patrol on the Rio Grande near Los Indios, TX.
Soon after, the patrol boat capsized, sending the boat's captain and
another officer, Agent Travis Attaway, into the turbulent, storm-fed
river. A second border patrol boat was able to rescue the boat's
captain, but Agents Wilson and Attaway were lost. Agent Wilson, a third
generation Border Patrol Agent from Ferndale, WA, was 29 years old. His
passing leaves a reminder of the dangers faced by officers who spend
each day navigating extreme conditions on our Nation's frontiers.
Often, the randomness and chance surrounding a loss of life makes the
event difficult to understand. Routine actions, preformed hundreds of
times, can, without warning, end tragically. On Tuesday, April 27,
2004, Officer James G. Lewis, a 19-year veteran of Tacoma Police
Department, lost his life when his motorcycle collided with a car that
pulled in front of him as he rushed to help a fellow officer who had
requested back-up. Officer Lewis was 45 years old. He was a member of
Tacoma Pierce County Search & Rescue, and had served as a police
officer in the Marine Corps. He is survived by his wife and son. He
will be remembered for his willingness to help others and his readiness
to put their needs before his own.
While our Nation's police officers spend each day working to limit
violence, a call for help can sometimes lead to an outbreak of what law
enforcement works so hard to prevent. On Friday, July 30, 2004,
Sergeant Brad Crawford of the Clark County Sheriff's Department was
killed when his patrol car was intentionally rammed by a truck fleeing
the scene of a standoff. Sergeant Crawford was 49 years old. He had
served as a law enforcement officer for over two decades and had been
with the Clark County Sheriff's Department for 8 years. He is survived
by his wife, five children, and three grandchildren.
The untimely and unnecessary loss of Agent Wilson, Officer Lewis, and
Sergeant Crawford reminds us of the immense challenges that law
enforcement officers face on a daily basis. They will each be
remembered for their dedication and their desire to serve and help
others. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this
difficult time.
National Police week is a time to remember those we have lost and
thank those who continue to serve. However, our gratitude extends far
beyond this one week. Local, State, and Federal law enforcement stand
ready at every hour, and their unending courage and sense of duty
represents the very best of America. On behalf of the citizens of
Washington State, I offer my thanks to the men and women who wake up
every day, put on a uniform, and set out to make our country an even
better place.
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