[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 48 (Thursday, April 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    LENEXA, KANSAS, POLICE CHIEF ELLEN HANSON WINS POLICE EXECUTIVE 
                    RESEARCH FORUM LEADERSHIP AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2006

  Mr.  MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Lenexa, Kansas, Police Chief Ellen Hanson, who last week was given the 
Police Executive Research Forum [PERF] Leadership Award. Presented 
annually since 1984, the Leadership Award has been given to individuals 
who have made outstanding contributions to the field of law enforcement 
over the course of their careers, who exemplify the highest principles 
and standards of a true leader in policing on a national level, and 
whose efforts serve as a model to the law enforcement community. PERF 
is a DC-based nonprofit membership association committed to promoting 
innovative law enforcement practices through research and 
experimentation, management and technical assistance, training, 
publications, and advancing the national debate on public safety 
issues.
  Chief Ellen Hanson has been the Chief of Police of Lenexa since 1991, 
and her strong leadership and innovative programs have enhanced the 
entire region in several fields of police work. She initiated the Safe 
School Program that became a model throughout the Kansas City 
Metropolitan Area in the mid 90s. After the September 11, 2001, 
terrorist attacks she helped organize the Kansas City Metro Disaster 
Tactical Response Team, a multi-jurisdictional response to chemical, 
biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive threats or attacks.
  Following several officer-involved shootings in Johnson County, Chief 
Hanson developed a program called ``Officer Involved Shooting Team'' 
(OIST), made up of the most experienced commanders, investigators, and 
crime scene technicians in the county cooperating with the District 
Attorney's Office. She has also initiated a program to prevent underage 
drinking known as ``Party Patrol,'' which received national attention 
on the CBS program ``60 Minutes.''
  As PERF Board of Directors'' President and Los Angeles Chief of 
Police William Bratton noted at her awards ceremony, ``Both PERF and 
the police profession have benefited from Ellen's intense commitment to 
the continued advancement of the quality of law enforcement in this 
country. She has made outstanding contributions to PERF.''
  ``Ellen Hanson is not only well known and respected by her peers in 
Kansas, but revered by colleagues around the country as an outstanding 
police chief and role model,'' added PERF Executive Director Chuck 
Wexler. ``Her work with the Kansas City Metro Disaster Response Team is 
considered a model strategy for regional cooperation among law 
enforcement agencies.''
  Chief Hanson is also a board member of the Kansas City Metro Squad, 
another successful model of cooperation among regional law enforcement 
officials in major criminal investigations. She is an active member of 
the Metropolitan Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, has been 
involved in regional initiatives regarding racial profile training, and 
has led efforts to establish child abuse prevention centers in her 
jurisdiction.
  Chief Hanson graduated from the FBI National Academy in 1980 as one 
of the first female students, and was one of the founders of the 
National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), 
which has provided support, training and mentoring to female law 
enforcement executives since 1995.
  We are lucky to have Chief Ellen Hanson in Lenexa. Indeed, her career 
has been marked by her willingness to lead, not only her city, but our 
region, in cooperative efforts on a wide variety of law enforcement 
initiatives. I know I have certainly appreciated her work with me in 
instituting and maintaining an effective Amber Alert program in our 
two-state, multi-county area. I commend her for receiving this much-
deserved national recognition of the essential role she plays in 
maintaining public safety within the Third Congressional District of 
Kansas.

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