[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 59 (Monday, May 15, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S4530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL SERVICE

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, as I speak, on the west front of the 
Capitol Building we are observing the 25th National Peace Officers 
Memorial Service. Tribute is being paid to the 155 peace officers who 
lost their lives in the line of duty last year. The President spoke 
there moments ago, and is still there expressing his sympathy to the 
families who have lost loved ones.
  It is always, each year, a solemn occasion. It is a sacred occasion. 
It reminds us of the huge sacrifices our law enforcement makes day in 
and day out on our behalf in our communities all across the country. 
Every day around the clock America's peace officers are on the front 
lines, protecting our lives, our homes, and our freedoms. On the front 
line, when we need someone to investigate a dark alley or quell a 
domestic dispute or subdue a criminal, it is these dedicated 
professionals who answer that call, who answer that need. Each time 
they take a risk, and they never know if that risk will be the last 
call they will make.
  On August 8, 2005, when Tennessee Correctional Officer Wayne Thomas 
Morgan got ready for work, he couldn't know that it would be his last 
morning to say goodbye. At 10 a.m, during a routine prisoner transfer 
at the Roane County Courthouse, he was shot and killed. Prison nurse 
Jennifer Hyatte ambushed him as he and another guard escorted her 
husband, George Hyatte, from the courthouse to a prison van. From 
behind the wheel of her SUV, Jennifer drove into the parking lot, shot 
Officer Morgan three times, and fled the scene, escaping with her 
husband in the car.
  The couple were arrested 36 hours later in Ohio. They now face trial 
on murder charges scheduled for later this year. It was an outrageous 
crime that shocked the Nation and shocked the close-knit Kingston 
community.
  A deacon and choir member of the Meadowview Baptist Church, Officer 
Morgan was well known and much loved throughout his community. His 
funeral was attended by over 1,000 people, including law enforcement 
officers from seven States and Canada.
  Bradley County Chief Deputy Bill Griffith said Officer Morgan's death 
``reminds those of us in law enforcement that we put our lives on the 
line every day.''
  Today, we echo those words as we pay tribute to our fallen heroes.
  I would like to take just a moment to recognize Tennessee's own who 
gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty last year: Officer 
Michael Keith Buckner, who served the Decherd Police Department and was 
killed in an automobile accident while returning from an investigation 
in a severe snowstorm. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
  Trooper Todd Michael Larkins, who served with the Tennessee Highway 
Patrol for 5 years, was struck and killed by a tractor trailer while 
conducting a vehicle stop. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
  Correctional Officer Wayne Thomas Morgan, who served with the 
Tennessee Department of Correction for 28 years, is survived by his 
wife, son, and daughter.
  And Officer Kay Frances Rogers, a 15-year veteran who served with the 
Murfreesboro Police Department for 4 of those years, died of injuries 
sustained in a motorcycle accident. She is survived by her mother, 
three brothers, and three sisters.
  Our hearts go out to these families, to friends and colleagues. And 
we bow our heads in recognition of their dedication, their sacrifice, 
and their courage.
  As a Senator and an American citizen, I pledge to keep working on 
behalf of our Nation's peace officers.
  In 2004, I cosponsored the Law Enforcement Safety Act, which the 
President signed into law. This legislation was the No. 1 priority for 
our Nation's law enforcement community. It is now law of the land. It 
allows current retired police officers to carry a concealed weapon in 
any of the 50 States. America now has the added security of tens of 
thousands of trained and certified law enforcement officers serving and 
protecting us across the country even into retirement.
  There are more than 800,000 law enforcement officers serving 
communities all across America, the highest number ever.
  Each of these officers is a hero. And each of these officers has a 
family who deserves our appreciation and gratitude for their service.
  May God bless the brave women and men who swear to protect and serve 
us.

                          ____________________