[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 121 (Monday, September 25, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H7331-H7332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RODNEY JOHNSON, HOUSTON POLICE OFFICER

  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, I request permission to address the House for 5 
minutes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from Texas 
is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, Houston police officer Rodney Johnson was 
larger than life. At 6'5", 300 pounds, strangers were intimidated by 
him. But those who knew him knew a gentle giant who always did the 
right thing; and because of his honor and loyalty, he was respected and 
well-liked by fellow officers and citizens.
  He was a loving husband. He was married to a fellow HPD officer, 
Joslyn; and he was a dedicated father to three daughters and two sons. 
But those three daughters will never again run to meet their father 
when he comes home, those two sons will never play ball with their 
father, and a wife who will now face every day as a single mother. All 
because a man who made a habit of running from the law finally got 
caught.
  On Thursday, September 21, 2006, as the sun was setting in Texas, 
Officer Rodney Johnson made his last routine traffic stop. He didn't 
know the outlaw he arrested was hiding a pistol in his pants, and this 
desperado took desperate measures.
  What happened next wasn't just homicide. It was robbery, robbery of 
Officer Johnson's life, and it was stolen from him, from his family, 
and from a community that loved him. Stolen by a man who had no regard 
for the law or lawmen.
  This criminal was sitting behind Officer Johnson in that patrol car. 
He was handcuffed, but this bandit withdrew a hidden pistol and fired 
it. Even the thick plastic partition meant to protect peace officers 
couldn't survive the blast. At point-blank range, Officer Johnson was 
shot four times in the back and in the face.
  Although fatally wounded, Officer Johnson pushed an emergency 
response button alerting dispatch, ``officer down, officer down.'' And 
when his fellow officers in blue rushed to the scene, the criminal 
still had the smoking gun in his hand, and he even took another shot at 
a wrecker driver.
  The vitality, loyalty and all of the virtues that Johnson stood for 
were drained from his body; and the family and fellow officers feel 
shock and rage for his death. Other families who he protected every day 
are saddened as well.
  One neighbor says, ``It just breaks my heart. I feel so bad for his 
wife. He got up and went to work this morning, and this is what 
happened to him. This is what happened to one of the people who 
protects us, the citizens. He truly cared about us.''
  They weren't the only ones Johnson took care of. He once rushed into 
a burning building thinking not what the flames would do to him but 
only what the flames were doing to the children trapped inside.
  It was not his only heroic act. Others earned him lifesaving awards, 
and the prestigious Medal of Valor was given to him by the citizens of 
Houston.
  This native Houstonian served in the United States Army as a military 
police officer. Back in the great State of Texas, he spent several 
years as a corrections officer, as a jailer for the Texas Department of 
Criminal Justice; and, finally, in 1994, Rodney Johnson was sworn in as 
a Houston police officer.
  He would spend the next 12 years of his life protecting and serving 
the citizens of Houston, Texas, his hometown. And since 1996, Officer 
Johnson has been a well-respected member of the Southeast Houston Gang 
Task Force.
  Some say he could have been a superman because of his size with his 
commanding presence and mission to help others. He protected the 
communities and ensured justice for all.
  Sadly, his kryptonite was a downfall for our Nation. Our inability to 
shut down the borders, our inability to send illegals home and make 
sure they didn't come back.
  This criminal who shot Officer Rodney Johnson murdered him because he 
feared being deported back to Mexico again. Juan Quintero is a lawless 
illegal whose disregard for the United States and its rules started 
when he illegally set foot in American soil. He was deported once for 
indecency with a child, but he came back to finish a string of crimes. 
Having snuck back into America, he then shot an American lawman in the 
back.
  During the 25th Annual National Peace Officers Memorial service in 
June, a powerful statement was given to honor those who had fallen in 
the line of duty. I reiterate this statement. It says, ``Well served 
peace officer, may you rest in peace.''
  But I add, may our country's poorly enforced border control policies 
also rest in peace so we may never again see another family member put 
through what this family has endured because of lawless illegals who 
never should have been here in the first place.
  Officer Johnson is a role model for future officers who wear the 
badge. We wish his family the best as they mourn for their superman. 
The Houston community has poured out their hearts for his family, and 
people have started donating money to his five children.
  But our task is not complete. We must strengthen the border for his 
five

[[Page H7332]]

children and all of America's children. Peace officers, Mr. Speaker, 
are the last strand of wire in the fence between the good and the evil. 
They wear the badge with pride, and tonight the peace officers wear the 
black cloth of sacrifice against their badges.
  Mr. Speaker, God bless Officer Johnson.
  And that's just the way it is.

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