[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2149-E2150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            LT. LAWRENCE GARLOCK: STAFF OFFICER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006

  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, one of the noblest professions is that of a law 
enforcement officer. The brave men and women who wear the badge of 
honor do so with a desire to protect and serve their communities. Day 
to day, law officers are thrust into dangerous situations, keeping the 
honest citizens safe from the outlaws of society. They perform their 
jobs with little recognition or thanks from the public, just the 
knowledge that they are making a difference.
  Although the public may not always pay law enforcement officers the 
recognitions they deserve, their colleagues do. One of the highest 
recognitions a law officer can receive is to be named Law Officer of 
the Year. The honor signifies that the individual law officer is best 
of the department--the officer whose dedication to the profession 
surpasses his or her colleagues. Lt. Lawrence Garlock, with the Allen 
County, Ohio Sheriff's Department, is one such lawman.
  For Lawrence, or Larry as he is more familiarly known, serving one's 
community as a law enforcement officer is a family tradition. A native 
of Lima, Ohio, Larry grew up with the influences of his father, Joseph, 
a Lima Police Officer, and his Uncle Tom, an Ohio State Highway 
Trooper. Those role models influenced Larry to join the Allen County 
Sheriff's Department in 1976.
  Larry is not the only second generation law officer in his family. 
His older brother, Greg, currently serves as Chief of the Lima Police 
Department, and a Department. He also has a nephew, Jason, who is a 
Lima Police Officer. Larry even met his wife, Catherine, while they 
were both deputy sheriffs. Larry has had an impressive career with the 
Allen County Sheriff's Department. From 1979 to 1983, he was assigned 
to work the Department's Crime Prevention Unit. While serving in this 
unit, Larry was promoted to Identification Officer, with the rank of 
Detective, in 1981. In 1990, Larry was promoted to Sergeant, and then 
in 2001, he saw his rank change. He was made Special Sergeant in Charge 
of the Crime Scene Identification Unit. The following year, he was 
awarded the rank of Lieutenant. After nearly 24 years of going to crime 
scenes, collecting evidence, and maintaining a standard of excellence 
in the Identification Unit, Larry was transferred to the Detective 
Bureau, in 2005, and placed second in command.
  In October 2006, Larry celebrated 30 years with the Allen County 
Sheriff's Department. There are only two other individuals in the 
entire department who have been there longer. Larry also has had the 
distinction of serving under three different sheriffs. Larry's service 
to his profession made him the ideal recipient for the Allen County 
Sheriff's Office Staff Officer of the Year.
  The Staff Officer of the Year is an award given out to the sheriff's 
deputy who has made a positive impact on the community, works to 
maintain the efficiency of the office, and demonstrates an outstanding 
measure of professionalism in his or her work. Basically the award is 
bestowed on the deputy who takes utmost pride and seriousness in 
upholding his or her position.
  The award of Staff Officer of the Year was a tradition that the 
Sheriff's Department upheld every year. Nominations for the award were 
submitted to the selection committee, and then a banquet was held for 
the awardee. In 2002, however, the Department was facing a financial 
crisis. Expecting to have to layoff 37 sheriff deputies, the Sheriff 
cancelled the award. He could not justify spending money on an award 
banquet if 37 deputies were losing their jobs.
  In 2006, Larry sent a letter to the Sheriff, requesting for the 
reinstatement of the award. In the letter, he stated that the award 
would benefit morale of the deputies to be honored by their peers. The 
Sheriff agreed, and reinstated the award. The selection committee then 
decided to back-award deserving deputies with the awards, from the 
previously missing years.
  Unbeknownst to Larry, he was nominated for the 2003 Staff Officer of 
the Year. His nomination was due not only to his professionalism while 
serving as a sheriff's deputy, but for his attention to detail 
regarding evidence logged in with the Identification Bureau. Larry 
demanded that evidence be collected to the letter of the law. His 
demand for excellence made it nearly impossible for the evidence to be 
ruled inadmissible in trial. His precision to detail, his diligence, 
and his impeccable work ethic earned him the respect of his peers; 
however, they also knew that if evidence was poorly or improperly 
collected, they were sure to hear about it from Larry. His nominator 
stated that, ``Larry's ethics and diligence make the Sheriff's Office 
look better.''
  When Larry's name was brought up for nomination, the selection 
committee voted unanimously in favor of honoring him with this award. 
In a true bureaucratic time frame, Larry was awarded the 2003 Staff 
Officer of the Year, during the beginning of November 2006, for 
outstanding performance of duty. He is a more than worthy recipient.
  As a former judge and prosecutor, I have a great admiration and 
respect for our Nation's

[[Page E2150]]

law enforcement community. They are the men and women who spend each 
day on the front lines of battle, protecting communities and ensuring a 
safer society. Lt. Lawrence Garlock is the personification of what a 
law enforcement officer should be and should be used as an example of 
the type of officer every new officer should strive to become. I am 
truly honored to pay him his tribute.
  That's just the way it is.

                          ____________________