[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 93 (Monday, June 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DENNIS CASSIDY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2007

  Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
community leader, my friend, Dennis Cassidy, on his retirement after 
over 30 years of serving the people of Paso Robles, CA, most currently 
as chief of police.
  Chief Cassidy began his law enforcement career with the Paso Robles 
Police Department in 1974. In 1985, Cassidy was promoted to patrol 
sergeant and in 1988, he became Detective Bureau commander. In 1990, he 
was promoted to Lieutenant, and was responsible for seeking grants to 
further the department's Community Outreach Program through the early 
1990s. His success led to the establishment of a satellite police 
office, in cooperation with the Housing Authority, where two officers 
were assigned to work full-time. The results were remarkable. Criminal 
activity dropped, community and police relationships strengthened, and 
a safer Paso Robles gave families increased peace of mind. In 1997, 
Cassidy was named chief of police, a position he has held since, until 
his retirement.
  During his tenure as chief, Cassidy was instrumental in planning the 
new Public Safety Center in Paso Robles. This center was put to the 
test after the San Simeon earthquake in December 2003. This earthquake 
caused massive damage to Paso Robles and took the lives of two Paso 
Robles residents. The center immediately served as a staging area as 
Cassidy and other members of the Paso Robles Emergency Services 
coordinated initial rescue and recovery efforts. Later, the building 
was used by many different agencies brought in to assist with recovery.
  Chief Cassidy has been in the forefront of exploring new 
technologies, which has resulted in the Paso Robles Police Department 
being equipped with innovative technology to help combat crime and 
ensure the safety of the community and residents. Specifically, Chief 
Cassidy was responsible for the Department obtaining its Computer Aided 
Dispatching and Records Management Systems, as well as Livescan 
fingerprinting and digital in-car video with wireless station-server 
download capability.
  Serving his community is not something Chief Cassidy only does on-
duty; he is very involved while he is off-duty. Chief Cassidy is a past 
commissioner of the Children and Families Commission of San Luis Obispo 
County, the local agency administering State tax revenue to fund 
education, childcare, health and other programs for expectant parents 
and toddlers. He also served as president of the North County Women's 
Resource Center, which assists women and families against domestic 
violence and abuse. Finally, he is active as a Paul Harris Fellow in 
the local Rotary, and a member of the San Luis Obispo Cattlemen's 
Association.
  Chief Cassidy exemplifies how one can answer the call of duty to 
protect and serve his fellow neighbors, and do it with great passion, 
strength, and devotion to his community. His shoes will be tough to 
fill as he raised the police department's level of excellence and 
outstanding conduct, and has forged a relationship of trust with the 
community his officers serve and protect. I know Chief Cassidy looks 
forward to his retirement and spending time with friends and family. I 
commend his service to the city of Paso Robles and wish him the best as 
he enters into the next stage of his life.

                          ____________________