[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 13, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1280-E1281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING CHIEF OF POLICE DAN MONTGOMERY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 13, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the 
retirement of Chief of Police Dan Montgomery, of Westminster, Colorado.
  Chief Montgomery's retirement was news in my district, and I believe 
it is fitting to honor his public service in the Denver metropolitan 
area for nearly four decades. Chief Montgomery has served as the Chief 
of Police in Westminster for more than 24 years. Such a life-long 
commitment to public safety is deserving of special recognition.
  Dan Montgomery is passionate about protecting the public and realized 
early in his life that his calling was to serve in the police force. 
From his first job as a campus police officer, to his leadership as a 
police chief for one of Colorado's fastest growing suburban 
communities, Chief Montgomery has demonstrated a strong commitment to 
upholding law and order in our society. As a field officer, he will be 
remembered for his work on the Leeora Rose Looney case in Lakewood, 
Colorado, in 1971. Chief Montgomery leaves a professional legacy as a 
law enforcement official who always ``supported his troops.''
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join with me in expressing our 
gratitude to Police Chief Montgomery, and others in the law enforcement 
community just like him, for their steadfast commitment to justice and 
public safety. We also recognize Chief Dan Montgomery's leadership and 
fortitude. I am also proud to acknowledge Police Chief Montgomery's 
accomplishments as noted in the following article published by the 
Westminster Window on May 24, 2007.

                     Police Chief Set To Cap Career

                         (By Rachel Ceccarelli)

       Westminster Police Chief Dan Montgomery says he is ready to 
     finish his 45-year career in law enforcement.
       Montgomery will retire as Chief of Police on June 1, and 
     Deputy Chief Lee Birk will take the lead.
       ``It just dawned on me one day that I have been married to 
     my wife Bonnie for 46 years and been a police officer for 
     45,'' Montgomery said. ``It was just time.''
       Montgomery says he decided it was time to retire and devote 
     more time to his wife, grown children and granddaughter.
       Nonetheless, he plans to continue doing some part-time 
     police consulting.
       Montgomery has been the Westminster Police Chief for more 
     than 24 years.

[[Page E1281]]

       His career began in the 1960s as a police officer in Los 
     Gatos, California. After years of working in California, he 
     moved to Colorado to work with the Lakewood Police 
     Department.
       It was at this job that Montgomery encountered what he 
     considers his most memorable and difficult case.
       ``I haven't forgotten about Leeora Rose after all these 
     years,'' Montgomery said.
       Leeora Rose was a 20-year-old waitress at a Lakewood 
     doughnut shop who disappeared on Aug. 20, 1971. Police found 
     her raped and killed three days after her disappearance.
       Montgomery said after months of investigations, a single 
     fingerprint on a coffee cup left behind by a suspect solved 
     the case. The fingerprint matched that of a man named Carl 
     Taylor. After his arrest, he and his partner in crime, 
     Sherman McCray, admitted to 15 homicides across the United 
     States. They were sentenced to life in prison.
       Montgomery said as far as he knows, Taylor is still in 
     prison, and McCray committed suicide in 1988.
       ``I didn't like the carnage left behind by criminals, so I 
     decided to do something about it,'' said Montgomery on why he 
     chose a career in law enforcement. ``That was my calling.''
       Montgomery said as he continued his police work in 
     Westminster, he knew that he wanted to be a chief that 
     supported officers.
       ``My motto is support me and I'll support you,'' said 
     Montgomery, adding that he doesn't mean blindly agreeing with 
     everything his officers do but supporting them when it's 
     needed.
       Birk said Montgomery was an excellent chief to work with at 
     the department.
       ``Dan has been a great role model and mentor,'' said Birk, 
     adding that Montgomery's leadership has set him in the right 
     direction to take over as police chief.
       Public support for police officers is one thing Montgomery 
     said was his career highlight along with the passage of the 
     public safety tax in 2003. Montgomery said the fact that City 
     Council and residents voted to pass the ballot issue was 
     integral to the operation of the police department.
       ``It's my crowning moment of glory,'' Montgomery said. ``It 
     really was a team effort, and I don't know where we would be 
     if it hadn't passed.''
       Montgomery said he knows the police department will be left 
     in good hands with Birk replacing him and the public safety 
     tax in place.
       In his spare time, Montgomery plans to golf and spend time 
     with his family.
       What Montgomery said he would miss the most is the 
     relationships he has created with city staff and members of 
     the police department.
       He will also miss fighting crime.
       ``I'm going to miss putting punks, perverts and predators 
     in jail,'' Montgomery said.

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