[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 30 (Monday, February 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E220-E221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING SERGEANT JOSEPH CHRISTOPHER GENTILE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 25, 2008

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Joseph 
Christopher Gentile on his retirement from the Metropolitan Police 
Department. With devotion, professionalism, and expertise, from October 
9, 1967, until October 21, 2007, Sergeant Gentile, or the ``godfather'' 
as his friends and colleagues call him, fulfilled the mission of the 
Metropolitan Police Department to safeguard the District of Columbia 
and protect its residents and visitors by providing the highest quality 
of police service with integrity, compassion, and a commitment to 
innovation that integrates people, technology, and progressive business 
systems.
  Upon completion of recruit training, Sergeant Gentile was assigned to 
the First District as a patrol officer. In September of 1969, he was 
assigned to the Community Relations Division, Public Information 
Branch. In 1977, then-Public Information Officer Gentile, emerged as a 
national television presence

[[Page E221]]

when a Hanafi Muslim group stormed three DC buildings. This act 
resulted in the killing of a radio reporter, and a security guard and 
then-DC Councilman, Marion Barry, were both shot and wounded. This was 
the first of many local, national, and international incidents that 
would thrust Public Information Officer Gentile into the limelight. 
These incidents include, but are not limited to, the 1982 shooting of 
President Ronald Reagan, the 1994 fatal shootings of a Metropolitan 
Police Department, MPD, sergeant and two FBI agents inside police 
headquarters, and hundreds of homicides during the 1990s when the 
District of Columbia was the Nation's murder capital.
  Public Information Officer Gentile was promoted to the rank of 
sergeant on November 15, 1982, and remained assigned as the Public 
Information Officer because of his invaluable knowledge and years of 
experience. Sergeant Gentile proudly served as the MPD spokesman for 34 
years, during the tenure of eleven chiefs of police. He also 
participated in ten Presidential inaugurations and served during the 
1968 riots, the 1972 May Day demonstrations, the 1982 Air Florida crash 
and subsequent fatal Metrorail crash, the 1991 Mount Pleasant Riots, 
and the 2000 IMF demonstrations.
  In December of 2006, then-Chief Charles H. Ramsey awarded Sergeant 
Gentile with a medal and dedicated the public information office in his 
name. In October of 2007, Chief Cathy L. Lanier presented Sergeant 
Gentile with a Distinguished Service Award for 40 years of dedicated 
and loyal service.
  A tireless performer and distinguished law enforcement professional, 
Sergeant Gentile deserves the admiration of all who come into contact 
with him. Thank you, Sergeant Gentile, for your exceptional service to 
the Metropolitan Police Department, the Congress, the District of 
Columbia, and the American people, and congratulations on achieving 
this important milestone.

                          ____________________