[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1259-E1260]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING POLICE OFFICERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS DURING 
                              POLICE WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2009

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 426, ``Honoring police officers and law enforcement 
professionals during Police Week''. I would like to thank my colleague 
Representative Jerry McNerney, as well as the co-sponsors, for 
introducing this resolution.
  I stand in support of this important resolution, because police 
officers of every rank and from every walk of life are working every 
day to keep communities across our nation safe. These hard working men 
and women perform a variety of duties to pursue justice and maintain 
public safety, and selflessly put their lives on the line to keep their 
neighbors and countrymen safe.
  These Americans are reminded of these threats all too often--in just 
the last decade, hundreds of police officers were killed in the line of 
duty, and in just the first four months of 2009 more than 40 officers 
around the country have made the ultimate sacrifice. And as if that 
weren't bad enough, police officers and law enforcement personnel have 
been not been immune to the collapse of our economy, and have been 
adversely affected by the current economic situation.
  In my home city of Houston, nearly 70 officers of the law have been 
killed in the line of duty, and 11 police officers have fallen in the 
past decade alone.
  The most recent tragedy came less than six months ago, whenPolice 
Officer Timothy Scott Abernethy was shot and killed during a foot 
pursuit of a suspect who fled following a traffic stop. Officer 
Abernethy had lost sight of the man as he chased him around a building 
in an apartment complex. After going around the corner the man hid 
behind a gate and then shot the officer in the head as he ran by. Tim 
was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he succumbed to his 
wounds a short time later. He is survived by his wife, son, daughter, 
parents, and siblings.
  Before him, there was Police Officer Gary Allen Gryder. He was struck 
and killed by a drunk driver while directing traffic at a construction 
site on the Katy Freeway. The drunk driver drove through a barricade 
and struck Officer Gryder and another officer without braking. The 
vehicle continued until striking a brick wall. Gryder is survived by 
his wife, son, step-daughter, two grandchildren, parents, and two 
sisters.
  And before either of them, there was Officer Rodney Joseph Johnson. 
Officer Johnson had stopped a large white pickup truck occupied by a 
man and woman on Randolph at Braniff, just south of Hobby Airport, at 
about 5:30 p.m. He placed the male driver--who, it would turn out, was 
in the country illegally--under arrest after he was unable to produce a 
drivers license. After handcuffing the male, he placed

[[Page E1260]]

him in the backseat of the patrol car and then returned to the driver's 
seat. The subject in the backseat was able to move his hands to his 
front, retrieve a concealed handgun, and then shot Officer Johnson in 
the back of the head four times.
  Despite being fatally wounded, Officer Johnson was able to push an 
emergency button, alerting dispatch to the incident. When other 
officers arrived, the male was still handcuffed and sitting in the 
patrol car, and the weapon was recovered. Officer Johnson was taken to 
Ben Taub Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
  For these reasons, and more, our country has found respect for these 
brave men and women throughout its history. In 1962, President John F. 
Kennedy signed a proclamation declaring May 15 as Peace Officers 
Memorial Day to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of 
duty, and to designate the calendar week in which May 15 occurs as 
Police Week.
  And it is this tradition that we continue today, as this body, the 
House of Representatives, honors police officers for their efforts to 
create safer and more secure communities, and who risk their lives 
daily to protect Americans.
  I wholeheartedly agree with my colleagues that Police Week provides 
an opportunity to honor police officers and law enforcement personnel 
for their selfless acts of bravery, and that police officers and law 
enforcement personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice should be 
remembered and honored.
  So let there be no doubt that the House of Representatives expresses 
its strong support for the Nation's police officers and law enforcement 
personnel.

                          ____________________