[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 177 (Wednesday, December 2, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H13417-H13419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1345
     EXTENDING CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF SLAIN WASHINGTON OFFICERS

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 939) extending condolences to the families of 
Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens, 
and Officer Greg Richards.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 939

       Whereas, on the morning of November 29, 2009, 4 members of 
     the Lakewood Police Department were slain by gunfire in a 
     senseless act of violence while preparing for their shift in 
     Lakewood, Washington;
       Whereas the 4 officers have been members of the Lakewood 
     Police Department since its founding 5 years ago, were 
     valuable members of the community, and were deeply respected 
     for their service;
       Whereas Sergeant Mark Renninger who served 13 years in law 
     enforcement, first with the Tukwila Police Department and 
     most recently, served with the Lakewood Police Department, is 
     survived by his wife and 3 children;
       Whereas Officer Tina Griswold who served 14 years in law 
     enforcement, first with the Lacey Police Department and most 
     recently, served with the Lakewood Police Department, is 
     survived by her husband and 2 children;
       Whereas Officer Ronald Owens who served 12 years in law 
     enforcement, first with the Washington State Patrol and most 
     recently, served with the Lakewood Police Department, is 
     survived by his daughter;
       Whereas Officer Greg Richards who served 8 years in law 
     enforcement, first with the Kent Police Department and most 
     recently, served with the Lakewood Police Department, is 
     survived by his wife and 3 children;
       Whereas the senseless violence against and murder of law 
     enforcement officers, who are sworn to serve, protect, and 
     preserve the peace of the communities, is a particularly 
     heinous crime; and
       Whereas in the face of this senseless tragedy, the people 
     of the City of Lakewood, the surrounding communities, and the 
     State of Washington have come together in support of the law 
     enforcement community and the victims' families: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) extends its condolences to the families of Sergeant 
     Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens, 
     and Officer Greg Richards; and
       (2) stands with the people of Lakewood, Washington, the men 
     and women of the Lakewood Police Department, and members of 
     the law enforcement community as they celebrate the lives and 
     mourn the loss of these four dedicated public servants and 
     law enforcement heroes.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. COHEN. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 
legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous matter on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. COHEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This resolution extends condolences to the families of four Lakewood, 
Washington, police officers, Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina 
Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens, and Officer Greg Richards, who were 
senselessly slain by gunfire in the line of duty on Sunday, November 
29, 2009. These brave and honorable Lakewood Police Department officers 
were ambushed as they sat in a local coffee shop, catching up on 
paperwork at the beginning of their Sunday morning shift.
  By way of this resolution, the House of Representatives honors the 
lives and mourns the loss of these Lakewood police officers. We join 
the city of Lakewood and the entire State of Washington in celebrating 
the lives and grieving the deaths of these police officers.
  Sergeant Mark Renninger was described as a ``tough guy'' who excelled 
at his job and was regarded as a leader and teacher in the close-knit 
Lakewood police force. He was married with three children.
  Officer Tina Griswold liked to cook, ride her dirt bike, and was a 
certified diver. Her father is a retired police officer. She began 
working in law enforcement as a dispatcher and came to Lakewood 5 years 
ago as an officer. She leaves behind a 21-year-old daughter and a 7-
year-old son.
  Officer Ronald Owens, known to friends and family as Ronnie, was 
described as having a fun-loving personality and as someone who made 
everyone around him feel positive. Officer Owens leaves behind a 
daughter.
  Officer Greg Richards enjoyed music in his spare time, playing drums 
in a rock band. He liked nothing better than spending time with his 
wife, Kelly, and his three children.
  By passing this resolution, we want the families of these police 
officers to know that they are not alone in mourning the loss of the 
Lakewood officers. My first job, Mr. Speaker, was as an attorney for 
the police department. I served 3\1/2\ years as an attorney for the 
Memphis Police Department, and I relate to the loss that the department 
and this Nation have suffered.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this important resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  First of all, I want to thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. 
Smith) for sponsoring this important legislation, and I rise in support 
of House Resolution 939. This resolution extends our condolences to the 
families of Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer 
Ronald Owens, and Officer Greg Richards. These four police officers 
were members of the Lakewood, Washington, police department and were 
ambushed by gunfire in a murderous act of violence on November 29, 
2009.
  These four officers were in uniform and sitting at a table in a 
coffee shop near their patrol area. They were preparing for their 
upcoming shift when a gunman with an extensive criminal record who was 
out on bond for another criminal offense entered the location and 
suddenly fired gunshots at these officers. Two of the officers were 
killed immediately, another was shot when he stood up from the table, 
and the fourth was shot after struggling with the gunman in attempting 
to prevent his escape. The gunman fled but not before one of the 
wounded dying officers had shot him.
  The gunman was found 2 days later in Seattle after he challenged yet 
another police officer who approached him. That police officer was a 7-
year veteran of the Seattle police force who noticed a parked, stolen 
car that was running but unoccupied. The officer approached the suspect 
outside the car and asked him to show his hands, but the suspect 
refused and started to run around the car. The officer shot and killed 
the suspect to prevent his escape. The officer had recognized the 
gunman from photographs and identified him as the main suspect in the 
murders of these other officers. The gunman was carrying a service 
weapon taken from one of the slain officers that he had murdered.
  Unfortunately, police officers and law enforcement officials 
sometimes go unnoticed and unappreciated by communities that they 
protect. So far in 2009, 111 American police officers have lost their 
lives in the line of duty, protecting the rest of us. These noble men 
and women deserve respect and gratitude from our entire Nation. Peace 
officers, like Sergeant Renninger, Officer Griswold, Officer Owens, and 
Officer Richards perform their jobs every day with the knowledge that 
there is a possibility that they may give their lives in service to the 
communities that they protect. That's an awesome sacrifice, Mr. 
Speaker.
  As a Nation, we are grateful to peace officers who readily accept 
such a tremendous burden and to their families

[[Page H13418]]

who accept that burden as well. In the wake of this vicious tragedy, we 
come together in support of the law enforcement community and the 
families of these individuals.
  Sergeant Renninger was a 13-year law enforcement veteran. He is 
survived by his wife and three children. Officer Griswold, a 14-year 
police veteran, is survived by her husband, a former deputy sheriff, 
and two children. Officer Owens, a 12-year veteran, is survived by his 
daughter. Officer Richards, an 8-year veteran, is survived by his wife 
and three children.
  The four officers were original members of the Lakewood Police 
Department, which was founded just 5 years ago. They are the first 
officers from this department to be killed in the line of duty. As the 
resolution so aptly states, Members of Congress stand with the people 
of Lakewood, Washington, the men and women of the Lakewood Police 
Department, and members of the law enforcement community as they honor 
the lives and mourn the loss of these four dedicated public servants 
and law enforcement heroes.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as the gentleman shall 
consume to Mr. Smith from the State of Washington.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. I want to thank the Speaker and this Chamber 
for so quickly bringing this resolution to the floor.
  As we have now heard of the tragic events of last Sunday, we are here 
to offer our condolences to the families, also to honor the lives and 
the service of the four officers who were so brutally slain, and to 
express our grief over their loss. They were ambushed early on Sunday 
morning, simply getting ready to go to work. It is a tragedy that has 
had a deep impact on our community. And I want to also offer my 
condolences to all the people in Lakewood, especially their police 
force and the city officials, who have been so impacted by this tragic 
event.
  The four officers who were killed were part of the police force and 
all of the police officers in this country who so selflessly serve and 
protect all of us.
  They were Sergeant Mark Renninger, who was a 13-year law enforcement 
veteran. He started out with the Tukwila Police Department before 
moving on to Lakewood. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a 
son.
  Officer Tina Griswold served 14 years in law enforcement, starting 
with the Lacey Police Department before moving to Lakewood. She is 
survived by her husband and two children.
  Officer Ronald Owens, who has served 12 years in law enforcement, 
started off with the Washington State Patrol before moving to Lakewood. 
He is survived by a daughter.
  Officer Greg Richards served 8 years in law enforcement. He began 
with the Kent Police Department before going to Lakewood. He is 
survived by his wife and three children.

                              {time}  1400

  It is very appropriate that Congress makes clear to the families and 
to all members of the law enforcement community that we stand with them 
in grieving their loss and honoring their service. And it is also 
important that we remember as often as possible what our law 
enforcement personnel do for us.
  I had the opportunity to serve as a prosecutor for a few years and 
work with many of the members of our law enforcement community, and 
what a lot of people forget is the constant danger that they are in and 
the courage that it takes to do their job every day. It's easy to see a 
police officer on a patrol or on the beat, see them driving around, and 
think of the job simply in that context. But every second of every day, 
people who serve as police officers know the risk and danger that they 
are taking. And the impressive thing is they take it every single day 
and they do it to protect us, to give us a sense of safety and security 
in our community despite the danger that they face.
  The tragedy in Lakewood makes that all too clear. They were simply 
sitting down for a cup of coffee to get their paperwork together before 
going on shift. That makes it clear just how much our officers are 
always at risk and how willingly they take that risk and protect us.
  I thank the House for pausing for a few moments today to remember the 
service of these four officers, to honor them for that service, to 
grieve over their deaths, and to express condolences to their families, 
to all of the people in Lakewood, and to the larger law enforcement 
community that does so much to protect us and show so much courage in 
doing so.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert), who's familiar with this 
law enforcement agency and, as a sheriff, represented much of this 
area.
  Mr. REICHERT. I thank the judge for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I know that most of the people in Washington, D.C., 
don't know these families that we're talking about today. The people 
here in Washington, D.C., don't know the children that these officers 
will no longer be able to parent.
  But we do know police officers in Washington, D.C. We do know police 
officers here, the Capitol Hill Police Department and the D.C. Police 
Department, and we recognize the job they do every day to protect us.
  Sometimes it's hard to make that connection between the men and women 
who wear the uniform and the sacrifices they make until it happens in 
your neighborhood, until it happens in your communities, until it 
happens to one of your neighborhood police officers, until it happens 
to your mother, your father, one minute sitting having coffee at a 
coffee shop, the next minute gone. Three fathers and a mother coming to 
work to protect all of us. It happens every day on the streets of 
America. They put on the uniform. They know the risk.
  So with this resolution today, I think it's right that we pause and 
think about the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform make here 
serving our police departments in our communities across this country, 
to honor the service of Mark Renninger, Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens, 
and Gregory Richards. We should also mention Timothy Brenton, who was 
killed 30 days before this event, before this tragedy. He was also 
assassinated in the city of Seattle and he was sitting in his police 
car. This can happen at any time, at any moment, to any police officer 
across this country.
  So pausing to honor and to mourn the loss of these four Lakewood, 
Washington, police officers who were brutally murdered Sunday morning 
just after Thanksgiving, spending the week with their family, I think 
it's just and right that all of us here today extend our deepest 
sympathy, to stand in solidarity and in grief with the families, their 
fellow officers, their friends, and their community. The entire Nation 
mourns and our hearts are broken.
  To those involved in the hunt for the suspect, we commend you for 
your hard work and your bravery. Your thorough and effective work saved 
the lives of other citizens and other officers from harm.
  Moving forward, I hope all of you understand how hard this will be 
for the families. I, unfortunately, have had the duty to notify family 
members of their loved ones lost. It's pain and emotion that you can't 
imagine. These families are devastated. So, please, I would ask all of 
us to remember the families, and don't forget they need your support, 
your help, your prayers, and your love.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, next year on May 15, right here on the Capitol grounds, 
we will pay tribute and honor to peace officers that have been killed 
this year in the line of duty. Until this event in Washington State, 
there were 111 peace officers killed in this country in the line of 
duty. Now there are 115, and they will be honored and their families 
will be honored next year.
  Having spent most of my career at the courthouse in Houston as a 
prosecutor and then a criminal court judge, I saw a lot of police 
officers come down to the courthouse. And sometimes they didn't return, 
and the reason was because some criminal had decided to take their 
life. But that is the occupation that they chose, to risk their lives 
for the rest of us. And we should always be mindful of the men and 
women that wear the uniform, those who wear

[[Page H13419]]

the uniform at home to protect us from domestic criminals and those who 
wear the uniform overseas to protect us from international criminals.
  Peace officers, Mr. Speaker, are the last strand of wire in the fence 
between the people and the lawless. Every day they put on their uniform 
and they put above their heart on their chest a badge, which is really 
a shield, a shield that's symbolic of protecting the community from the 
evildoers. It goes back centuries ago. And yet they wear that shield 
proudly to protect us from people who wish to do us harm. And when 
individuals make the decision to harm those that protect us, it is an 
American tragedy, and the whole country mourns with the families who 
have lost a police officer.
  So I urge that we mourn the loss of these officers, that we honor 
their lives and their bravery, and that we pass this resolution 
immediately.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I join with my friend from Texas in urging 
that we pass this resolution and that we do mourn these brave officers 
who lost their lives and stand with the people of Lakewood, Washington.
  But I would also ask us to think about what happened, why these 
people lost their lives. And we may never know, but we do know that the 
person who killed them should have been behind bars. He was a criminal 
who was released from prison in Arkansas through executive clemency. 
And while there are certainly people who committed victimless crimes 
who are unnecessarily kept for long periods of times in incarceration 
and should have clemency or some type of executive relief, people who 
commit crimes of violence, as this person did, they should not be 
released unless there are some extra circumstances that are beyond 
anybody's thought that it was appropriate.
  This gentleman was not reformed. He committed other crimes. He still 
should have been in jail.
  And you've got to think about mental health. The man was a criminal, 
but he was also mentally ill. He had delusions that he was some type of 
religious figure. And we've got to think about the mental health laws 
that we have up here and the opportunity to fund mental health 
institutions and to get mental health so that people can be treated 
before they commit some act out of a delusional aspect of their 
disease.
  So there are a lot of other areas we need to look into as we mourn 
these officers and remember 9/11 and the fire people and the police 
people who were killed there. And we've got to remember the issues with 
guns and how this man got access to a gun to commit this crime. So 
there are other issues that need to be looked at.
  I join all the Members of the House and ask that we pass H. Res. 939 
and join in morning the loss of these four fine law enforcement 
officers, but also that we continue our research into the causes of 
this heinous crime.
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the fallen officers of the 
Lakewood, Washington, Police Department and to offer my condolences to 
the families and colleagues of these officers.
  The tragic events of November 29, 2009, took the lives of four 
officers who have served the Lakewood Police Department for many years. 
This is a loss not only to the police department, but to the law 
enforcement community across the country.
  It is also a solemn reminder that every day, our men and women in 
uniform face unpredictable threats.
  We must work in Congress to ensure that our police departments are 
always prepared, equipped, and ready to fend off these threats.
  Law enforcement officers are on the front lines of protecting our 
communities, and we must ensure they are protected, too.
  As a former police officer and a Michigan State Trooper, and the co-
chairman of the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, I extend my 
condolences to the fallen, to the families, and to the police 
department of Lakewood, Washington.
  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memories of the 
four brave officers whose lives were needlessly cut short this past 
week in Washington State.
  All four officers were members of the Lakewood Police and were slain 
while preparing for their shift by Maurice Clemons, a career criminal 
who had been paroled from prison earlier this decade and was later 
killed by a Seattle police officer after a long manhunt.
  We stand with all the police officers in Washington State who despite 
losing four of their own served with distinction and bravery to bring 
this killer to ``justice.''
  I have long maintained that our first responders are the first line 
in our country's national defense. They are out there on the streets 
every day keeping our communities and our children safe from harm.
  This resolution describes violence against law enforcement officers 
as ``particularly heinous,'' which I think is an understatement. This 
kind of violence against these brave community servants is not only 
heinous, it's unimaginable, horrific, and unacceptable.
  The Federal Government must do more to protect our police officers 
from these kinds of violent and malicious criminals.
  Congress must look at the ways we can strengthen the penalties for 
these kinds of horrific crimes committed against our heroes.
  Our police officers are out there every day sticking their necks out 
for us, and we owe it to them to do everything in our power to protect 
them as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cuellar). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 939.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________