[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 72 (Thursday, May 13, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3663-S3664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I had the opportunity a few years ago to 
ride with two police officers. It was a specialized unit that had been 
established with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on drunk 
drivers. I learned so much. It was a good experience for me. There were 
things I simply did not know existed. For example, if you see a car 
with no lights on--it is nighttime--there is a 50-percent chance that 
is a drunk driver. If you see a car making a wide sweep around a corner 
very slowly, there is a good chance that is a drunk driver. And they 
have other things they look for.
  As we patrolled the streets, watching for these drunk drivers and 
responding to calls that came to these police officers, I was struck by 
how openly they talked about the dangers they face every day, having 
myself been a police officer and never talking about dangers because we 
did not have many. This was something that was an eye opener for me. 
For modern day police officers, it is an inherent part of their jobs, 
but a part of their families' lives they will never get used to--these 
families.
  Every day, in every city and town around the country, brave men and 
women--all of whom volunteered to serve their communities--put 
themselves in danger to protect us--their friends, their neighbors, and 
so many they will never even know existed or meet. They take that risk 
to give us peace of mind in our everyday activities.
  On Police Week, we recognize those who have made the ultimate 
sacrifice, those who have given their lives in the line of duty. This 
evening, they will be honored at a candlelight vigil not far from here. 
Their names will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers 
Memorial. Alongside their families, we will celebrate their dedication 
and remember their sacrifice.
  Four of those names belong to Las Vegas policemen who were killed 
last year. This morning, I had the chance to meet with their families 
at an 8:30 breakfast. They, of course, are some of

[[Page S3664]]

the strongest Nevadans we could ever meet and I ever met.
  Officer Daniel Leach was a career corrections officer. He began his 
shift last November 21 by driving to Laughlin to pick up prisoners at 
the Tucker Holding Facility. He was going to take them to the Clark 
County Detention Center in Las Vegas.
  But before he could get to Laughlin--not far from my home in 
Searchlight--he was involved in a vicious two-vehicle accident and was 
killed instantly. Officer Leach was 49 years old. He had spent the last 
25 years of his life as a Las Vegas police officer. He is survived by 
his wife, whom I met this morning, two children, his parents, one 
brother, and one sister.
  Before Trevor Nettleton was an officer in the Las Vegas Metropolitan 
Police Department, he proudly held the honored title of United States 
marine. His 9 years in the Marine Corps included service in the elite 
Presidential Guard unit, where he protected President George W. Bush.
  Last November 19--2 days before Officer Leach was killed--Officer 
Nettleton was shot and killed by three gang members who broke into his 
garage in an attempt to rob him and his family. Officer Nettleton was 
30 years old. He left behind a wife, two young children, his parents, 
and a brother.
  Like Officer Nettleton, Officer Milburn Beitel III was also a marine. 
Tragically, he also died as a Las Vegas police officer at age 30.
  ``Milli''--as everyone called him--was on patrol late one Wednesday 
night last October when a car turned in front of him. Officer Beitel 
swerved to avoid the other car but was thrown from his patrol cruiser 
and died early the next morning. He, of course, was on a call he had 
received. He is survived by his parents and brother.
  Last Friday marked 1 year since Officer James Manor responded to his 
last call. It was in the same Las Vegas community where he grew up. 
While responding to a domestic abuse call, a pickup truck driver failed 
to yield to him in his police vehicle--going as fast as he could to 
respond to that dispute--the collision occurred, and James Manor was 
killed.

  He was known as ``Jamie.'' He had 10 brothers and sisters, and even 
more whom he considered brothers and sisters who served on the police 
force with him. His siblings, his mother, and his large extended family 
will tell his young daughter Jay'la--whom I met this morning; a 
beautiful little 8-year-old girl--they will tell her and the rest of 
the family about who he was. They will tell Jay'la about how courageous 
her father was, who died at 28 years of age.
  This memorial wall that will bear these four Nevadans' names is a 
living reminder of some of our most selfless citizens. This year we 
will also add to that wall the names of Nevadans whom we recognize 
belatedly--some very belatedly:
  Uriah Gregory, a jailer from Virginia Center during its heyday, was 
killed by two of his prisoners in 1866.
  Arthur St. Clair, a constable and father of two, and George Requa, a 
deputy sheriff, were killed in an ambush in Elko in 1920. They were 
both killed at the same time.
  Charles Lewis, another deputy sheriff from Elko, was killed by a 
thief in 1925.
  George Washington Cotant, an Elko constable, died in a car accident 
in 1937.
  Hugh Gallagher, Sr., a deputy sheriff from Virginia City, died on 
duty in 1948.
  Ronald Haskell, a narcotics agent in Carson City, died on duty in 
1975.
  Richard Willson, a sergeant from Hawthorne, NV, died after 
apprehending a suspect in 1994.
  These men were killed a long time ago--one almost 150 years ago, when 
Nevada had been a State for only 2 years, but it does not matter the 
time--and we can never forget their sacrifices.
  Every day we should thank those who wake up on otherwise unremarkable 
mornings and head out to work with the job simply to keep us safe. 
Today we thank and honor the courageous Nevadans who, one unforgettable 
day, never came home.
  Madam President, will the Chair report the bill.

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