[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 15, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6731-H6733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICE DOGS

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1614) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that law enforcement service dogs and their handlers 
perform a vital role in providing for our Nation's security and should 
be recognized for their service.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1614

       Whereas everyday across the ranks of Federal, State, local, 
     and military law enforcement agencies, service dogs perform a 
     variety of functions to prevent and solve crimes and to 
     ensure the public safety;
       Whereas service dogs trained to detect bombs, accelerants, 
     and other weapons can often discover these dangerous devices 
     at airports, train stations, sporting events and many other 
     locations before they are used, preventing mass casualties, 
     and sometimes their mere presence at these locations can 
     prevent dangerous situations;
       Whereas service dogs trained to detect narcotics and other 
     contraband are used at our Nation's borders and ports of 
     entry to identify illegal drugs and smuggled goods;
       Whereas service dogs and their handlers perform crucial 
     functions in special operations, including crowd control, 
     search and rescue missions, locating missing persons, and 
     tactical building entries, and these service dogs often work 
     in undesirable conditions for little more than food and the 
     affection of their handler;
       Whereas service dogs can detect the presence of human 
     remains in operations to locate victims in disaster recovery 
     operations;
       Whereas service dogs are used to protect the House of 
     Representatives and Senate chambers, the White House, the 
     Supreme Court, and many other public buildings in Washington, 
     DC, and throughout the country;
       Whereas many dogs have given their lives in the performance 
     of these duties; and
       Whereas these dogs have become an integral component of 
     modern law enforcement: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that--
       (1) these dogs perform extraordinary services using their 
     special sensory and physical abilities. Their service is 
     rendered with incredible efficiency and dedication and is an 
     important contribution to the security and public safety of 
     our Nation; and
       (2) we all owe a debt of gratitude and our sincere 
     appreciation to the loyal service performed by the law 
     enforcement service dogs and their handlers.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. COHEN. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 
legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution 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.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1614 expresses the sense of the House 
of Representatives that police service dogs and their handlers perform 
a critical role in ensuring our national security and deserve to be 
recognized for their service.
  Federal, State, local, and military law enforcement agencies work 
with service dogs to perform a variety of tasks to prevent and solve 
crimes and to keep the public safe. Search and rescue dogs often 
perform a number of functions, such as searching for victims in 
avalanches, collapsed buildings, and people missing in the wilderness.

                              {time}  1650

  Service dogs are also used to capture escaped offenders or suspects 
from crime scenes. These dogs are trained to search for items bearing 
human scent and are utilized in crime scenes to find evidence thrown 
away by a suspect.
  In addition, dogs are trained to search through buildings, cars, and 
luggage, and can alert on more than one kind of drug despite the best 
efforts of smugglers.
  Law enforcement service dogs can be trained to alert on guns and 
bomb-making materials. And often these dogs deter dangerous crimes at 
sporting events, train stations, airports, and other places by their 
mere presence.
  Due to the dangerous situations these dogs and their handlers are 
frequently put in, many dogs have given their lives in the performance 
of their duties.
  Today, this resolution recognizes the extraordinary efforts and 
dedication of these service dogs and their handlers.
  Mr. Speaker, my first bill I had as a State senator in 1983 was one 
to make it a crime to shoot a police service dog, and to make it such 
because to shoot the dog was really to shoot at law enforcement 
personnel to try to stop that policeman from having that dog in the 
pursuit of its duty, and the next bullet would be for the officer. Of 
course they are valuable and important.
  I commend Mr. Coble for bringing this bill recognizing the 
contribution that these dogs make to our society and to police 
practices. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

[[Page H6732]]

  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Some recent years ago, Mr. Speaker, I rode with a K-9 handler and his 
dog in my district during a regular routine run, and he told me that 
his children regarded that dog as a sibling. The dog lived in the home 
of the Handler. Some days after I rode with him, I read where the dog 
had been struck by an automobile and killed. And I called my friend, 
and he made it clear to me that they had lost a family member, so I 
appreciate the gentleman's comments from Tennessee.
  Mr. Speaker, law enforcement officers face extraordinary danger each 
and every day, as we all know, in their service to our country in their 
quest to keep us all safe. For that I am sure we are all eternally 
grateful.
  We should also be reminded of the very special service, the 
tremendous work, and the dedication to duty rendered by a very special 
partner in the protection of our safety and freedoms, the law 
enforcement service dog. These K-9s and their handlers risk their lives 
to make our communities and our country safe, protecting us from crime 
and from terrorism.
  Using their heightened sensory abilities, these dogs oftentimes are 
able to detect narcotics, bombs, and other contraband that are not 
visible to humans. Law enforcement dogs participate in dangerous 
operations, sparing their human partners the danger of entering a dark 
and unsearched or unsecured building. Others are trained for and have 
proven to be very successful at locating missing persons or detecting 
human remains. These very special K-9s are becoming more and more 
visible at major transportation hubs, and can be seen daily right here 
on the Capitol grounds examining vehicles as they enter secured parking 
areas.
  The role of the K-9's handler should not go unmentioned as well. 
While a police officer may work a particular shift and then go home, 
the job of a K-9 handler is a 24 hour a day commitment. The handler 
often cares for his or her dog even when the dog has retired from 
active service.
  Many K-9s have died while valiantly protecting their handlers in the 
performance of their duties, not unlike the case I mentioned at the 
outset. The bond between a dog and their handler is great, and the 
sense of loss when a dog expires is even greater.
  There are least 80 organizations at the local, regional, national, 
and international level devoted to law enforcement service dogs. The 
Connecticut Police Work Dog Association lists over 1,500 police and 
military service dogs that have died while ``in-service.'' Many of 
these were ``in the line of duty'' deaths. The individual stories of 
these dogs are inspiring and range from the very public event of the 
World Trade Center collapse of 9/11/01, where Sirius, a bomb-sniffing 
dog, perished when the building collapsed. The inscription on Sirius' 
steel bowl: ``I gave my life so that you may save others,'' sums up the 
loyalty and the dedication that is typical of these dogs to their 
handlers.
  I urge my colleagues to join me and the gentleman from Tennessee in 
supporting this resolution.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy) to speak on behalf of man's 
best friend.
  Mr. KENNEDY. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I 
thank Mr. Coble for his bill.
  Service dogs, yes, they do a lot of really important functions, among 
which is to provide service and support for our veterans. We just 
expanded last year the definition of those eligible for service dogs to 
those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because these 
animals know when these veterans are in crisis and they can help get 
them out of the house, they can help them not only see when they can't 
see, as we commonly associate service dogs to be sight for the blind, 
but now these service dogs are doing a lot of things in addition to 
helping in our law enforcement.
  I love the term ``to detect,'' to search and rescue. I only wish our 
country had that attitude when it came to our Nation's heroes who are 
suffering from these neurological disorders of blindness, of TBI, of 
post-traumatic stress, because they need more than just service dogs. 
They need us to go in there and unlock the mysteries that are keeping 
them held hostage to the disability of their service to our country. 
The constant IED attacks and concussions on the brain that are going to 
cause a permanent, unless we step in and save them, permanent 
disability for these veterans.
  We have an opportunity. We talked about civil rights, voting rights. 
This is the biggest civil rights fight for our day and generation, 
those with neurological disorders, for those suffering in their minds. 
We don't see it, and so we don't take it seriously. The fact is they 
need someone to come in and set them free from being prisoners of their 
war injuries. We need to be the first responders in the next couple of 
years, dedicate ourselves to saying while combat operations are over in 
Iraq, the war hasn't ended for these veterans. It is just beginning as 
they face the disabilities that they have incurred, suffering by their 
sacrifice to our country.
  So we talk about how great service dogs are in so many respects. 
Let's put those service dogs out of business. Let's restore the 
eyesight of our veterans. The biggest TBI, traumatic brain injury, is 
lost eyesight. The biggest TBI confusion, loss of memory, loss of 
ability to go outside. These dogs are bringing them out into the real 
world. Let's not allow us to be having to rely on others to support 
these veterans. Let's restore their brain capacities by investing in 
stem cell research. Let's restore their functions by making sure that 
we invest in all of the genetic trip wire identifications so they don't 
have to get Alzheimer's 20 years prior to the average American, which 
is what all neuroscientists say these veterans are going to be facing 
if we don't step in soon. They don't have to get Parkinson's disease 
because we are not doing anything.
  Let's get in there, and in the words of my uncle, President Kennedy, 
when we talked about civil rights, he said, Who amongst us would be 
willing to abide by the counsels of patience and delay, and trade the 
color of their skin for someone else's, and abide by those laws back in 
the 1960s?
  Well, now, who amongst us would trade places with these suffering TBI 
victims, these veterans, and say we can't do better to bring you home, 
not only in body when you get home from your war serving our country, 
but in mind? Because we know the suicide rates are off the charts, 
unacceptable. We know that what they are facing is unacceptable, and we 
need to be the ones who come in and shed some light on their lives so 
they don't have to rely on service dogs.

                              {time}  1700

  We don't have to rely on anything else but their potential to live 
their own independent lives free for themselves, without any dependence 
on anybody else, and we can do that if we put our commitment out there, 
professing like we did today that we care about our first responders. 
Hey, let's put it into action and invest in these things that will 
bring our veterans home, not only in body but in mind.
  In the meantime, we can make sure they have service dogs, for which 
this Congress provided $5 million to expand the definition of those who 
are suffering from other neurological disorders other than eyesight 
loss. That's a good thing, but let's not make it the answer, the Band-
Aid. Let's get to the real solution and save these veterans from being 
held hostage to their terminal situations, which would not be terminal 
if we would dedicate ourselves to intervening and intervening soon on 
their behalf.
  I thank my colleagues for letting me explain myself with respect to 
these service dogs, because they do a lot of good things, but we need 
to make sure our people are also given some support and independence by 
their not having to rely on dogs in the future.
  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. I just want to thank Mr. Coble for bringing the bill.
  As I said, I know from where he comes. That was my first bill. I 
started as a police attorney, and I know about police dogs and about 
the bonds between policemen and their K-9 companions. They do a 
tremendous service, and they ought to be protected and respected. I ask 
that we vote in unanimous support of this resolution.

[[Page H6733]]

  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. 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. 1614.
  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.

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