[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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