[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 100 (Thursday, July 7, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF MR. TIMOTHY WARREN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 7, 2011

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Memphis 
Police Officer Timothy Warren, a courageous and deeply generous man who 
bettered the Memphis community through his service as a police officer 
and through his charitable work for the homeless. Lamentably, on 
Sunday, July 3, Officer Warren laid down his life while responding to a 
rogue gunman in a Memphis hotel.
  Public safety is an inherent power of government and every day across 
our nation police officers put their lives on the line to protect our 
citizens. Officer Warren, like his fellow Memphis police officers, 
responded when the need arose, without hesitation and with great 
courage. His actions on July 3rd may very well have saved the lives of 
others.
  Born in 1971, Officer Warren grew up in Cleveland, Mississippi and 
received a bachelor's degree from Delta State University, where he also 
earned a spot on the Mississippi All State Football Team. Despite his 
successes during college, he briefly ended up homeless and was forced 
to sleep in abandoned houses in the dead of winter. The empathy Officer 
Warren developed for the homeless community would last a lifetime.
  After moving to Memphis, Officer Warren served as a Deputy Jailer for 
the Shelby County Sheriffs office from 2000 until joining the Memphis 
Police Department in 2003. He served as a Patrolman in the South Main 
district, choosing to work a night shift in order to see his 8-year-old 
son, James, off to school in the mornings and to watch his 4-year-old 
daughter, Jewel, during the day.
  Officer Warren and his wife, Betsy Gray, were active in the community 
helping to feed the homeless. While on patrol, Officer Warren would 
pass out bottles of cold water to the homeless sweltering in the heat 
and humidity of Memphis. While off duty with his family, they would 
take their grill to Overton Park to feed the homeless. At one point, 
Officer Warren considered leaving law enforcement to start a church. 
However his good friend and ordained minister, Jeff Gray, remembers him 
saying ``Well, police work is all I know. I enjoy it. It also gives me 
the chance to minister to people because I'm right there.''
  Officer Timothy Warren was a man of exceptional courage with a big 
heart. His was a life too short, but today I honor him as a public 
servant and a hero. The city of Memphis is better because of his 
calling to serve and protect and because of his love for Memphis and 
its citizens. Officer Warren is survived by his wife Betsy, two 
children, James and Jewel, his father Jimmy Warren and his Sister Dondi 
Warren.

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