[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 101 (Thursday, June 26, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1086]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       IN HONOR OF FORMER ALBANY CHIEF OF POLICE WASHINGTON LONG

                                  _____
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 2014

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a great man and 
outstanding public servant, Mr. Washington Long, the first black Police 
Chief in the history of Albany, Georgia. Sadly, Chief Long died on 
Thursday, June 19, 2014. A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 
27, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Albany, 
Georgia with interment following at Riverside Cemetery.
  Mr. Long was born in Marianna, Florida. He enlisted in the United 
States Army at an early age, before transferring to the Air Force. 
While stationed at Turner Air Force Base in Albany, he met then Albany 
Police Department Chief Laurie Pritchett. Chief Pritchett saw potential 
in Mr. Long and asked him to join the force if Chief Pritchett could 
convince the commissioners to hire black police officers. Mr. Long made 
up his mind to join the Police Department when he was stopped by a 
police officer in downtown Albany, where racial strife was profuse in 
the years following the Albany Movement, a part of the greater Civil 
Rights Movement. He believed he could be a better police officer than 
the one who stopped him and so in 1966, Mr. Long became one of the 
city's first black police officers.
  In the police department, Mr. Long rose through the ranks of 
Corporal, Detective, Captain, Major and Assistant Chief. In 1987, Mr. 
Long was named Chief of the Albany Police Department, becoming the 
city's first black police chief. He held this post until he retired in 
1994.
  During his nearly thirty-year career with the Albany Police 
Department, Chief Long served the citizens of Albany, Georgia with 
devotion and distinction. Responsible for ensuring the safety and 
protection of the residents of Albany, Chief Long proved to be a strong 
and revered leader. A great number of challenges came with a position 
of this caliber, exacerbated by the lingering effects of segregation 
and racial tension. Chief Long met these challenges head-on with 
steadfast humility and strong moral fiber.
  Chief Long was a member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church for 
over fifty years and served on the Deacon Board. He was also a member 
of numerous community organizations, the most notable being the Board 
of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Albany--East Albany Unit. 
He sponsored the membership for many children over the years so that 
they could have a support system in the community to encourage them to 
realize their full potential.
  Shirley Chisholm once said that, ``Service is the rent that we pay 
for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' Chief Long's life 
was defined by service. He paid his rent and he paid it well through 
his distinguished service to his community, devotion to his work, and 
the compassion he showed for the people of Albany. He will truly be 
missed.
  Chief Long is survived by his daughter, Lisa; son, Ronald; and 
siblings Gertrude, Coriel, Paul, William, Frederick and Mariah.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife, Vivian, and the 
more than 700,000 residents of the Second Congressional District of 
Georgia in paying tribute to Chief Washington Long and his legacy of 
service to Albany, Georgia. He loved the people of Albany and he was 
committed to making the community safer to live in and to improving the 
quality of life. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, 
friends and loved ones during this difficult time and we pray that they 
will be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit 
in the days, weeks and months ahead.

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