[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 12, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H2840-H2846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RAFAEL RAMOS AND WENJIAN LIU NATIONAL BLUE ALERT ACT OF 2015
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 665) to encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans
throughout the United States in order to disseminate information when a
law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of
duty, is missing in connection with the officer's official duties, or
an imminent and credible threat that an individual intends to cause the
serious injury or death of a law enforcement officer is received, and
for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 665
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu
National Blue Alert Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Coordinator.--The term ``Coordinator'' means the Blue
Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice designated
under section 4(a).
(2) Blue alert.--The term ``Blue Alert'' means information
sent through the network relating to--
(A) the serious injury or death of a law enforcement
officer in the line of duty;
(B) an officer who is missing in connection with the
officer's official duties; or
(C) an imminent and credible threat that an individual
intends to cause the serious injury or death of a law
enforcement officer.
(3) Blue alert plan.--The term ``Blue Alert plan'' means
the plan of a State, unit of local government, or Federal
agency participating in the network for the dissemination of
information received as a Blue Alert.
(4) Law enforcement officer.--The term ``law enforcement
officer'' shall have the same meaning as in section 1204 of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42
U.S.C. 3796b).
(5) Network.--The term ``network'' means the Blue Alert
communications network established by the Attorney General
under section 3.
(6) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands.
SEC. 3. BLUE ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK.
The Attorney General shall establish a national Blue Alert
communications network within the Department of Justice to
issue Blue Alerts through the initiation, facilitation, and
promotion of Blue Alert plans, in coordination with States,
units of local government, law enforcement agencies, and
other appropriate entities.
SEC. 4. BLUE ALERT COORDINATOR; GUIDELINES.
(a) Coordination Within Department of Justice.--The
Attorney General shall assign an existing officer of the
Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator of
the Blue Alert communications network.
(b) Duties of the Coordinator.--The Coordinator shall--
(1) provide assistance to States and units of local
government that are using Blue Alert plans;
(2) establish voluntary guidelines for States and units of
local government to use in developing Blue Alert plans that
will promote compatible and integrated Blue Alert plans
throughout the United States, including--
(A) a list of the resources necessary to establish a Blue
Alert plan;
(B) criteria for evaluating whether a situation warrants
issuing a Blue Alert;
(C) guidelines to protect the privacy, dignity,
independence, and autonomy of any law enforcement officer who
may be the subject of a Blue Alert and the family of the law
enforcement officer;
(D) guidelines that a Blue Alert should only be issued with
respect to a law enforcement officer if--
(i) the law enforcement agency involved--
(I) confirms--
(aa) the death or serious injury of the law enforcement
officer; or
(bb) the attack on the law enforcement officer and that
there is an indication of the death or serious injury of the
officer; or
(II) concludes that the law enforcement officer is missing
in connection with the officer's official duties;
(ii) there is an indication of serious injury to or death
of the law enforcement officer;
(iii) the suspect involved has not been apprehended; and
(iv) there is sufficient descriptive information of the
suspect involved and any relevant vehicle and tag numbers;
(E) guidelines that a Blue Alert should only be issued with
respect to a threat to cause death or serious injury to a law
enforcement officer if--
(i) a law enforcement agency involved confirms that the
threat is imminent and credible;
(ii) at the time of receipt of the threat, the suspect is
wanted by a law enforcement agency;
(iii) the suspect involved has not been apprehended; and
(iv) there is sufficient descriptive information of the
suspect involved and any relevant vehicle and tag numbers;
(F) guidelines--
(i) that information should be provided to the National
Crime Information Center database operated by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation under section 534 of title 28, United
States Code, and any relevant crime information repository of
the State involved, relating to--
(I) a law enforcement officer who is seriously injured or
killed in the line of duty; or
(II) an imminent and credible threat to cause the serious
injury or death of a law enforcement officer;
(ii) that a Blue Alert should, to the maximum extent
practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in consultation
with law enforcement agencies of States and units of local
governments), be limited to the geographic areas most likely
to facilitate the apprehension of the suspect involved or
which the suspect could reasonably reach, which should not be
limited to State lines;
(iii) for law enforcement agencies of States or units of
local government to develop plans to communicate information
to neighboring States to provide for seamless communication
of a Blue Alert; and
(iv) providing that a Blue Alert should be suspended when
the suspect involved is apprehended or when the law
enforcement agency involved determines that the Blue Alert is
no longer effective; and
(G) guidelines for--
(i) the issuance of Blue Alerts through the network; and
(ii) the extent of the dissemination of alerts issued
through the network;
(3) develop protocols for efforts to apprehend suspects
that address activities during the period beginning at the
time of the initial notification of a law enforcement agency
that a suspect has not been apprehended and ending at the
time of apprehension of a suspect or when the law enforcement
agency involved determines that the Blue Alert is no longer
effective, including protocols regulating--
(A) the use of public safety communications;
(B) command center operations; and
(C) incident review, evaluation, debriefing, and public
information procedures;
(4) work with States to ensure appropriate regional
coordination of various elements of the network;
(5) establish an advisory group to assist States, units of
local government, law enforcement agencies, and other
entities involved in the network with initiating,
facilitating, and promoting Blue Alert plans, which shall
include--
(A) to the maximum extent practicable, representation from
the various geographic regions of the United States; and
(B) members who are--
(i) representatives of a law enforcement organization
representing rank-and-file officers;
(ii) representatives of other law enforcement agencies and
public safety communications;
(iii) broadcasters, first responders, dispatchers, and
radio station personnel; and
(iv) representatives of any other individuals or
organizations that the Coordinator determines are necessary
to the success of the network;
(6) act as the nationwide point of contact for--
(A) the development of the network; and
(B) regional coordination of Blue Alerts through the
network; and
(7) determine--
(A) what procedures and practices are in use for notifying
law enforcement and the public when--
(i) a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously
injured in the line of duty;
(ii) a law enforcement officer is missing in connection
with the officer's official duties; and
(iii) an imminent and credible threat to kill or seriously
injure a law enforcement officer is received; and
(B) which of the procedures and practices are effective and
that do not require the expenditure of additional resources
to implement.
[[Page H2841]]
(c) Limitations.--
(1) Voluntary participation.--The guidelines established
under subsection (b)(2), protocols developed under subsection
(b)(3), and other programs established under subsection (b),
shall not be mandatory.
(2) Dissemination of information.--The guidelines
established under subsection (b)(2) shall, to the maximum
extent practicable (as determined by the Coordinator in
consultation with law enforcement agencies of States and
units of local government), provide that appropriate
information relating to a Blue Alert is disseminated to the
appropriate officials of law enforcement agencies, public
health agencies, and other agencies.
(3) Privacy and civil liberties protections.--The
guidelines established under subsection (b) shall--
(A) provide mechanisms that ensure that Blue Alerts comply
with all applicable Federal, State, and local privacy laws
and regulations; and
(B) include standards that specifically provide for the
protection of the civil liberties, including the privacy, of
law enforcement officers who are seriously injured or killed
in the line of duty, is missing in connection with the
officer's official duties, or who are threatened with death
or serious injury, and the families of the officers.
(d) Cooperation With Other Agencies.--The Coordinator shall
cooperate with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the
Secretary of Transportation, the Chairman of the Federal
Communications Commission, and appropriate offices of the
Department of Justice in carrying out activities under this
Act.
(e) Restrictions on Coordinator.--The Coordinator may not--
(1) perform any official travel for the sole purpose of
carrying out the duties of the Coordinator;
(2) lobby any officer of a State regarding the funding or
implementation of a Blue Alert plan; or
(3) host a conference focused solely on the Blue Alert
program that requires the expenditure of Federal funds.
(f) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Coordinator shall submit to Congress a report on the
activities of the Coordinator and the effectiveness and
status of the Blue Alert plans that are in effect or being
developed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson
Lee) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous materials on S. 665, currently under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
This week in Washington, D.C., we are celebrating National Police
Week. This annual tradition, which draws tens of thousands of law
enforcement officers from around the country, is a time to celebrate
the critical role that police play in maintaining a free and safe
society. It is also a time to mourn our Nation's fallen heroes.
Last year, 127 men and women gave their lives while protecting
Americans' public safety, including three officers in my home State of
Virginia. The average age of these fallen officers is just 40 years
old, which is too young to be taken from their loved ones.
The Blue Alert system, which is currently in place in 20 States, is a
cooperative effort among local, State, and Federal authorities, law
enforcement agencies, and the general public.
S. 665, the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of
2015, seeks to expand on these existing programs by encouraging an
enhanced nationwide system for the distribution of time-sensitive
information to help identify and locate a violent suspect when a law
enforcement officer is injured or killed in the line of duty or when
there is an imminent and credible threat against an officer.
Similar to the AMBER Alerts for missing children and Silver Alerts
for missing seniors, Blue Alerts broadcast information about suspects,
including a description of an offender who is still at large and, if
available, a description of the offender's vehicle and license plate
information. Like AMBER Alerts, Blue Alerts are intended to hinder the
offender's ability to escape and will facilitate their capture.
S. 665 directs the Justice Department to designate an existing
employee as the Blue Alert national coordinator, who will establish
voluntary guidelines for the program and encourage those States that
have not already done so to develop Blue Alert plans.
The House has passed similar versions of this legislation in the past
two Congresses, but those bills were not taken up by the Senate.
The version of the Blue Alert bill that we consider today is
different for two important reasons:
First, unlike the Blue Alert bills from prior Congresses that passed
this body only to wither away in the Senate, S. 665 will be sent
directly to the President's desk for signature following House passage.
I urge him to sign this legislation without delay.
Second, S. 665 is named after New York City Police Officers Rafael
Ramos and Wenjian Liu, who, in December 2014, were murdered in cold
blood by a malevolent killer who traveled from Baltimore to Brooklyn
with the stated intention of shooting police officers.
Officer Ramos left behind a wife and 13-year-old son. Officer Liu
left behind his wife of just 2 months. This bill, a tribute to their
service and sacrifice, will hopefully spare other families from the
pain of losing a loved one.
I thank Senator Cardin, Mr. Reichert of Washington, and the many
bipartisan cosponsors of both the House and Senate bills for their work
on this important legislation. I also thank the many outside law
enforcement organizations that have tirelessly promoted the Blue Alert
program over the past several years.
This bill reaffirms Congress' commitment to ensure the safety of the
men and women in our Nation's law enforcement communities and the
citizens they serve and protect every day.
I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Let me thank Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Conyers of the
Judiciary Committee for this timely presentation and the offering of
this legislation on the floor this week, which is a time to commemorate
and mourn and to uphold the Nation's law enforcement. It is a very
important statement that we make today on the floor of the House.
As a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, a ranking member
of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and
Investigations, and yes, as a Member of Congress from Houston, which
has one of the Nation's most effective police departments, and as a
cosponsor of the House companion measure, I rise in strong support of
S. 665, the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of
2015.
I, too, thank Senator Cardin, Congressman Reichert, and my colleague
and friend, Congressman Pascrell. I am also a cosponsor. I thank them
for their particular leadership on this bill.
Every day, more than 900,000 officers protect and serve the people of
the United States. On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in
the line of duty every 58 hours. Each year, there is an average of
58,930 assaults on our law enforcement officers, resulting in 15,404
injuries.
Just yesterday, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the community held a
memorial for two dedicated public servants fatally shot during a
traffic stop on Saturday night.
Married and the father of two, Benjamin Deen, a 34-year-old canine
officer, was recognized in 2012 as the Hattiesburg Officer of the Year.
Liquori Tate, just 25 years old, fulfilled a childhood dream when he
graduated from the police academy and joined the police force less than
1 year ago. Many of us heard the sympathetic and emotional outpouring
by his family of his love of being a law enforcement officer.
For the community of Hattiesburg, the senseless deaths of on-duty
officers are the first in three decades. Hattiesburg is not alone,
however, in these tragic developments. Law enforcement fatalities in
the U.S. rose 24 percent in 2014, reversing 2 years of significant
decline.
The number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty
rose from 102 in 2013 to 126 in 2014. Statistics released yesterday by
the FBI show that
[[Page H2842]]
51 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty
in 2014. This is an increase of almost 89 percent when compared to the
27 killed in 2013. Of those 51 felonious deaths, offenders used
firearms in 46 of them.
Just 1 day before this tragedy in Mississippi, Officer Brian Moore
was laid to rest thousands of miles away in Long Island, New York.
After 6 p.m. on a Saturday, Moore and his partner came upon the gunman.
After identifying himself as a police officer and asking the gunman
about the object in his waistband, the gunman fatally shot Moore in the
face.
Moore was 20 years old when he joined the New York Police Department.
After over 5 years of service, he earned two Meritorious Police Duty
medals and two Excellent Police Duty medals. He died several days after
he was shot.
{time} 1730
The killing of Officer Moore in New York City comes on the heels of
the December killings of New York Police Department Officers Rafael
Ramos and Wenjian Liu, for whom this legislation before us
memorializes. These officers were killed on a Saturday afternoon while
sitting in their parked patrol car by a man who shared his intent to
kill police officers on social media.
This man traveled from Maryland to New York to execute his plan; and,
unfortunately, at the same time Maryland authorities were warning the
NYPD of this threat, Officers Ramos and Liu were being assassinated.
Benjamin Deen, Liquori Tate, Brian Moore, Rafael Ramos, and Wenjian
Liu and other fallen heroes join the more than 20,000 U.S. law
enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since the
first known line-of-duty death in 1791, nearly 1,700 of whom hail from
my home State of Texas and 121 from the Houston Police Department.
The brave men and women who risk their lives to keep the peace and
keep us safe are too often taken by the violence they are working to
prevent. When a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed,
rapid dissemination of information about the suspected criminal is
critical to ensuring justice for that officer and keeping the public
safe.
Here lies the opportunity for this important legislation. The Blue
Alert System is modeled after the AMBER Alert and the Silver Alert.
Currently, 22 States, including my home State of Texas, have local Blue
Alert programs in operation.
The gist of this legislation is to provide for the coordination and
the provisions for other States to participate and to help other States
participate in a Blue Alert plan. This Blue Alert plan, I hope, will
save lives or will, in essence, save and protect law enforcement
officers or bring their perpetrator, tragically, of their death, to
justice.
This is an important statement this week as we mourn those who have
fallen in the service of their country as law enforcement officers.
This is an important action, if you will, to tell the families of these
officers that we care. I hope my colleagues will join us in supporting
this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as
he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert), the
chief sponsor of the companion House legislation.
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding generous
time for my comments. I also want to thank you for your strong support
for this legislation, and I take a moment also to thank Ms. Jackson Lee
for her strong words of support. Her passion was evident and felt in
her words.
This is a very close topic to my heart, very near and dear to me. I
think, as most Members in this body know, I spent 33 years in law
enforcement before I came to Congress. I have been here 10 years; I
tell people I just look like I have been here 40 years, but I have had
the blessing of serving in many different ways, first in the Air Force
and now in Congress.
Today is just an honor to stand here in support of this legislation
because, this week, we have families from all across the country. When
I arrived at the airport this afternoon, at 3:30, motorcades were lined
up to escort the survivors of the fallen officers, honor guards
standing at the gates where people are coming off the airplanes, to
escort the families of the fallen officers.
These men and women risk their lives every day across this great
Nation to protect our communities, protect our families, protect our
children, and we need to help them. This bill does just that because,
when they leave home, they don't know if they are coming back. The
families don't know if they are coming back home that day or that
evening.
My own family has had that experience watching me being wheeled into
a hospital room with stab wounds in the side of my neck. They learned
about it on TV. That was back in the seventies, so it was a little bit
different time back then, but it is still a dangerous job.
We worked hard to work with the New York Police Department, the
Sergeants Benevolent Association, and the Federal Law Enforcement
Officers Association to rename this bill after the two New York police
officers, Ramos and Liu, because this is a story where this Blue Alert
could have made a difference.
It could have made a difference because the suspect in this case shot
his girlfriend in Maryland at 5:45 in the morning, and then at 2:45, 3
in the afternoon, showed up in New York, after posting on social media
that he was going to make ``angels out of police officers that day.''
As Ms. Jackson Lee said, the information came to NYPD too late.
We think Blue Alert can make a difference. We think Blue Alert can
save lives. We think Blue Alert can keep our officers safer on the
streets.
In Seattle, Washington, there is a community called Lakewood; and it
is just a half an hour, 40 minutes, south of Seattle, the city of
Lakewood. In 2009, there were four police officers sitting in a coffee
shop.
They were having a squad meeting, a sergeant and three police
officers--Sergeant Renninger, Officer Owens, Officer Griswold, and
Officer Richard--just sitting there, having coffee, talking about what
was going to happen that day, what they were going to focus on that day
to keep that community safe.
A man walked in and assassinated all four officers. A 2-day manhunt
occurred looking for that suspect, for that murderer, for that
monster--2 days. If we had had Blue Alert--and during those 2 days,
that suspect is on the loose. He is not only a danger to other police
officers, he is a danger to the entire community. We need to find these
people as soon as possible.
A Blue Alert--because we knew who this guy was, and in the New York
case, we knew who this guy was--all we need to do is put the
information out there sooner, quicker, faster, immediately so we could
capture these people and put them behind bars and keep the community
safe.
Also, a number of years ago, in 1982, I lost a friend, my best friend
and my partner, and he was shot and killed chasing a murder suspect. I
was one of the cops out there for 3 days searching for this guy in the
foothills of the Cascade Mountains, about 45 minutes southeast of
Seattle. In 1982, of course, we didn't have this technology. I know the
feeling of losing a good friend, a good cop, a father of five,
dedicated, would do anything for his community.
We have got to do everything we can to show support across this
country for our cops on the street, for their families, and this week
especially, when you see a police officer walking around the Capitol
Grounds, make sure you say thank you. Make sure you say thank you to
the family because this is a loss they will never, ever forget; and
neither will we.
I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
I also want to make mention of a good friend who has worked with me
on law enforcement issues here in this body, who was the mayor of
Paterson, New Jersey. I always tell Bill Pascrell that he would have
made a good sheriff. He is a strong supporter of law enforcement, first
responders, and firefighters.
He and I co-chair the Law Enforcement Caucus together. He is here in
this body today, and I know he is going to be speaking on some of these
issues this evening.
He has been a good friend to law enforcement, and I appreciate all
the
[[Page H2843]]
hard work that he has put into this bill and others to help support our
law enforcement officers across this country.
I appreciate the time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Reichert for his
belief in this bill and for his statement of the preciousness of life
of our law enforcement officers and our families who depend upon them.
This bill, of course, in particular, would work with States to ensure
the regional coordination of various elements of the network, which
speaks directly to the heinous crime committed against the two New York
police officers and someone who traveled from Maryland to New York.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Pascrell), a gentleman who lives in the region and who we have had the
privilege of working with, from COPS on the Beat to the Blue Alert and
many other bills dealing with our first responders, and a cosponsor of
this bill.
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman.
Anyone who listened to the gentleman from Washington State,
Congressman Reichert, if they have any doubt as to the significance,
not only of this piece of legislation and the other three pieces of
legislation that we will pursue after this, I don't know what it is
going to take because he was on the front lines. He doesn't have to
conjecture.
I personally thank Chairman Goodlatte. I personally thank Ranking
Member Conyers and, of course, our brothers in the Senate, Senator
Cardin, Senator Lindsey Graham.
We had a press conference in April and introduced this legislation.
At that press conference was Gina Miller. Gina Miller was the fiancee
of a Washington State trooper, Tony Radulescu, who was shot at a
traffic stop in Washington State and killed.
He went to high school in New Jersey. He was a vet from the gulf war,
as many of our police officers are. I promised Gina I would not take
off the wristband she gave me until we pass this legislation. It is
fitting in this month, when we honor all law enforcement, it is fitting
that we move this through the House of Representatives.
I am honored to stand with Mr. Reichert as we present this, and I am
honored and thank you all for coming on this piece of legislation.
We have heard the numbers about how many police officers were killed
in the line of duty in 2013 and 2014. It is a grave reminder that these
attacks are too common in our communities.
Last year, we mourned the loss of Jersey City Officer Melvin
Santiago, who was killed in the line of duty responding to a gang-
related robbery. Officer Santiago's death set off a series of targeted
threats against the Jersey police officers from the assailant's fellow
gang members.
The grave risk that our law enforcement officers face was tragically
confirmed this past Christmas when on-duty New York Police Department
Officers Ramos and Liu were murdered while simply sitting in their
squad car.
When threats like this occur, the rapid dissemination of critical,
time-sensitive information is essential, and the national Blue Alert
system would provide that in New Jersey and across our Nation.
Regardless of what aspect you talk of about police work, law
enforcement, talk must be followed by action.
{time} 1745
So cops, the police officers just don't need a pat on the back from
us while we place our grandchildren in the back of the car to see what
it is like to sit in a police car. They need our actions here in
Washington to help communities throughout America.
So I thank Chairman Goodlatte for putting this bill before us tonight
and the other bills that will follow.
Mr. GOODLATTE. I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen), another distinguished
gentleman who has worked on these issues and is now the ranking member
of the Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee of the House
Judiciary Committee.
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the ranking member for the
time; I want to thank the chairman for scheduling these bills; and
particularly I want to thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr.
Reichert) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) for bringing
them.
My first job out of law school was attorney for the Memphis Police
Department, and I served 3\1/2\ years working as the attorney for the
Memphis Police Department. I know that police are on the front lines of
democracy in seeing that we have a society that can function and that
we have people's rights protected in a most direct way.
The ranking member talked about the losses of the lives in New York
of Officer Davis; the two officers this bill is named for, Officers
Ramos and Liu; and then there were the two officers killed in
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, each of which is tragic and each of which
caused me to grieve and be mournful about the loss of these men's lives
in the course of duty.
While we have some issues with law enforcement in certain areas, we
need to have law enforcement; and the loss of any life of a law
enforcement member in the actions of their duties or because of their
position is wrong, and we should have a system in place to apprehend
and arrest somebody who, with probable cause, committed that crime.
I also want to thank the chairman of the committee for scheduling a
hearing next week on civil rights issues. These issues go together. No
one should lose their life wrongfully. We must deal with these issues,
and it is commendable.
There are some good things happening in Congress. So many times I go
home, and people talk about the acrimony and don't we get along. Well,
we get some things done, and we get some things done together, and the
Judiciary Committee is doing some of those things.
I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member, who is not here,
for that.
I am a proud sponsor of this bill. I hope everybody will vote for it
and pass it. It will save some law enforcement people's lives.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and if the
gentlewoman from Texas is prepared to yield back, I am prepared to do
the same.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I was moved by all of the presentations that have been
made here today, statements on the floor, by passionate Members of
Congress. It reminded me of my time as a municipal court judge, seeing
officers in clothing that would not be recognizable because they were
undercover officers, seeking what we call probable cause warrants and
trying to save communities.
I think this legislation is extremely important in this week because
what it says is that we can all get along, that we can pass legislation
that deals with the pain of our law enforcement officers and commits us
to the statement that we want them to go home to their families. At the
same time, we can use the words ``criminal justice reform'' and not
offend by saying it is to help everyone: our law enforcement officers
and our civilians.
I am also grateful that next week we will have the opportunity to
hear a myriad of issues on this particular point.
But as we come together this week, officers of the law will be coming
to Washington, D.C., from all parts of the Nation. This legislation
will make the statement that we want to coordinate, we want to
establish advisory groups, we want to establish guidelines for States,
and we want to provide assistance to have the Blue Alert plans.
As we have saved children through the AMBER Alerts and helped find
senior citizens through the Silver Alerts, I want to make sure that we
bring more officers home to their families by ensuring that heinous
criminals who are out to do them harm are caught before they do more
harm.
I also want to say that I look forward to working on legislation that
deals with bringing us together and making sure that we address all of
the concerns.
So I join today with the Fraternal Order of Police, the National
Association of Police Organizations, and the National Sheriffs'
Association in supporting this legislation, S. 665. But more
importantly, Mr. Speaker, I stand today mourning those who have been
lost and joining our officers as they
[[Page H2844]]
converge upon the United States Capitol, standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
I want to say to them that America cares. We honor you; we mourn you;
and we stand in assistance to you.
I would like to introduce into the Record a list of officers killed
in the line of duty in my own hometown of Houston, Texas, from the
Houston Police Department.
Houston Police Department Officers Killed in the Line of Duty
Line of Duty Deaths: 112
Assault: 1
Automobile accident: 10
Fire: 1
Gunfire: 69
Gunfire (Accidental): 2
Heart attack: 2
Motorcycle accident: 9
Stabbed: 2
Struck by vehicle: 5
Vehicle pursuit: 1
Vehicular assault: 10
By Month
January: 12
February: 7
March: 12
April: 10
May: 7
June: 15
July: 5
August: 14
September: 9
October: 6
November: 6
December: 9
By Gender
Male: 109
Female: 3
Police Officer Kevin Scott Will, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Sunday, May 29, 2011, Cause: Vehicular assault.
Police Officer Eydelmen Mani, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, May 19, 2010, Cause: Automobile accident.
Police Officer Henry Canales, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Tuesday, June 23, 2009, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Timothy Scott Abernethy, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Sunday, December 7, 2008, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Gary Allen Gryder, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Sunday, June 29, 2008, Cause: Vehicular
assault.
Officer Rodney Joseph Johnson, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, September 21, 2006, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer Reuben Becerra DeLeon, Jr., Houston Police
Department, EOW: Wednesday, October 26, 2005, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Frank Manuel Cantu, Jr., Houston Police
Department, EOW: Thursday, March 25, 2004, Cause: Vehicular
assault.
Police Officer Charles Roy Clark, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Thursday, April 3, 2003, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Keith Alan Dees, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, March 7, 2002, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
Police Officer Alberto ``Albert'' Vasquez, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Tuesday, May 22, 2001, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer Dennis E. Holmes, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Wednesday, January 10, 2001, Cause: Heart attack.
Police Officer Jerry Keith Stowe, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Wednesday, September 20, 2000, Cause:
Assault.
Police Officer Troy Alan Blando, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, May 19, 1999, Cause: Gunfire.
Sergeant Kent Dean Kincaid, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Saturday, May 23, 1998, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Cuong Huy ``Tony'' Trinh, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Sunday, April 6, 1997, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Dawn Suzanne Erickson, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Sunday, December 24, 1995, Cause: Struck by
vehicle.
Police Officer David Michael Healy, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Saturday, November 12, 1994, Cause:
Automobile accident.
Police Officer Guy P. Gaddis, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Monday, January 31, 1994, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Michael P. Roman, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, January 6, 1994, Cause: Vehicle pursuit.
Sergeant Bruno David Soboleski, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Friday, April 12, 1991, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer John Anthony Salvaggio, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Sunday, November 25, 1990, Cause: Vehicular
assault.
Police Officer James Bruce Irby, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, June 27, 1990, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer James Charles Boswell, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Saturday, December 9, 1989, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer Fiorentino M. Garcia, Jr., Houston Police
Department, EOW: Friday, November 10, 1989, Cause: Motorcycle
accident.
Officer Elston Morris Howard, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, July 20, 1988, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer Andrew Winzer, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Thursday, February 18, 1988, Cause: Automobile accident.
Officer Maria Michelle Groves, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Friday, April 10, 1987, Cause: Vehicular assault.
Officer William Moss, Houston Airport Police Department,
EOW: Monday, September 12, 1983, Cause: Automobile accident.
Police Officer Charles Robert Coates, II, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Wednesday, February 23, 1983, Cause: Struck
by vehicle.
Police Officer Kathleen C. Schaefer, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Wednesday, August 18, 1982, Cause: Gunfire
(Accidental).
Officer James D. Harris, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Tuesday, July 13, 1982, Cause: Gunfire.
Detective Daryl W. Shirley, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Wednesday, April 28, 1982, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Winston J. Rawlins, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Monday, March 29, 1982, Cause: Fire.
Police Officer William Edwin DeLeon, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Monday, March 29, 1982, Cause: Vehicular
assault.
Police Officer Jose A. Zamarron, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Saturday, April 18, 1981, Cause: Vehicular assault.
Detective Victor R. Wells, III, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, October 2, 1980, Cause: Gunfire.
Deputy City Marshal Charles H. Baker, Houston City
Marshal's Office, EOW: Thursday, August 16, 1979, Cause:
Gunfire.
Police Officer Timothy Lowe Hearn, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Thursday, June 8, 1978, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer James F. Kilty, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, April 8, 1976, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer George G. Rojas, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, January 28, 1976, Cause: Stabbed.
Police Officer Richard H. Calhoun, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Friday, October to, 1975, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer Francis Eddie Wright, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Saturday, August 2, 1975, Cause: Struck by vehicle.
Police Officer Johnny Terrell Bamsch, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Thursday, January 30, 1975, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Jerry Lawrence Riley, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Tuesday, June 18, 1974, Cause: Automobile
accident.
Police Officer David Huerta, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, September 19, 1973, Cause: Gunfire.
Patrolman Antonio Guzman Jr., Houston Police Department,
EOW: Tuesday, January 9, 1973, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Jerry L. Spruill, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, October 26, 1972, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer David Franklin Noel, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Saturday, June 17, 1972, Cause: Stabbed.
Police Officer Claude R. Beck, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Friday, December 10, 1971, Cause: Struck by vehicle.
Police Officer Robert Wayne Lee, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Sunday, January 31, 1971, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Leon Griggs, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Saturday, January 31, 1970, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Kenneth L. Moody, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, November 26, 1969, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Bobby L. James, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, June 26, 1968, Cause: Vehicular assault.
Police Officer Ben Eddie Gerhart, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Wednesday, June 26, 1968, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Louis R. Kuba, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, May 17, 1967, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Louis L. Sander, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Saturday, January 21, 1967, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Floyd T. DeLoach Jr., Houston Police
Department, EOW: Wednesday, June 30, 1965, Cause: Gunfire .
Police Officer Herbert N. Planer, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Thursday, February 18, 1965, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer James Franklin Willis, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Wednesday, July 1, 1964, Cause: Automobile
accident.
Sergeant Charles R. McDaniel, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Sunday, August 4, 1963, Cause: Automobile accident.
Police Officer James T. Walker, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Friday, March 8, 1963, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
Police Officer Gonzalo Q. Gonzalez, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Sunday, February 28, 1960, Cause: Automobile
accident.
Police Officer John W. Suttle, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Monday, August 3, 1959, Cause: Struck by vehicle.
Police Officer C.E. Branon, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Friday, March 20, 1959, Cause: Vehicular assault.
Police Officer Noel R. Miller, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Friday, June 6, 1958, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Robert Schultea, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Saturday, August 25, 1956, Cause: Gunfire.
Auxiliary Officer Frank L. Kellogg, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Wednesday, November 30, 1955, Cause:
Gunfire.
Captain Charles R. Gougenheim, Houston Police Department
EOW: Saturday, April 30, 1955, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Jack B. Beets, Houston Police Department
EOW: Saturday, April 30, 1955 Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Fred Maddox Jr., Houston Police Department,
EOW: Wednesday, February 24, 1954, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Smith Anderson ``Buster'' Kent, Houston
Police Department, EOW: Tuesday, January 12, 1954, Cause:
Motorcycle accident.
Police Officer Howard B. Hammond, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Sunday, August 18, 1946, Cause: Gunfire.
[[Page H2845]]
Police Officer George D. Edwards, Houston Police
Department, EOW: Friday, June 30, 1939, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer M.E. Palmer, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Thursday, March 24, 1938, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer A.P. Martial, Houston Police Department EOW:
Monday, November 8, 1937 Cause: Automobile accident.
Police Officer James T. Gambill, Houston Police Department
EOW: Tuesday, December 1, 1936 Cause: Heart attack.
Detective Rempsey H. Sullivan, Houston Police Department
EOW: Saturday, March 9, 1935 Cause: Gunfire.
Officer Harry T. Mereness, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Wednesday, October 18, 1933, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
Officer J.D. Landry, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Wednesday, December 3, 1930, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
Officer Willie Bonner Phares, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Tuesday, September 30, 1930, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer Edward D. Fitzgerald, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Saturday, September 20, 1930, Cause: Gunfire.
Motorcycle Officer C.F. Thomas, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Tuesday, December 17, 1929, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
Detective Ed Jones, Houston Police Department, EOW: Friday,
September 13, 1929, Cause. Gunfire.
Detective Oscar Hope, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Saturday, June 22, 1929, Cause: Gunfire.
Detective A. Worth Davis, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Sunday, June 17, 1928 Cause: Gunfire.
Detective Carl Greene, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Wednesday, March 14, 1928, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer R. Q. Wells, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Saturday, July 30, 1927, Cause: Automobile accident.
Officer Perry P. Jones, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Sunday, January 30, 1927, Cause: Gunfire.
Detective E. C. Chavez, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Thursday, September 17, 1925 Cause: Gunfire.
Detective Pete Corrales, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Sunday, January 25, 1925, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer J. Clark Etheridge, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Saturday, August 23, 1924, Cause: Motorcycle accident.
Police Officer George Benard Crawford, Magnolia Park Police
Department, EOW: Saturday, September 17, 1921, Cause:
Motorcycle accident.
Police Officer Dave Murdock, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Monday, June 27, 1921, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer Jeter Young, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Sunday, June 19, 1921, Cause: Vehicular assault.
Detective Johnnie Davidson, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Saturday, February 19, 1921, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Ira Raney, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Ross Patton, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Horace Moody, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer E. G. Meinke, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Rufus E. Daniels, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, August 23, 1917, Cause: Gunfire.
Detective Isaac Parson, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Sunday, May 24, 1914, Cause: Gunfire (Accidental).
Detective Joseph Robert Free, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Friday, October 18, 1912, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer John M. Cain, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Thursday, August 3, 1911, Cause: Gunfire.
Deputy Chief William E. Murphy, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Friday, April 1, 1910, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer John C. James, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, December 12, 1901, Cause: Gunfire.
Police Officer Herman Youngst, Houston Police Department,
EOW: Thursday, December 12, 1901, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer William F. Weiss Houston Police Department, EOW:
Tuesday, July 30, 1901, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer James E. Fenn, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Sunday, March 15, 1891, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer Henry Williams, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Monday, February 8, 1886, Cause: Gunfire.
Patrolman Richard Snow, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Friday, March 17, 1882, Cause: Gunfire.
Officer C. Edward Foley, Houston Police Department, EOW:
Saturday, March 10, 1860 Cause: Gunfire.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I will close with a prayer that those
who are already lost will know that we pray for their eternal rest, and
for those who live, that we pray for their continued service to this
Nation.
Mr. Speaker, as a senior Member of the House Judiciary Committee; as
the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland
Security, and Investigations; as the representative from Houston, which
has one of the Nation's most effective police departments; and as a co-
sponsor of the House companion measure, I rise in strong support of S.
665, the ``Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of
2015.''
Every day, more than 900,000 officers protect and serve the people of
the United States. On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in
the line of duty every 58 hours. And, each year, there is an average of
58,930 assaults on our law enforcement officers, resulting in 15,404
injuries.
Just yesterday, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a community held a
memorial for two dedicated public servants fatally shot during a
traffic stop on Saturday night. Married and the father of two, Benjamin
Deen, a 34-year-old K-9 officer, was recognized in 2012 as the
Hattiesburg ``Officer of the Year.'' Liquori Tate, just 25 years old,
fulfilled a childhood dream when he graduated the police academy and
joined the police force less than one year ago. For the community of
Hattiesburg, these senseless deaths of on duty officers are the first
in three decades.
Hattiesburg is not alone in these tragic developments. Law
enforcement fatalities in the U.S. rose 24 percent in 2014, reversing
two years of significant decline. The number of law enforcement
officers killed in the line of duty rose from 102 in 2013 to 126 in
2014. Preliminary statistics released yesterday by the FBI show that 51
law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in
2014. This is an increase of almost 89 percent when compared to the 27
killed in 2013. And, of those 51 felonious deaths, offenders used
firearms in 46.
Just one day before this tragedy in Mississippi, Officer Brian Moore
was laid to rest thousands of miles away in Long Island, New York.
Around 6 p.m. on a Saturday, Moore and his partner came upon the
gunman. After identifying himself as a police officer, and asking the
gunman about the object in his waistband, the gunman fatally shot Moore
in the face. Moore was just 20 years old when he joined the New York
Police Department and, over five years of service, he earned two medals
for meritorious police duty and two for excellent police duty.
The killing of Officer Moore in New York City comes on the heels of
the December killings of NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu,
for whom the legislation before us memorializes. These officers were
killed on a Saturday afternoon, while sitting in their parked patrol
car, by a man who had shared his intent to kill police officers on
social media. This man traveled from Maryland to New York to execute
his plan. Unfortunately, at the same time Maryland authorities were
warning the NYPD of this threat, Officers Ramos and Liu were being
assassinated.
Benjamin Dean, Liquori Tate, Brian Moore, Rafael Ramos, and Wenjian
Liu--these fallen heroes join the more than 20,000 U.S. law enforcement
officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since the first known
line-of-duty death in 1791, nearly 1,700 of whom hail from my home
state of Texas and 121 from the Houston Police Department.
The brave men and women who risk their lives to keep the peace and
keep us safe are too often taken by the violence they are working to
prevent. So when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or
killed, rapid dissemination of information about the suspected criminal
is critical to ensuring justice for that officer and keeping the public
safe.
These officers deserve more than just a response after violence, they
deserve an effective, nationwide system that can widely disseminate
advance warnings when an imminent and credible threat is made against
them.
Having in place such a system could be the difference between life
and death. And, for Officers Ramos and Liu, having such a system in
place may have given them a fighting chance. The measure before us
seeks to meet these safety challenges by putting in place such a
system.
The Blue Alert system is modeled after the Amber Alert and the Silver
Alert programs, which have been very successful in finding abducted
children and missing seniors. Currently 22 states, including my home
state of Texas, have local Blue Alert programs in operation. There is
no national system, however, to coordinate alerts across multiple state
lines.
This legislation addresses this gap by directing the Attorney General
to establish a national communications network within the Department of
Justice to disseminate information when an officer is seriously injured
or killed in the line of duty, or the target of an imminent, credible
threat to do the same, and assign a Department of Justice officer to
act as the national coordinator of the Blue Alert Network.
The National Blue Alert Coordinator will--
(1) provide assistance to states and local governments using Blue
Alert plans;
(2) establish voluntary guidelines for states and local governments
for developing these plans; develop protocols for efforts to apprehend
suspects;
(3) work with states to ensure regional coordination of various
elements of the network; and
[[Page H2846]]
(4) establish advisory groups, to assist states, local governments,
law enforcement agencies and other entities in initiating,
facilitating, and promoting Blue Alerts through the network.
The Coordinator will also determine what procedures and practices to
use in notifying law enforcement and the public when a law enforcement
officer is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty, or is the
target of an imminent, credible threat to do the same, and which
procedures and practices are the most cost effective to implement.
Mr. Speaker, it is time to expand this excellent program nationwide.
Passage of S. 665 will not prevent the loss of all brave law
enforcement officials in the future, but it can help. Even if it saves
one life, and enables one officer to return safely home to his or her
loved ones, this legislation will have proven its value.
It is particularly timely that we consider this measure during
National Police Week.
This week is a special occasion during which we recognize our law
enforcement officers and honor those who lost their lives in the line
of duty. But it would be careless not to also reflect on the events
that are unfolding across the Nation in response to tragic incidents
involving the use of lethal force against unarmed citizens.
The measure before us will enhance officer safety, which should
always be one of our major concerns, but the issuance of alerts alone
is not enough. The safety of law enforcement officers and community
members are undeniably intertwined, but recent events have made it
clear that the mutual trust and respect necessary for this relationship
needs to be strengthened.
If we are to succeed in the vital mission of building trust and
mutual respect between law enforcement and the communities they serve,
we must work to really see each other. We must also work to understand
each other's reality.
Citizens need to see the risks and dangers the men and women of law
enforcement experience when they put on their badge. Law enforcement
needs to see the same risks and dangers men and women in their
communities experience when they walk down the street or drive their
cars. We must see that we are not enemies and we must commit to
addressing these problems in a productive and nonviolent manner.
In order to fully see each other, we need to gain a clear picture of
what is happening in our communities. The lack of comprehensive and
reliable data feeds into this distrust and is an obstacle to moving us
forward.
As stated by FBI Director Comey, we cannot effectively address
concerns about ``use of force'' policies and officer-involved shootings
if we do not have a firm grasp on the demographics and circumstances of
such incidents.
That is why I have introduced H.R. 1810, the CADET Act, which would
mandate the data collection and analysis necessary to properly educate
and train law enforcement. We simply cannot have an informed discussion
about sound policy if we do not improve the way we collect and analyze
data.
But it does not stop there. If we are to truly succeed in this
mission, we in Congress must have a frank conversation about the
policies we have enacted that have caused and exacerbated this
distrust.
We must recognize the role that our actions have played in
constructing a criminal justice system that creates more criminals and
victims than justice. And, we must do our part by taking up the task of
reforming our criminal justice system so that it is fairer and delivers
equal justice to all persons.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bipartisan legislation because it
increases safety for us all and it is an important step towards
repairing the relationship between law enforcement and the communities
that they serve.
Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to join me, the Fraternal Order of
Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, and the
National Sheriffs Association in supporting S. 665.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this good
and important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Young of Iowa). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 665.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________