[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 78 (Wednesday, May 20, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H3394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HOUSTON POLICE OFFICER--RICHARD MARTIN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in the early morning hours of Monday, 
while most of the city was asleep, the diligent Houston Police 
Department responded to a robbery call at an Exxon service station.
  The lawmen approach the scene, and they see a suspect speed off in 
what turned out to be a stolen U-Haul truck. The police follow the 
truck, and the high-speed chase is on.
  The outlaw abandons the truck, carjacks a woman, pushes her out of 
the minivan, and continues his flight. The outlaw fires shots at the 
police and keeps fleeing in the darkness of the morning hours.
  Houston Police Officer Richard Martin, aware of the chase and ahead 
of it, jumps out of his patrol car and starts placing spike strips on 
the road to stop the approaching vehicle. The criminal sees Officer 
Martin and intentionally runs over him and kills him. Then the criminal 
continues on a 20-mile run from the law in the city of Houston.
  He is later cornered by the police in a standoff, and then he shoots 
himself and is taken to the hospital. As he lingered in the hospital, 
the district attorney, Devon Anderson, prepared capital murder charges 
against him, but the killer died, thus avoiding the hangman.
  The outlaw had a long criminal history.
  Officer Richard Martin was a Houston police officer. He was 47 years 
of age. He had only been a peace officer for 4 years, and he worked at 
the Westside patrol division.
  Prior to being a police officer, he had been in private industry for 
20 years. Officer Martin was also a veteran. He spent 4 years on Active 
Duty in the United States Air Force, then spent 8 years as a reservist 
in the United States Air Force.
  Being a police officer was his ultimate goal, so in his early 
forties, he became a Houston police officer. In just 4 short years, 
Officer Martin became a field officer. His captain said that he crammed 
20 years of policing in the 4 years that he served as a Houston police 
officer. This speaks volume about his character as a lawman.
  He was the father of two, a 22-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old 
son; and he loved being actively involved in his children's lives, 
including his son's baseball team.
  Mr. Speaker, just last week, our Nation celebrated National Police 
Week, honoring the daily sacrifices of peace officers like Officer 
Martin.
  Just across the way here, on the west side of the Capitol, last 
Friday, the families of those who had lost peace officers were here, 
surrounded by thousands and thousands of other police officers and the 
public to show their respect for those who are killed in the line of 
duty; and how quickly we are reminded, again, of their sacrifices.
  Officer Martin's life was callously and coldly robbed and stolen from 
us and his family, and the Houston community is now in mourning.
  Our first responders are a special breed, those like Officer Richard 
Martin. They work selflessly to maintain and restore order in 
communities and neighborhoods across America. While we sleep, those 
that wear the badge are vigilantly and always on patrol, protecting us 
from the evil ones.
  For these remarkable men and women, their safety is never guaranteed. 
While the badge and the uniform represents safety for citizens, it is a 
target for the unlawful.
  We do take comfort in the fact that as long as criminals walk and 
wander our streets looking to do mischief, refusing to follow the law, 
peace officers will always be there on patrol, officers like Richard 
Martin.
  Officer Martin was one of those officers. He was one of Houston's 
finest. Friday, the city of Houston will lay to rest Officer Richard 
Martin. Peace officers will wear the black cloth ribbon of sacrifice 
across their badges as they stand in silent mourning for one of their 
brothers in blue.
  The bagpipes will play ``Amazing Grace,'' and the flags will be 
lowered, as yet one more of our best is laid to rest for sacrificing 
his life for the rest of us. Peace officers wear the badge over their 
heart as a symbol of their willingness to put themselves between us and 
the lawless.
  Officer Martin was a noble citizen who represented everything that is 
good and right about our society. With heavy hearts, we send prayers 
and thoughts to his family and those of the thin blue line in the 
Houston Police Department.
  We thank Officer Martin for giving his life for our town.
  And that is just the way it is.

                          ____________________