[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 125 (Tuesday, August 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S6290]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING OFFICER DAVID JOSEPH NELSON

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring the life of Bakersfield Police Officer David Joseph Nelson, a 
beloved son, brother, and grandson who was tragically killed in the 
line of duty on June 26, 2015.
  David Nelson was born on November 16, 1988 in Burbank, CA. He 
graduated with top honors from Burbank High School in 2007, where he 
was a member of the Associated Student Body and the varsity swim and 
water polo teams. Officer Nelson attended Occidental College, earning a 
bachelor's degree in economics with a minor in public policy. He was 
also a member of Occidental's water polo and basketball teams.
  As a college student, Officer Nelson interned with the U.S. 
Department of the Treasury and was offered a position upon graduation. 
However, he chose to remain in California to follow his lifelong dream 
of pursuing a career in law enforcement. In 2008, he joined the Burbank 
Police Department as a police cadet and became an officer with the 
Bakersfield Police Department in 2013.
  At a memorial service on July 1, 2015, Bakersfield Police Sergeant 
Uriel Pacheco recalled that Officer Nelson was a ``dedicated, 
trustworthy, courageous and respectful'' member of the department. 
Others remembered David Nelson as a talented athlete with a great sense 
of humor and a strong desire to help those less fortunate.
  On behalf of the people of California, whom Officer Nelson served so 
bravely, I extend my deepest sympathy to his parents Larry and Mary, 
brothers Erik and Michael, grandmothers Elsie Nelson and Josephine 
Gutierrez, and many uncles, aunts, cousins and friends.
  We are forever indebted to Officer David Joseph Nelson for his 
courage and sacrifice, and he will be deeply missed.

                          ____________________