[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 8, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H5809-H5815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING FALLEN POLICE OFFICERS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. McSally). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 6, 2015, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, before I begin, I ask unanimous consent
that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and
extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of
my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, last Friday, August 28, 2015, a deputy
sheriff that protects my neighborhood in Houston, Texas, Harris County
Deputy Sheriff Darren Goforth, was ambushed and brutally murdered at a
gas station that my family and I use regularly and that I drive past
every day.
I knew this good man. He was well known to my neighbors and me as a
model citizen and as a model officer.
You could not ask for a kinder, gentler, better law enforcement
officer than Darren Goforth. He was murdered in cold blood,
assassinated by someone whose motives are not completely clear yet.
In this atmosphere and this movement of extremist people calling on
individuals to attack law enforcement, I wanted to call this Special
Order. I want to thank my good friend, Judge Ted Poe, for organizing
this Special Order today.
We reserved this hour so that the Members of the House can come down
here today and express our love and admiration and appreciation for
every man and woman who wears the blue and defends our peace, our
liberty, our property, and our safety on the streets of America.
Deputy Goforth was a 10-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriffs
Department. He was a loving husband and a father of two precious
children, ages 5 and 12. He was murdered for one reason: Because he
wore the uniform. Because he wore the blue to protect us all, to
preserve our liberty, to protect our homes and our property, he was
murdered in cold blood.
I went to many of the prayer vigils in the neighborhood. I went to a
prayer vigil at the gas station where he was murdered, and I went to a
service last Friday. Our minister, Dr. Ed Young of Second Baptist
Church, conducted the service. It was overwhelming emotionally.
It was overwhelming and, also, encouraging to see the tremendous
outpouring of support from the people of Houston, from the people of
Texas, from people all over America, who showed up to express their
love and admiration and support for the men and
[[Page H5810]]
women in law enforcement who protect us every single day. It was an
outpouring of support like I don't think the people of Houston have
seen for a long, long time.
Dr. Young's service was particularly compelling as he pointed out
that the only prayer that Jesus taught us in the brief time he was here
with us on Earth was the Lord's Prayer.
Dr. Young pointed out that the Lord's Prayer concludes, as we all
know, with ``deliver us from evil.'' In that ``deliver us from evil,''
as Dr. Young pointed out, the word ``deliver'' actually means
``shield'' in Greek.
Dr. Young pointed out that the temple priests in Christ's time all
wore blue as a symbol of the protection that they afforded to the
temple-goers from evil and that Christ's robe was blue and it was
appropriate that the men and women who protect us every day wear blue
and we need to remember that they are there to shield us from evil.
There is no other job in America that you can go to work and might
not come home because of the threat that you face when you are willing
to step in front of a bullet or take that risk on yourself in defense
of your neighbors and your friends.
As Dr. Young pointed out in that service, the good thing to come from
this is that the people of Texas, the people of Houston, really, the
people of America--and that is demonstrated by my colleagues being here
with us today on the floor--have all stepped forward to let the law
enforcement community know that we are there for them, we love them, we
are praying for them, and that we have got their back.
In fact, one of the members of Second Baptist told Dr. Young and his
staff that, shortly after this terrible murder of Deputy Goforth, he
spotted a law enforcement officer filling his gas tank at a
neighborhood gas station. As the officer was looking over his shoulder
nervously, the member of Second Baptist walked up to the officer and
said, ``Don't worry, Officer. I have got your back.''
{time} 1930
A concealed carry permit holder--and as so many of our constituents
and neighbors in Texas are concealed carry permit holders--law
enforcement knows that a concealed carry permit holder is their best
friend.
The message that I want to make sure that every law enforcement
officer in the country hears tonight from myself and my colleagues and
from the people of Texas and America, for every law enforcement officer
out there: We love you. We are proud of you. We are praying for you and
your family, and most of all, we got your back.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), my
good friend and colleague.
Honoring Michael Byron Tabb, Sr.
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman
and all of my colleagues for coming tonight in support of law
enforcement.
The Good Book tells us that greater love hath no man but that he lay
down his life for his friends. That is what our law enforcement, our
first responders, our public safety personnel do for us each and every
day, 24/7, all across this country. For that, we are so grateful.
They are Black; they are White; they are young; they are seasoned;
they are male, and they are female. In my community in Columbus,
Georgia, we have had all of them to give their last full measure of
devotion in defense of our communities, to keep us safe at night, so I
commend my colleagues for that.
I thank my colleague so much for allowing me to invade this Special
Order to give a special tribute to one of my constituents who passed
away during our break.
It is with a heavy heart, Madam Speaker, and in solemn remembrance
that I rise today to pay tribute to a respected community leader, an
outstanding citizen, Michael Byron Tabb, Sr.
Sadly, Mike passed away on Monday, August 17, 2015, and funeral
services were held Saturday, August 22, at 11 a.m. at the Milford
Baptist Church in Leary, Georgia.
Mike Tabb was born in Albany, Georgia, and graduated from Baker
County High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in secondary
education and minored in biology at Valdosta State College, now
Valdosta State University.
He was a teacher and a coach from 1967 until 1974 and a farmer from
1974 to 1986. He then served as the managing editor for the Camilla
Enterprise from 1987 until 1993 and wrote the column ``Plantation
Pete.''
From 1993 to 2012, Mike worked at the Camilla Housing Authority as
grant and public relations coordinator and program coordinator.
Following his retirement, he continued to work part time with Community
Ventures, a nonprofit corporation that serves the community in various
ways, including building homes.
He was instrumental in obtaining grants totaling nearly $15 million
and contracts with the department of human resources to match welfare
clients with employment opportunities. He helped organize youth
development activities in 20 counties and acquired funding to construct
housing for low-to-moderate-income citizens.
He was widely known by everybody as a driving force in the community.
He served as chairman of the Baker Commission, chairman of the Mitchell
County Children and Youth Collaborative, chairman of the board of
directors of the Mitchell-Baker Association for Retarded Citizens,
chairman of the Baker County Historical Society, and chairman of the
Advisory Committee for South Georgia Judicial Circuit Indigent Defense
Program.
He was also a member of the Mitchell County Children and Youth Family
Connection Corporate Board, Baker County Family Connection, Mitchell
County Hospital Authority, and the Southwest Georgia Workforce
Investment Board.
He was instrumental in forming the first volunteer Baker County EMS
and was an avid historian, playing a critical role in the publishing of
the Baker County history book and cemetery book.
He was a resolute steward of Christ's message, and he taught Sunday
school for over 35 years at Milford Baptist Church. His faith and
spirituality always reminded those around him of the power of love and
fellowship through Christ and the church.
Mike has accomplished much in his life, but none of it would have
been possible without the love and support of his wife, Karin; his
children; grandchildren; and great-grandchildren.
Madam Speaker, my wife, Vivian, and I, along with the more than
730,000 people of the Second Congressional District, salute Mike Byron
Tabb for his dedicated service to his community.
I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join us in
extending our deepest sympathies to Mike's family, friends, and loved
ones during this difficult time. We pray that they will be consoled and
comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks,
and months ahead.
I thank my colleague for yielding to me. It was very special. I,
again, commend him for standing up and expressing our appreciation for
America's law enforcement, the men and women who protect us day in and
day out.
Mr. CULBERSON. Thank you, Sanford. I know the State of Georgia loves
and admires law enforcement as much as we do.
I am privileged to yield to my neighbor and colleague from Texas,
Judge Ted Poe.
Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, peace officers are really the last
strand of wire in defense between the fox and the chickens. They are
the ones that stand between the lawful and the lawless. They protect us
from outlaws. Sometimes, they do so without much appreciation from the
public.
Friday, about 11,000 people or more gathered for the funeral of
Deputy Darren Goforth at the Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.
Many hundreds of others couldn't get in to any of the service. It was
televised live on all four networks. Helicopters flew over during the
service. It was hot, and people stood and gave appreciation to this
man.
He was married to Kathleen. They had two children, Ava and Ryan. Ava
is 5, and Ryan is 12. He had been a Harris County deputy sheriff for 10
years. I guess every member of the sheriff's department was at that
funeral.
There were police officers from all over the United States there.
There were some from Canada and the United Kingdom. I talked to a
police officer
[[Page H5811]]
from Connecticut who was in Houston for this funeral. He was stunned in
a way of appreciation for the people and other peace officers that came
for this man's funeral.
It affected the whole community and still does to a great degree for
a lot of reasons. In my other life, I was a prosecutor and a judge at
the criminal courts building in Houston. I prosecuted people who killed
peace officers, and I tried cases where peace officers had been killed
when I was a judge. It is a grim thing that happens when a peace
officer is murdered in the line of duty.
As my colleague, Mr. Culberson, pointed out, Darren Goforth was
getting gasoline at a local gas station he stopped at regularly and was
filling up his patrol car 2 weeks ago. An assassin came up from behind
him and shot him in the back of the head.
He kept shooting. He finally emptied his clip, and 15 times, Deputy
Goforth was shot in the back of the head. The assassin fled but was
later captured, and a man is charged with capital murder.
There seems to be an environment in America that police officers are
being targeted. We will leave that for a different discussion. These
are real people. They do what most of us would never do. They go out
and protect and serve us. Police officers have been referred to as the
thin blue line.
As mentioned earlier, blue is a traditional color that peace officers
wear. They also wear a badge or a star, a star in Texas for deputy
sheriffs and Texas Rangers, a badge for local police officers. They
place that over their heart, symbolic of the shield that protects us
from the lawless.
They do that all over the country. That is why the badge or the star
is placed in that location. The badge, the star, it really represents
everything that is good and right about law and order and America.
When a person, a peace officer is murdered, it affects all of us. It
was encouraging to me and I think other peace officers to see the
community support for Darren Goforth; his wife, Kathleen; Ava; and
Ryan.
A lot of stories were told about this wonderful person. Being a
police officer was his second career. He loved working on cars. He
wanted to make them run, old cars--muscle cars, as we called them in my
day.
He had recently bought his son, Ryan, a Captain America T-shirt, and
he bought himself one. They didn't have time to wear it, but at the
funeral, Ryan, his son, under his suit, wore his Captain America T-
shirt. Deputy Goforth was buried in his, underneath his uniform. He was
a marvelous individual, a brave and good guy.
The community not only attended the funeral and watched it on TV. As
the processional left the church, led by I don't know how many police
officers on motorcycles and then you had the Patriot Guard motorcycle
riders and other motorcycle groups at the end of the parade going
through the Houston area to the cemetery, people stood on the side of
the road, put their hand over their heart.
A lot of money has been raised for Darren Goforth's family. At the
location where he was murdered, a Chevron station, people are still
putting up flowers and tributes.
As my colleague said, apparently, on more than one occasion, peace
officers have been filling up their patrol cars--and in Houston, patrol
officers, Houston officers and county officers, travel alone; there is
not two in a car--but while they have been filling up their patrol
cars, apparently, on more than one occasion, some citizen has stopped,
come up to the officer, and said, ``I got your back,'' and that was
really the message.
In our area, in the Houston area, we are saddened by what happened to
this individual, but I think it is true that the community, like that
Connecticut officer said, like no other place, is very supportive of
peace officers, their families, and what they do and that we do have
their back. The community supports them.
We mourn with the family; we mourn with all peace officers who have
lost a brother peace officer, but we are also resolved and resilient
that, in the future, we are going to have their back because respecting
and upholding the rule of law is what these men and women do, and we
should support them in that effort.
And that is just the way it is.
Mr. CULBERSON. Dr. Young looked at that young family and said: I want
you to know that your father, your husband, did not die in vain because
he has steeled the resolve of this Nation to stand behind every man and
woman in uniform that defends our liberty and our safety on the streets
of America.
I am proud to yield to my colleague from Texas, Dr. Babin.
Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas not only
for yielding, but for getting this Special Order together on such a
special issue.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Harris County Deputy
Sheriff Darren Goforth and all of America's law enforcement officers.
On Friday, August 28, Deputy Goforth was ambushed and murdered while
refueling his patrol car in Houston, Texas.
I am proud to represent a portion of the city. Deputy Goforth was a
committed 10-year veteran of the police force, a proud husband, and the
father of two.
Tragically, his life was cut short for one simple reason: his
uniform. It is hard to express my outrage and my contempt for those who
have incited this war of hatred and violence toward our Nation's law
enforcement officers.
Police officers take an oath to protect and to serve, and it is time
they receive the same level of commitment and protection in return.
{time} 1945
In August alone, we have lost five other police officers. In 2015, we
have seen 24 law enforcement officers gunned down. These brave men and
women put their lives on the line every single day for our communities
and for the safety of our families. They deserve our support and our
respect, and it is a travesty that this situation has gotten to this
point.
This is not an issue of whose life matters most. This is a matter of
right and of wrong. And what we have seen in recent weeks is absolutely
wrong, and it must end now.
Our community and elected leaders, starting with the President of the
United States, must stand up for what is right and denounce the hatred
being directed at our law enforcement personnel in this country.
I, personally, could not be more thankful and proud of the men and
women who police our communities. Last week, I was honored to join in a
community celebration of the men and women in blue of Tyler County,
Texas, my home--and all over America, as a matter of fact.
We also gathered together in Jasper County, Texas, on Saturday to
honor and rally support for America's first responders; and this week,
much of my staff, while I am up here serving in Congress, will be
attending an event recognizing the law enforcement personnel of Hardin
County, Texas.
Our law enforcement officers have a very difficult job, and it is a
shame that the violent rhetoric of a very few are putting their lives
at greater risk.
During this difficult time, I, along with an overwhelming majority of
Americans, stand in strong solidarity with our law enforcement officers
and offer them and their families our unwavering commitment, attention,
and support.
Mr. CULBERSON. Thank you, Dr. Babin.
Madam Speaker, I yield to my colleague from California (Mr. Valadao)
to speak on behalf of his constituents and the people of California of
their love and respect for our law enforcement officers.
Mr. VALADAO. I thank my colleague from Texas for hosting this and
allowing me the opportunity to speak.
Madam Speaker, my background is, as many of you know and I spoke of
many times, I am a farmer from California. One of the things that I
have had the opportunity of--and sometimes not always the best
opportunity, but I have had a lot of opportunities--is to deal with law
enforcement; metal thieves, different folks breaking into houses and
doing different types of things.
I remember one specific night where we had a person trespassing, and
I showed up and it was dark, 10, 11 at night. I drove up in the middle
of the field, had no idea if there was someone behind me, someone
coming up behind me or on the side of me. It was just a
[[Page H5812]]
really scary feeling to think that I just drove up on this situation.
How many people are out here? What are their intentions?
Now, obviously, I called 911, and when the police showed up, they run
into these situations on a daily basis.
But the fear that I felt, knowing that there were people out there
close to me who could have been there for a really, really bad reason,
looking to do someone harm, is something that I just couldn't imagine
doing on a daily basis.
My wife and I are friends with some law enforcement folks in my
district, people I grew up with, as my wife did as well. When you look
back--and we have had dinners with these folks--and you talk to their
spouse or you talk to their kids, you know that their husbands, their
wives go into these situations on a daily basis. They have to run out
there, jump into a situation where they know there is someone out there
that could have a gun, could have a weapon, could look to do these
people harm. They are the ones that we always call for backup. They are
the ones that we always call when there is a desperate situation. And
these people are the ones that are being threatened now, today.
There are so many people out there that put so much into their work.
But when you look at what our law enforcement does for us, every time
we dial 911, every time we call for help, every time that we have got a
situation that is out of our control, they are the people that step in,
without any fear for their own lives, and step up and do what we need
them to do.
To see what has happened, especially now in Texas and other parts of
the country, where these people are being ambushed, where our
protectors, those who keep our families safe, are being attacked from
behind, is just something that is unimaginable.
The fact that we have got a group of Members here today, and I know
so many more, stepping up and supporting those who do so much for us is
something I am thrilled to be a part of, and it is an honor.
So, again, I want to thank all of those who put on the badge and step
up to protect us, each and every one of us all throughout the country.
So again, thank you for what you do.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me this opportunity.
Mr. CULBERSON. Thank you, David.
I think it is so important for each and every one of us, if we get an
opportunity, we run across a law enforcement officer, just walk up and
tell them how much we love them and appreciate them and that we have
got their back.
I am delighted to yield to my colleague from northeastern Louisiana
(Mr. Abraham) to express the feeling of his constituents about law
enforcement.
Mr. ABRAHAM. Thank you, Congressman, for having this Special Order on
such a somber occasion.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my support and utmost respect
for law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to protect
our communities, as well as to applaud these men and women who take
part in their selfless actions every day.
We sleep safely at night because we know the men and women who wear
the badges are on the streets looking out for us. They look out for our
families. They look out for our communities, for our country, and words
cannot convey how grateful we are to them.
This year, there have been too many reminders that too many of our
officers are paying the ultimate sacrifice in the name of service. They
risk everything to protect us, and they deserve our utmost respect.
Unfortunately, my State of Louisiana has lost nine officers in the
line of duty this year, one of the most in the Nation, according to the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. This is a statistic I
am not proud of, and I will continue to do all in my power to ensure
that all officers in the Nation are safe.
I want to thank those men and women who have sacrificed for Louisiana
and for the Nation.
We must always remember that the vast majority of law enforcement
officers serve because they want to make their community and their
country better places, and for that we are very grateful.
We must always remember that these officers step out each day in the
face of uncertainty. They never know what situation they will encounter
and when a routine traffic stop could turn very tragic.
Thank you, officers, for putting your lives on the line for our
safety. Thank you for answering the call to serve and to protect
Louisiana and the country.
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to yield to a
colleague from northeast Texas, Congressman John Ratcliffe.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. I thank my friend and colleague from Texas for holding
this Special Order and for yielding.
Madam Speaker, ``to protect and serve,'' those words are much more
than just a slogan on the side of police cars across this country. It
is a promise, a promise that our men and women in blue fulfill on a
daily basis while they serve to uphold the pillars of law and order
that our society depends on. Without their work, without their
sacrifice, our communities would be lawless, and our families, our
friends, our neighbors, our loved ones would all be in constant
jeopardy.
Thousands of police officers go to work each day knowing the danger,
knowing that they may have to pay the ultimate sacrifice to provide us
with security. Officers like Deputy Goforth of Texas have been targeted
for execution and have paid the ultimate price simply because they
choose to protect our communities.
The recent wave of violence against our peace officers simply because
they wear a uniform is outrageous. It is appalling, and it must end.
Madam Speaker, I will continue to stand with our law enforcement, and
I want to personally thank the men and women in law enforcement in the
Fourth Congressional District of Texas that I am privileged to
represent.
I want to thank those Texas peace officers who have reached out to me
personally to express their concerns on this issue, like Mike Sullivan
in Farmersville, Otis Henry in Sherman, Terry Garrett in Heath, Harold
Eavenson in Rockwall, Jay Burch in Denison, and Daniel Shiner in
Texarkana.
Thanks to you all. Thanks to all the men and women who serve in law
enforcement and serve our communities. You are appreciated. We are
grateful.
Mr. CULBERSON. Thank you, John.
Madam Speaker, we are here from every corner of the United States to
tell our men and women in uniform who risk their lives every day to
protect us and the safety of our families and our homes how much we
appreciate them and love them and we are praying for them and we have
got their back.
It is a privilege to yield to my good friend and colleague from
Minnesota, Congressman Tom Emmer.
Mr. EMMER of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding and having this Special Order tonight. It is important that we
allow time to acknowledge the brave men and women who serve as police
officers throughout our country.
During the August district work period, I had the opportunity to
participate in an event to memorialize and honor a fallen officer from
Minnesota, Officer Tommy Decker. Tommy was an amazing individual who
dedicated his life to serving the Cold Spring community in central
Minnesota.
On Thursday, November 29, 2012, while conducting a welfare check,
Tommy was ambushed and taken from this world far too soon. At the young
age of 31, Tommy had already given 10 years of his life to serve his
community.
My predecessor, Michele Bachmann, worked tirelessly to ensure that
Tommy received the recognition he so greatly deserved, and 2 weeks ago
we dedicated the Cold Spring Post Office in the name of Officer Tommy
Decker, a man who gave his life to the Cold Spring community.
I was privileged to participate in the ceremony on behalf of
Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District and to continue the great work
that Michele began. We now have this lasting reminder of Tommy, his
service, and his great heroism to his community.
We try to thank our military veterans and the servicemen and -women
in uniform as much as possible for their work and sacrifice to protect
our freedoms and keep us safe. We should do the same for our men and
women in police uniforms.
[[Page H5813]]
Police are courageous and selfless servants in our communities. They
patrol our streets to keep us safe. Perhaps now more than ever, they
not only deserve but need our acknowledgement, support, and
encouragement.
Every day, police officers across this country go to work not knowing
what they are going to encounter, all the while knowing that,
regardless, it is their duty to, quite literally, serve and protect.
Tommy and all of the men and women who proudly wear their police
uniforms are looked up to by many, and we all owe them so much.
Thank you to all of our police officers across the United States. We
pray for your safe return home tonight and every night.
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, it is important that the law
enforcement community know that, while we are waiting to hear from the
President of the United States, the Members of Congress are stepping
forward tonight from every corner of the country to express our love
and support for our law enforcement community.
I am privileged at this time to yield to my colleague from
California's 25th District, Congressman Steve Knight.
Mr. KNIGHT. Madam Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Culberson putting this
together and allowing us time to talk about our heroes on the street.
During your shift as a police officer or as a sheriff's deputy, you
go into roll call or you go into briefing and start your day with info
or assignments. You check out your equipment. You go over and you get
in your car. You go to the gas pumps and you fill up the gas. And you
might talk to some of the other officers or the other deputies about
what is happening on the street or what happened the night before, and
you start your day.
Your day might start off with talking to your partner and trying to
find out a little bit more about them if you don't know them, because
that happens on a day-to-day basis--new officers are put in with
officers every day--just trying to find out what your thoughts are,
what your tactics are, what your training is, and how you feel like you
are going to feel out these situations. This is the start of a police
officer's day.
For 18 years I was a Los Angeles police officer, and I served on the
front lines in a police car for 17 of those 18 years. So, as they say,
I was out pushing the sled around for 12 hours a day, snooping and
pooping, looking for bad guys, and protecting and serving. On the side
of my car, that is exactly what it said, ``to protect and to serve.''
That is what a police officer does.
It is not like the shows that you see on TV. Some of it is boring
time, some of it is high adrenalin, but all of it is service to the
community. Every second, every minute of your shift is service to the
community.
So if we are out there enforcing the law, making a traffic stop,
making an arrest, or just, as 1-Adam-12 used to do, go and respond to a
``see the man,'' ``see the woman,'' and help and just serve, that is a
day-to-day.
I didn't know Deputy Goforth, but I feel like he was a brother in
arms because he was. He was someone who went out and served his
community, served them with honor, served them with integrity. And I am
sure that the community is better for his years of service.
{time} 2000
I am sure over the next decade or generations that they won't forget
Deputy Goforth's commitment to the community. There will be a memorial.
There will be a yearly service. People will talk about what he meant to
the community.
I was in the 990 class in LAPD. The very first female officer who
died in the line of duty for LAPD was in the 590 class. Our class was
taken out of its normal duty of going and learning how to be a
professional law enforcement officer, and we went to the service for
that officer.
Tina Kerbrat was the very first female officer who died in LAPD, and
it was very similar to Deputy Goforth. It was basically a shooting, an
assassination.
This will always stay with you when you go to a law enforcement
officer's funeral. You will never forget it. You will see the thousands
of people.
Just like many of the Members said today, the thousands of people
that came from other departments all over the country, all over the
world, come to pay their respects to the law enforcement professional
who did everything that they could to protect their community.
My squadron leader in my academy class died in Afghanistan. He was a
law enforcement officer with LAPD who was a SWAT officer. He did his
duty, went to Afghanistan to fight for our ideals and for our morals
with the United States Marine Corps. He died in Afghanistan doing the
same thing that he would do on a 24-hour-a-day basis, protecting what
we believe here in America.
I am honored to be able to stand and talk about our heroes on the
street, talk about the people who protect our community on a day-to-day
basis, put their lives on the line so that we can live the life that we
choose.
Mr. CULBERSON. Steve, thank you for your service to the people of Los
Angeles and California.
I think, as Congressman Knight said, it is so important to remember
that these young men and women are serving their community. They do it
out of the goodness of their heart and the love for their neighbors, to
help their fellow man to try to make their communities a better place.
God bless you. Thank you for your service.
I am proud to have with us tonight the congressman from the Ninth
District of North Carolina (Mr. Pittenger) to express the feelings of
the people of North Carolina that he represents about law enforcement.
Mr. PITTENGER. Thank you. I am so grateful that the gentleman from
Texas took the leadership in honoring and paying tribute to those who
defend and protect us in our own communities.
Madam Speaker, tonight I can think of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police
Officers Harlan Proctor, Ashley Brown, and Scott Evett who, in the
aftermath of a horrific domestic violence homicide and arson earlier
this year, used their own time and their own money to purchase clothes
and toys for the children left behind. They never expected to get any
type of recognition.
Madam Speaker, I think of my friend Detective Shane Page, who
volunteered for the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, who was shot
and seriously wounded while attempting to arrest a dangerous suspect
who was hiding out in a quiet neighborhood.
Earlier this year I met Cornelius Police Lieutenant James Quattlebaum
at Carolinas Medical Center. He had just been shot earlier that day
while responding to a domestic disturbance.
And Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Lieutenant Nate King was conducting
routine police business last year when a frantic mother drove up and
placed a lifeless baby in his arms. The 6-month-old baby was choking to
death. But thanks to Lieutenant King's lifesaving efforts, the little
girl made a full recovery.
Every day thousands of brave superheroes go to work to serve and
protect our children, our homes, and our communities. The pay is low.
The hours are long. They are often screamed at. They are hit. They are
spit upon and even bitten. Yet, they show back up for work each and
every day. Would we?
Madam Speaker, we should encourage greater dialogue between our local
police departments and the community, and we should encourage the best
possible training. We should demand accountability because no one is
above the law.
However, we should also teach our children to have a healthy respect
for law enforcement and work hard to recognize the bravery and everyday
good deeds of America's law enforcement. We expect them to be at their
best when we are at our worst.
Thank you to America's law enforcement, who are truly committed to
both serve and to protect.
Mr. CULBERSON. Robert, thank you very much.
We are still waiting, Mr. President, for you to step up and tell
America how proud you are of our law enforcement men and women and to
hear you condemn, Mr. President, this violent, dangerous rhetoric that
is encouraging mentally unbalanced people to attack our law enforcement
officers, as Deputy Sheriff Goforth was murdered in Houston, Texas.
[[Page H5814]]
We are still waiting, Mr. President. But while we wait, Members of
Congress are standing here on the floor tonight to tell America how
proud we are of our men and women in uniform.
I am proud to yield to my colleague and friend from Texas (Mr.
Olson).
Mr. OLSON. I thank my fellow Texan from the Seventh Congressional
District of Texas, Mr. Culberson.
My friends, America has a problem. I have lived here for 52 years and
I have never heard the word ``assassination'' in the same sentence as
``police officer'' or ``sheriff's deputy'' as I have in the past 6
months.
Harris County Deputy Sheriff Darren Goforth was assassinated a few
weeks ago doing his job. As my colleagues mentioned, he was in uniform,
pumping gas at a service station in his sheriff's cruiser in a very
nice neighborhood in Houston, Texas, and gunned down in cold blood,
assassinated.
The shooter shot and shot and shot and shot and shot and shot and
shot and shot and shot until Deputy Goforth dropped dead protecting us.
He left behind a wife, Kathleen, and two young kids who won't have a
father walk them down the aisle when they get married.
I want to go up there to the site of the assassination and pray with
fellow Texans. I took this picture yesterday at the Chevron gas
station.
As you can see, there are flowers everywhere and notes and stuffed
animals, little stuffed teddy bears. This was replayed over and over
and over. That was just one day.
And right on the sidewalk are all sorts of colored chalk with
messages for Deputy Sheriff Goforth. ``Darren Goforth, we love you,''
``Thank you,'' ``Rest in peace.''
I felt rejuvenated about America at that moment, but it got better.
I am coming home to Sugar Land, Texas. That is my neighborhood. It is
at Alcorn Oaks Drive and Oakland Drive in my hometown.
These are six amazing young Texans with a lemonade stand for police.
It says ``Blue lives matter.'' These kids get it. They get it. They get
it. We should love and praise our officers and thank them, thank them,
thank them for their sacrifice.
I have to mention, too, my friend, I bought a glass of lemonade
there, the most expensive one I have ever purchased, close to $20.
In closing, these men and women protect us every single day from
people who want to hurt us and hurt our families. They deserve our
love, support, and admiration, and to know that we always have their
backs.
Mr. CULBERSON. Thank you, Pete.
It is a privilege to yield to my colleague representing the people of
central Indiana, the Congresswoman from the Fifth District,
Congresswoman Susan Brooks.
Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for
holding this very important Special Order tonight because now, more
than ever, it is more important than ever that we recognize and thank
our Nation's law enforcement officers. These are the loyal and selfless
men and women all across America who wake up each and every day and
serve our community.
Madam Speaker, police officers are an integral part of our
communities and our neighborhoods, working every day and at all hours
to keep us safe. From downtown city blocks to small town squares, from
country roads to busy highways, our Nation's law enforcement officers
are always there, always ready to serve.
As we have heard, they are fathers and brothers, mothers and sisters,
husbands, wives, sons, and daughters. Some are friends. Some are
neighbors. Some are the strangers that we see every day.
But we often don't even see them. They are on our morning commutes.
They are on our trips to the grocery store. They are all around us.
They are fellow citizens who have answered the call to serve and
protect and, in some cases, pay the ultimate sacrifice for the safety
and welfare of those in their communities. They protect their families
and loved ones, and they protect the lives of complete strangers day in
and day out.
You may not know, but throughout U.S. history, over 20,000 law
enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice. Last year four
Hoosiers lost their lives while upholding their vow to serve and
protect.
And, unfortunately, as we have seen, this has been an incredibly
deadly August. Violence against police officers has skyrocketed
recently, with six officers being mercilessly gunned down by
individuals who neither respect law and order nor the value of human
life. These officers' sacrifices as well as that of their families do
not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
In fact, this August the family of Jake Laird, an officer who was
gunned down in August of 2004--and we have to think about the
families--held another golf outing in order to raise money for more
protective vests for law enforcement and more personal safety equipment
for firefighters.
These families--and I have seen them. I have witnessed them
firsthand. They are remarkable families. They display courage in the
face of adversity, compassion in the face of hardship, and an undying
commitment to serve the communities in which they live. We must thank
them, the families and the officers.
So today I salute the men and women in uniform who every day head out
to the streets. They cover their beats. They patrol their precincts.
They take up again without fail the call to serve and protect.
We must be thankful for their service and send our thoughts and
prayers to their loved ones because, without hesitation, we must renew
our appreciation for and our steadfast commitment to the heroic men and
women who are part of that thin blue line. Please thank a police
officer.
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is
remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 12 minutes
remaining.
Mr. CULBERSON. At this time, it is my privilege to yield to my
colleague and good friend representing the people of North Carolina,
Ms. Foxx.
Ms. FOXX. I want to thank my colleague from Texas (Mr. Culberson) for
organizing and conducting this Special Order tonight to honor our law
enforcement personnel.
I do my best every time I see someone in law enforcement to say thank
you. I go out of my way to say thank you.
I point out to them, whether they are local, State, or national
people in law enforcement, that we owe to them and to our military
people the ability that we have to move around this country and do the
things that we do every day because of their willingness to serve and
to put their lives on the line every single day of their lives.
We have seen, unfortunately, in the past few weeks a spate of
senseless killings of our wonderful law enforcement people. And I think
it is wonderful, again, that my colleagues are here tonight to say
thank you.
I want to encourage them, also--and I know many do--to say thank you
to our law enforcement people every day as they go about protecting us,
our families. I want to thank their families, also, for the sacrifices
they make.
Thank you, Congressman Culberson, for your efforts.
{time} 2015
Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege now to yield to the
gentleman from northern California (Mr. LaMalfa), representing the
First District.
Mr. LaMALFA. Thank you to my colleague, Mr. Culberson. It is really,
really good and proper that you are having this time here tonight, and
I am glad to be able to join you with that.
Madam Speaker, it is amazing to me that we even have to have this
conversation. It is always a good conversation to have to honor our
officers that put their lives on the line in so many aspects of our
lives, whether it is highway patrol or sheriff or city police, park
rangers, fish and game. All of them out there have some level of risk
in order to maintain what it is we want in a free society for our
security.
What is so tragic about what is happening lately is it is coming down
to a racial issue, so much that the sides are becoming much sharper and
sharper as to what America is or what Americans are about. We need to
get together on this. The enforcement of the law, the upholding of the
law, the protection of families, of homes, this cuts across all lines.
[[Page H5815]]
Indeed, I just saw a bit on the news a few minutes ago here where a
gentleman in Florida--his name is George Cooper, as I recall; he
happens to be Black. He came to the defense of an officer who happens
to be White who was being beaten in some type of an altercation there
where he was trying to do his job.
There are examples where, as the gentleman said in the interview, it
isn't a race thing, it doesn't matter who is White or who is Black in
this thing, it is about upholding the law and about having safe
neighborhoods for all of us for Americans to be able to thrive.
It is tragic that so much is going on trying to pit Americans against
each other. Yes, we have problems; we have issues that need to be
resolved within how some may enforce the law, but we have protocols for
that. We need to make sure that they are followed and they are
prosecuted, but it doesn't make the whole aura of law enforcement
somehow wrong.
Indeed, the effects we are seeing with cities now where cops are
backing off, crime rates are going up, murders are going up in some of
these cities here dramatically--I heard in one of the cities that it is
96 percent.
This is not what we want. It is not good for the families, for the
moms that have to watch their kids go out the door and wonder if they
are going to come back because there isn't that law enforcement.
I want to share with you a piece, though, that I think really
encapsulates this, by a great American, Paul Harvey, from some years
ago: What are Policemen Made Of?
A policemen is a composite of what all men are, mingling of
a saint and sinner, dust and deity.
Gulled statistics wave the fan over the stinkers,
underscore instances of dishonesty and brutality because they
are ``new.'' What they really mean is that they are
exceptional, unusual, not commonplace.
Buried under the frost is the fact: Less than one-half of 1
percent of policemen misfit the uniform. That's a better
average than you'd find among clergy.
What is a policeman made of? He, among all men, is once the
most needed and the most unwanted. He's a strangely nameless
creature who is ``sir'' to his face and ``pig'' or ``fuzz''
to his back.
He must be such a diplomat that he can settle differences
between individuals so that each will think he won.
But . . . if the policeman is neat, he's conceited; if he's
careless, he's a bum. If he's pleasant, he's flirting; if
not, he's a grouch.
He must make an instant decision which would require months
for a lawyer to make.
But . . . if he hurries, he's careless; if he's deliberate,
he's lazy. He must be first to an accident and infallible
with his diagnosis. He must be able to start breathing, stop
bleeding, tie splints, and, above all, be sure the victim
goes home without a limp. Or expect to be sued.
The police officer must know every gun, draw on the run,
and hit where it doesn't hurt. He must be able to whip two
men twice his size and half his age without damaging his
uniform and without being ``brutal.'' If you hit him, he's a
coward. If he hits you, he's a bully.
A policeman must know everything--and not tell. He must
know where all the sin is and not partake.
A policeman must, from a single strand of hair, be able to
describe the crime, the weapon and the criminal--and tell you
where the criminal is hiding.
But . . . if he catches the criminal, he's lucky; if he
doesn't, he's a dunce. If he gets promoted, he has political
pull; if he doesn't, he's a dullard. The policeman must chase
a bum lead to a dead-end, stake out 10 nights to tag one
witness who saw it happen--but refused to remember.
The policeman must be a minister, a social worker, a
diplomat, a tough guy, and a gentleman.
And, of course, he'd have to be genius...for he will have
to feed his family on a policeman's salary.
This is just a sample of what officers go through across this country
where they, giving of themselves in service many times, especially in
this present environment, feel like they are somehow made wrong for
having done so.
We are here to uphold that tonight and tell them: You are doing it
right. We support you and appreciate the thin blue line.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 5 minutes
remaining.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I think that Congressman LaMalfa
expressed it very well. Police officers are expected to do their job
perfectly every time and in so many ways that we cannot even imagine
the work that they do to help keep us safe, the work that they do to
improve our communities, the sacrifices that they make on a personal
level.
They are counselors; they are mentors; they are enforcers, and above
all, they are preservers and protectors of our liberty because, without
law enforcement, there is no liberty. That responsibility is vested in
one person in our Constitution. Only the President of the United States
is charged by our Founders in the Constitution with faithfully taking
care that the law be faithfully executed.
We are still waiting, Mr. President. We are still waiting for you to
step up, as we are here tonight, to say how proud you are of our men
and women in blue, who protect us every night and every day and must do
their job perfectly, as Doug LaMalfa just told us, every man and woman
who wears the uniform, who would step in front of a bullet for each and
every one of us.
We are still waiting, Mr. President, for you to condemn the vital
rhetoric that tell the men and women across this Nation, who defend us
every day on the streets of America, how proud you are, Mr. President.
We need you to step up and tell them, tell us all, how proud you are of
their sacrifice, of their service, of their dedication, to tell all the
widows and the children of Darren Goforth and all the other officers
who have lost their lives that their father's loss, their mother's
loss, their sacrifice was not in vain.
As Dr. Ed Young told us all last Friday at 11 a.m., the sacrifice
that Darren Goforth made galvanized the people of Houston, the people
of Texas. We see it across the Nation from California to Missouri to
Indiana, to the East Coast. The people of America stand behind our law
enforcement officers.
We are proud of you. We love you. We respect you. We recognize what a
sacrifice you have made for not enough money to protect us. We know all
that you do. We understand the burden that you and your family carry.
As Kathleen Goforth said in her statement of her late husband:
There are no words for this. Darren was an incredibly
intricate blend of toughness and gentility. He was always
loyal, fiercely so. Darren was ethical. The right thing to do
is what guided his internal compass.
She said:
Darren was good. If people want to know what kind of man he
was, this is it. Darren was who you wanted for a friend, a
colleague, and a neighbor. However, it was I who was blessed
so richly, that I had the privilege of calling him my husband
and my best friend.
We are immensely proud of every man and woman who wears the uniform,
and we will not forget the sacrifice of Darren Goforth or all the other
men and women who preserve our liberty and protect our lives and put
their lives on the line for us every day. We are immensely proud of
you.
If the President of the United States won't say it, we will here in
this House, that we stand behind you, we are proud of you, we pray for
you every day, and we have got your back.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Buck). Members are reminded to address
their remarks to the Chair and not to a perceived viewing audience.
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