[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 17 (Thursday, January 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S337-S338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING OFFICER DOUG BARNEY

  Mr. LEE. Mr. President, on Sunday, January 17, 2016, this country 
lost an American hero--Officer Doug Barney of the Unified Police 
Department in Salt Lake County, Utah, was shot and killed in the line 
of duty. He died honorably, doing what he loved to do: serving and 
protecting his community.
  Every day of his 18 years on the force, Officer Barney made his 
community not just safer but better. I know this not from personal 
experience--I was not one of those fortunate enough to have met Officer 
Barney--but from the community's response to his untimely death.
  When the tragic news spread across Utah and the Nation, those who 
knew him or knew of him--and it was hard to live in Salt Lake County 
without knowing Officer Barney--sprung into action to support his 
family and to commemorate his life of service.
  The most important step was taken first: to surround Officer Barney's 
wife and three teenage children with love, comfort, and assistance. The 
outpouring of support came not just from friends, family, and 
neighbors, but from strangers, too. Nanette Wride and Shante Johnson 
didn't know Officer Barney, but they were among the first to join his 
wife, Erika, on her long journey of healing. Indeed, Wride and Johnson 
came as fellow travelers on that journey--they, too, had suffered the 
loss of a husband serving on the front lines of law enforcement--
knowing all too well the unique challenges facing the Barney family 
during this trying time.
  Then there was the candlelight vigil honoring Officer Barney, hosted 
by the Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Association and the city of 
Holladay, UT. Despite bitterly cold temperatures, hundreds of friends 
and neighbors huddled to pay their respects to the man who had meant so 
much to so many.
  That same night, another ceremony took place at the Utah State 
capitol, as firefighters, first responders, and police officers 
gathered to receive the U.S. honor flag at the end of its thousand-mile 
journey from Fort Worth, TX. The flag has flown over battlefields in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Ground Zero in New York City, and now, 
it is escorted by State troopers to communities across America that are 
mourning the loss and honoring the sacrifice of those who have been 
killed in the line of duty. It stayed with Officer Barney's body until 
his funeral, which brought together thousands from across the country.
  This was not the first time Doug Barney galvanized his community. In 
2010, the students, teachers, and administrators of Eisenhower Junior 
High School rallied behind Officer Barney who was in the middle of what 
would become a 12-year battle with cancer. To the students, Officer 
Barney, the school's resource officer, was ``one of the good guys,'' so 
they organized a dodge-ball tournament--they called it the Battle for 
Barney--that raised over $1,000 to help him pay for his medical 
treatment.
  All of this stands as a testament to the profound impact Officer 
Barney had on the people and the community he dedicated his life to 
serve. Standing 6 feet, 5 inches tall, he had the physical attributes 
to be a good police officer, but as someone who genuinely respected and 
cared about everyone he

[[Page S338]]

met, he had the character to be a good person. And that is how Officer 
Barney will forever be remembered.
  His death serves as a stark reminder of the dangers our law 
enforcement personnel face every single day. Living with the hazards of 
the job takes a tremendous amount of courage. And Officer Barney was as 
brave as they come. Whenever he had to take time off from work for his 
cancer treatments, he was always eager to return. In fact, he had not 
been scheduled to work on January 17--that fateful Sunday when he gave 
the ultimate sacrifice. But with medical bills to pay and a family to 
feed, he volunteered to work overtime--which is exactly what you would 
expect from a man like Officer Barney, who chose to enter the police 
force 18 years ago for just one reason, to help people.
  Doug Barney was taken from this life tragically early, but he did 
more good in his 44 years on this Earth than most of us can hope to 
accomplish in a lifetime. May he rest in peace, and may God bless his 
family and the community he served. It will never be the same without 
him.

                          ____________________