[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 19, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE RAPID CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE PENNINGTON COUNTY 
                            SHERIFF'S OFFICE

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to take a few minutes to talk about 
the two ride-alongs I was privileged to take with Rapid City, SD, law 
enforcement officers at the end of March.
  We live in a climate where police officers are often made to sound 
like criminals and criminals are often portrayed as victims. The result 
is, we forget about the real victims--the people who have suffered 
crimes or are forced to live in crime-ridden neighborhoods--and we 
forget about the work police officers do in making our communities 
places we can live.
  Three weeks ago, I got to meet with law enforcement officers from the 
Rapid City Police Department and the Pennington County Sheriff's 
Office. After our meeting, I got to take a ride through Rapid Valley 
with Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Akley and a ride through Rapid City with 
Rapid City Police Officer Jim Hansen.
  Not very long ago, some neighborhoods in Rapid City had their share 
of challenges. Law enforcement officers frequently responded to drug 
and alcohol calls, abuse calls, domestic violence, break-ins, and other 
violent crimes. Imagine what it is like to live in a neighborhood like 
that. Coming home after dark is dangerous. It may not be safe for your 
children to play in the yard. It is certainly not safe to send them to 
the playground. Your children constantly see things no child should see 
and hear things no child should have to hear. Your property isn't 
secure. Your car and your home are at risk all the time. There are no 
economic opportunities in your area because businesses don't want to 
locate in areas where it is not safe to do business. That is what life 
is like in some of these neighborhoods. In one instance in Rapid City, 
law enforcement officers responded to over 600 calls to one building 
over a period of a single year.
  By partnering with residents in impacted neighborhoods, Rapid City 
law enforcement stepped in and conducted an aggressive, years-long 
campaign to rid this area of crime. Today, residents can let their 
children play outside without fear, and new economic opportunities are 
opening for residents as businesses move in. It is no exaggeration to 
say that what these police officers did changed the lives of countless 
Rapid City residents.
  Every day, in every community in the United States, the men and women 
who make up our Nation's police forces and sheriff's departments put 
their lives on the line for the rest of us. They are first on the scene 
when someone is in danger, the first to come running when you call for 
help, and when evil threatens they step in.
  I am grateful to the men and women of the Rapid City Police 
Department, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, and to all the law 
enforcement officers keeping the peace in South Dakota and around the 
Nation. Because of their service, we can live in safety.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Fischer). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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