[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 143 (Wednesday, September 21, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H5724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING LIFE AND LEGACY OF JAMES O'NEILL

  (Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York asked and was given permission 
to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize the life and legacy of the late James O'Neill. James was a 
giant in the law enforcement community in my home district in the 
Hudson Valley. We lost him suddenly on Sunday, July 17, at the age of 
59, of an apparent heart attack. On that day, though, we didn't just 
lose a friend but we also lost a father, a husband, and an icon in the 
New York City and Putnam County police communities.
  Jimmy was born and raised in the Bronx. He was a graduate of 
Visitation School and of Cardinal Hayes High School. He joined the NYPD 
in 1979. He lived a life devoted to service and dedicated nearly 30 
years to the New York Police Department before retiring as a detective 
and squad supervisor in 1999. He went on to become a founding member of 
the New York Shields and president of the Fraternal Order of Police in 
Putnam County.
  He was an outspoken leader whose efforts involved working with 
officers suffering from mental and emotional effects of serving in the 
force. He was an icon in the police community, and he was the 
consummate cop's cop. He not only devoted his own career as a police 
officer and a detective to serving others but, even after his 
retirement, he devoted himself in so many ways to helping other 
officers and their families in times of need.
  I want to send my personal condolences to Jimmy's wife, Kathy, and 
his son, James, along with their dear friends, Joanne Viola, Henry 
Primus, John McCardle, and Paul Curtin, all of whom have joined us here 
today. We are honored by your presence.
  The law enforcement community, Hudson Valley, and New York have lost 
one of their finest, and he will be sorely missed. The beauty of 
Jimmy's life can be summed up by this: he loved his family beyond all 
measure, gave all to his friends and community, and was the most humble 
and decent man anyone can say they ever knew. His absence is a chasm 
that we will never fill.

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