[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 17, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4231-H4232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Bacon) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor May 15 as Peace 
Officers Memorial Day and May 14 through 20 as National Police Week. I 
stand in support of those who put their lives on the line day in and 
day out for the protection of those within the State of Nebraska and 
all over the United States.
  My district is home to two sheriff's offices, a large urban police 
force, numerous community police departments, the Nebraska State 
Patrol, and a handful of Federal agencies. They have unique differences 
in their responsibilities, yet they are strikingly similar in how they 
function. The different shapes of the badges they wear on their chests 
proudly proclaim their distinct alliance to their home agency, but it 
is also a symbol that binds them all together into one brotherhood.
  These gallant law enforcement professionals are driven to serve the 
public of their jurisdictions. They protect the life, limb, and 
property in their assigned patrol areas during their long hours for 
which they have this solemn duty. To those on the front line of our 
safety, it is not about the pay, the hours, or the conditions they work 
in. What is of importance to them is the satisfaction of making the 
world a better and safer place. They are the thin blue line that stands 
between us and some of the darkest parts of our society.

  When one of these brave individuals puts on the uniform and departs 
their home for the streets, they are not worried about their own 
safety. They know their fellow officer has their back when needed. At 
great personal sacrifice, they are pained by missing the baseball games 
or recitals of beloved children, the birthdays and the holidays that 
they have worked instead of being home with their family.
  I, like so many other members of the military, have a very personal 
connection and appreciation for those who choose this profession. I 
spent nearly 30 years in the military, and much of that time was 
deployed with combat forces protecting our freedoms overseas. The men 
and women in the military uniform depend on those back home in the blue 
uniform.
  Like so many others in the military, when I was overseas, I left my 
wife and children in the U.S. As a five-time former commander, I can 
tell you that the fastest way to negatively affect a soldier, sailor, 
airman, or marine within a combat situation was to have them worry 
about their family back home. Our great police officers allow the 
military to be a success. I am in awe of the dedication that each 
officer displays daily. When our military is reunited with their family 
after a deployment, they can relax knowing their fellow public servants 
provide a shield of protection.
  This is a profession that takes a different type of individual: 
someone who is consistently putting their life on the line, someone 
that I have always looked up to, and a group of individuals that I 
cannot thank enough for the blanket of security they provide.
  There are members of the law enforcement community who serve, retire, 
and move on with their lives. Eventually they go home, lay down their 
badge in retirement, but they will no longer miss those family 
functions and events. These professionals have the gratitude of the 
constituents of my

[[Page H4232]]

district, and I want to thank them for their dedication to protect and 
serve.
  I would like to honor some of these courageous people who have long, 
distinguished careers or who have recently retired: Sergeant Joe Eaton 
from the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, 38 years and retired; Sergeant 
Troy Kister, Omaha Police Department, 29 years and retired; Captain 
Kevin Pokorny, LaVista Police Department, 32 years and retired; Deputy 
Stephanie Squiers, Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, 32 years and retired; 
Sergeant Don Voss, Sarpy County Sheriff's Office, 39 years and will 
soon retire; Deputy Dennis Yeaman, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, 42 
years and still serving, nearing retirement.
  I want to thank these officers and all others for their service and 
sacrifice.

                              {time}  1045

  Mr. Speaker, before I close, I am often asked, as a 30-year, retired 
military officer, to pay tribute to our law enforcement and to compare. 
And what strikes me is I used to operate or train in the safety of 
home, but we would deploy into harm's way. Our law enforcement, every 
single day, put themselves in harm's way. So we love our law 
enforcement, we respect them, and we thank them.

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