[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 17, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3002-S3003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          National Police Week

  Mr. FLAKE. Mr. President, in light of National Police Week, I rise 
today in support of our men and women serving in law enforcement.
  Police week is a good time for reflection and remembrance. It is a 
time to honor those who serve and protect us. While we honor our 
dedicated law enforcement officers this week, I want, specifically, to 
recognize those fallen officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice--
their lives--for our safety.
  In Arizona we lost three officers this year: Officer Leander Frank of 
the Navajo Nation Police Department, Officer David Van Glasser of the 
Phoenix

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Police Department, and Officer Darrin Reed of the Show Low Police 
Department. Today we honor the memory of these fallen heroes and pledge 
to never forget their sacrifice.
  While the work we do in Congress pales in comparison to the service 
of these brave men and women, it is my privilege to sponsor several 
pieces of legislation to support our law enforcement officers. I have 
joined with Senator Hatch to introduce the Rapid DNA Act, a bill that 
gives State and local law enforcement agencies a way to upload a 
suspect's DNA analysis to a Federal offender database for immediate 
identification. This immediate cross-hit within the Federal system will 
help officers at the local level to process criminals faster and more 
accurately.
  I have also teamed up with Senator Feinstein to introduce the 
bipartisan Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act. That 
legislation criminalizes the failure to report to law enforcement 
incidents of suspected child abuse in amateur athletics. In addition to 
helping prevent sexual abuse crimes, this bill will aid State and local 
law enforcement investigating allegations of child sexual abuse by 
providing them with more information faster.
  I have also supported Senator Cornyn's American Law Enforcement 
Heroes Act. That bill affirms a well-established practice of hiring 
veterans at the local level to serve as new law enforcement officers. 
Together, these bills will enhance law enforcement investigations and 
encourage better hiring practices for new law enforcement jobs.
  I also want to recognize the local police officers and sheriffs in 
Arizona, along with those on the border who are serving on the 
frontlines of immigration enforcement. These men and women put their 
lives on the line every time they go out on patrol. For them, 
immigration policy is not a hypothetical exercise.
  Despite the critical role these entities play in assisting their 
Federal partners with immigration enforcement, current Federal policy 
leaves them exposed to the threat of costly litigation. That is because 
third-party groups that oppose detention have threatened local agencies 
that choose to comply with valid detainer requests with lawsuits. Using 
punitive legal action to punish law enforcement for good-faith efforts 
to keep people safe is wrong. That is why a group of Arizona sheriffs 
came to me for help, and with their guidance, we drafted a bill 
requiring the Department of Homeland Security to protect State and 
local law enforcement entities from lawsuits that uphold valid detainer 
requests from ICE. This solution will enable officers to fulfill their 
law enforcement responsibilities without second-guessing whether or not 
to keep potentially dangerous criminal aliens in custody. It is a 
recognition that local law enforcement shouldn't be left to shoulder 
the burden of Washington's failure to secure our borders and to 
implement a workable enforcement policy.
  It has been my privilege to work on this effort with the Arizona 
Sheriffs Association, the Western States Sheriffs' Association, the 
Southwest Border Sheriff's Coalition, and the Texas Border Sheriff's 
Coalition. I want especially to thank Sheriff Mascher of Yavapai 
County, Sheriff Daniels of Cochise County, Sheriff Wilmot of Yuma 
County, and Sheriff Clark of Navajo County for their work on this bill.
  To many, Police Week is an annual opportunity to recognize the 
service of the many selfless men and women in law enforcement, but it 
should also serve as a solemn reminder of the risks they take and the 
sacrifices they make day in and day out. It is for this that they have 
my support, my respect, and my thanks, and they have it year-round.
  I yield back the remainder of my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, thank you for the opportunity to visit this 
evening with my Senate colleagues.
  This is a special week in Washington, DC, and a number of my 
colleagues have paid tribute by attending the memorial or speaking of 
those who died in service as fallen police officers. This is our fallen 
officers' National Police Week.
  In 1962, Congress and the then-President John F. Kennedy designated 
May 15 of each year to be Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week of 
May 15 to be National Police Week. Each spring, we take time to recall 
the men and women of law enforcement who were lost in the previous 
year. Unfortunately, this list has become far, far too long.
  Since our Nation's founding, more than 20,000 American law 
enforcement officers have sacrificed their lives in service to others. 
While I have paid many solemn visits to the National Law Enforcement 
Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, to honor, respect, and remember 
fallen officers, my visit this year was especially somber. In 2016, 
Kansas suffered the loss of three law enforcement officials.
  On the Senate floor today, I wish to recognize and to honor these 
fallen heroes: Detective Brad Lancaster of the Kansas City Police 
Department, Captain Robert ``Dave'' Melton of the Kansas City Police 
Department, and Master Deputy Sheriff Brandon Collins of the Johnson 
County Sheriff's Office. Their untimely deaths shook their families, 
the agencies where these men served, the neighborhoods they protected, 
and the communities they lived in. Brandon, Robert, and Brad were not 
only law enforcement officers, they were also sons and brothers, 
fathers, neighbors, mentors, and friends.
  Robert Melton, Brad Lancaster, and Brandon Collins and the 140 other 
officers killed in the line of duty in 2016 are being honored this week 
in our Nation's Capital. The names of these fallen heroes will be 
physically inscribed into the National Law Enforcement Officers 
Memorial, set in stone as an eternal reminder to the Nation of the 
service of these men and the debt we owe for their sacrifice on our 
behalf. That debt, of course, can never be repaid, but it is certainly 
our duty to try.
  As Americans honor these men during National Police Week, we must 
also remember their families, friends, and fellow officers and the 
loved ones they left behind. May God comfort them in their time of 
grief and be a source of strength for them. May He also protect all 
those who continue to serve and to stand today in harm's way to protect 
our communities.
  An inscription at the memorial reads: ``In valor there is hope.'' The 
losses of Brad Lancaster, Robert Melton, and Brandon Collins have 
imposed tremendous sorrow, but our memory of their service to others 
and their acts of valor offer Americans hope and inspiration to carry 
on their missions, to better our communities, to protect the 
vulnerable, and to stand for what is right. As we remember, let us 
tirelessly pursue those ends and do all we can to honor the fallen.

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