[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 123 (Thursday, July 20, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H6135-H6136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE MEMORY OF OFFICER MIOSOTIS FAMILIA

  (Mr. FASO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FASO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the memory of Officer 
Miosotis Familia.
  Officer Familia was a member of the New York City Police Department's 
46th Precinct in the Bronx who lost her life in the early hours of July 
5. She was targeted by a deranged ex-convict who assassinated her in 
cold blood.
  As New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill said at Officer 
Familia's funeral: ``Everything our government stands for--freedom of 
speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear--
everything starts with public safety. Miosotis knew this, and she 
wanted all of to us play our part.
  ``That is why violence against police and what we represent is a 
dishonor to civilized society.''
  With a renewed dedication to law enforcement and the communities they 
serve, we pledge to keep Officer Familia's legacy alive.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record Commissioner O'Neill's remarks.

     Remarks by Commissioner O'Neill for Officer Familia's Funeral

       Good morning everybody.
       Barbara [NYPD Chaplain Rev. Dr. Barbara Williams-Harris], 
     I'm not sure if I'm ready to celebrate yet. I have to work on 
     it.
       Members of the NYPD Chaplains Unit; Pastor Davidson and the 
     staff and congregation of World Changers Church--I love the 
     name; Mayor de Blasio; Adriana, Gennie, Peter, Delilah; 
     Inspector Phil Rivera and all the men and women of the 4-6 
     Precinct in the Bronx; law enforcement officers from all 
     across our nation and the world, many of whom traveled great 
     distances to support us in this time of incredible sorrow; 
     and all other friends and family gathered here this morning:
       On behalf of the entire New York City Police Department, I 
     extend our most profound condolences.
       Police Officer Miosotis Familia was a kind and authentic 
     woman.
       One of 10 children raised in Washington Heights before she 
     and her family moved together to the Bronx, she was serious 
     but sharp-witted. And though she was the youngest, her 
     siblings say she was never spoiled.
       Miosotis was the glue that held her large family together. 
     She would mediate any dispute, especially among her six 
     feisty sisters. Known as a lovable goof, they playfully 
     called her ``La Loca,'' or Crazy Girl.
       And later, as a mother, she would teach her own children 
     life lessons--like being kind to strangers, blessing others 
     with a smile, and respecting those less fortunate.
       I'm told that Valentine's Day was her favorite holiday. 
     She'd really go overboard with the hearts and the decorations 
     in their Kingsbridge apartment, just so the kids could see 
     all the love that was theirs.
       Like every New Yorker, Miosotis just wanted to do her job, 
     work hard, live without fear, improve her life, and the lives 
     of 86-year-old mother, her two daughters, and her son.
       But she also wanted to do something else: She wanted to 
     improve the lives of other families, as well. When she made 
     that decision 12 years ago to become an NYPD cop--a Bronx 
     cop--she epitomized why many people choose to become police 
     officers.
       Gennie, Peter, Delilah: I can talk forever about the great 
     things--the fantastic things that police officers do every 
     single day for millions of people--but nothing I can say will 
     bring your mom back. I'm sorry for that.
       But I can make you this promise: Your mom didn't die in 
     vain. Your mom's legacy will never fade from importance or 
     memory.
       Your mom made it her mission to make your home--New York 
     City--a better and safer place for everyone. And I vow to you 
     we will continue to find our way forward in her honor. 
     Because that's what cops do.
       Cops are regular people who believe in the possibility of 
     making this a safer world. It's why we do what we do. It's 
     why we run toward, when others run away.
       Your mom believed in the possibility of being part of 
     something larger than herself. She accepted the vast 
     responsibility that came with her decision, knowing that it 
     would be challenging, recognizing that someone has to do this 
     job, and believing she was willing and able to fill that 
     role. And she was right.
       Miosotis wanted other people to know her, to work with her, 
     and to help her make this a better city for all of us.
       Everything our government stands for--freedom of speech, 
     freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear--
     everything starts with public safety. Miosotis knew this, and 
     she wanted all of us to play our part.
       That is why violence against the police and what we 
     represent is a dishonor to civilized society. We should be 
     outraged that any single person had so little regard for your 
     right to public safety.
       On the night our nation celebrated its independence, the 
     coward who committed this atrocity did not walk down the 
     street after midnight and shoot just anybody.
       He shot a cop.
       Mental illness and medication may have played a part--I 
     don't know. What is certain, however, is that he hated the 
     police. He saw us as the ``bad guys'' because countless times 
     he heard it in conversation, saw it on television, read it in 
     the newspapers. Combine that toxic blend with his special 
     brand of evil, and you get . . . this funeral.
       Hate has consequences. When we demonize a whole group of 
     people--whether that group is defined by race, by religion, 
     or by occupation--this is the result. I don't know how else 
     to say it: This was an act of hate, in this case, against 
     police officers--the very people who stepped forward and made 
     a promise to protect you, day and night.
       This amazing woman, this mother, this daughter, this 
     sister, this friend, this New York City police officer, was 
     assassinated solely because of what she represented and for 
     the responsibility she embraced.
       All her killer could see was a uniform, even though 
     Miosotis was so much more. He blamed the police for his own 
     terrible choices in life. And for the way he emerged after 
     our society agreed he should go away to prison for a while.
       As a city, and as a country, I don't believe we're in the 
     same place we were at the end of 2014, when Detectives Rafael 
     Ramos and WenJian Liu were assassinated under similar 
     circumstances in Brooklyn. We are on firmer ground now, with 
     police and communities working more effectively together.
       But in mid-2017, there unquestionably is a creeping apathy 
     among the public about the work and role of its dedicated 
     police officers. I think of it this way: You don't really 
     notice the lights are on . . . until they go out. If we do 
     wrong, we are vilified. If we do right, we are ignored.
       There is little attention paid to positive changes in 
     policing, in general, and in this police department, in 
     particular, no matter how effective they may be.

[[Page H6136]]

       But the manner in which Miosotis was killed should remind 
     everybody that the civility of our society balances on a 
     knife's edge. And the 36,000 uniformed members of the NYPD 
     are just regular people who made a selfless decision to help 
     maintain that balance.
       There is nothing more human than a 48-year-old mother of 
     three, living in the Bronx, who decided to swear an oath, put 
     on a uniform, and live a life with meaning. Fighting crime 
     and keeping people safe is not a responsibility that the 
     police take lightly, and neither should the public.
       While crime continues to go down, year after year, that 
     provides little comfort when the fabric of our society, the 
     blanket of public safety we provide, is torn by a senseless, 
     direct assault on one of our protectors.
       Here are the numbers we don't talk about nearly enough:
       Since our start in 1845, more than 840 New York City police 
     officers have died in the line of duty. Miosotis is our 
     seventh cop to be shot and killed in just the last five 
     years. And she's our third female officer ever to be murdered 
     on the job.
       Across our nation, 135 police officers were killed in the 
     line of duty last year, the sharpest spike in the last five 
     years. And just yesterday, New York State Trooper Joel Davis 
     was killed in the line of duty while responding to a radio 
     run of a domestic dispute in upstate New York.
       Each of these murdered officers has one thing in common: 
     They lost their lives while protecting the lives of others. 
     Some people say: ``Well, that's what cops signed up for, 
     right? That's their job.''
       Let me tell you something: Regular people sign up to be 
     cops. They sign up for this job of protecting strangers, 
     knowing there are inherent risks. But not one of us ever 
     agreed to be murdered in an act of indefensible hate. Not one 
     of us signed up to never return to our family or loved ones.
       So, where are the demonstrations for this single mom, who 
     cared for her elderly mother and her own three children? 
     There is anger and sorrow, but why is there no outrage? 
     Because Miosotis was wearing a uniform? Because it was her 
     job?
       I simply do not accept that.
       Miosotis was targeted, ambushed, and assassinated. She 
     wasn't given a chance to defend herself. That should matter 
     to every single person who can hear my voice, in New York 
     City and beyond.
       We know there's evil in this world. That's why we need the 
     police. But as New Yorkers, we can decide that people like 
     Miosotis' killer will ultimately fail. He will not drive us 
     apart. We can decide to come together and make our city 
     reflect the good inside all of us, the hopes and simple 
     dreams we share.
       I'm asking the public to make a commitment to support your 
     police, to work with us. Commit to watching the backs of 
     those you call when you're scared, those you call when you're 
     in trouble.
       NYPD cops answer about four-and-a-half million radio runs a 
     year, and are flagged down countless other times. AnAfor good 
     or bad, only a tiny handful of our actions make the news. 
     That tiny handful--some when things go right, others when 
     things go wrong--because that's what sells newspapers--those 
     are the ones that define us. And the millions--literally 
     millions--of our other actions go unnoticed.
       But we don't turn away from criticism, because we know it 
     comes hand-in-hand with the possibility of making the safest 
     big city in America even safer. We know you need us. And we 
     need you. We want all our neighborhoods to be safer places 
     for our children, for our elderly, for ourselves.
       But without peace and safety, we have nothing. It's a 
     shared responsibility. You must participate. You must not 
     retreat.
       It seems that we put all our societal failures on our 
     police to solve. If there's not enough drug addiction 
     funding, many say it's the police who should change their 
     tactics. If there's not enough money for mental health, many 
     say it's the cops who need to alter what they're doing out on 
     the streets. If our society hasn't adequately invested in 
     schools, the cops need to figure that out.
       We tell our police: ``You're the counselor, you're the 
     parent, you're the social worker, you're the referee.'' But 
     policing was never intended to solve all those problems.
       It's our obligation to continually drive down crime and 
     keep people safe. That's what Miosotis vowed to do. And 
     that's the work we vow to continue in her stead.
       What we are left with are the memories, moments shared, 
     lives touched, friendships forged. There is no making sense 
     of what is truly senseless. There is no explaining the 
     unexplainable. Words do not do it justice. We cannot fix the 
     hurt. We have to put that in the hands of a higher power. And 
     the higher power I'm talking about is you.
       We need the public to take a more-active role in our city's 
     safety. I'm asking you to connect with your police. Listen to 
     my words: Your police. We are yours. We're here to help. 
     We're here to make things better. But we nee your assistance. 
     We need it now, more than ever. Because no one knows what's 
     going on a street, or a block, better than those who live and 
     work there every day.
       That's how your neighborhoods will keep getting better. And 
     that's how we're going to continue to keep driving crime down 
     and keep everybody safe. And that's how we'll find our way 
     forward, together. That's Miosotis' legacy.
       The pain we feel today will not soon pass, but we know she 
     did not die in vain. Our anger can be transformed into 
     effective change. Our sorrow can make us a better society. We 
     may not ever match the sacrifice made by Miosotis, but surely 
     we can try to match her sense of service. If we cannot match 
     her courage, we can strive to match her devotion.
       In the last few days--the 4-6 Precinct, Police Plaza, all 
     across New York--we've received many, many messages of hope 
     and support. They tell us that people around the nation and 
     around the world love the police very much, and mourn with 
     us. They tell us they need us, and that they are proud of us.
       I, too, couldn't be more proud of our cops.
       To the men and women of the NYPD who bravely put on that 
     uniform every day--and they do, it takes courage--and to all 
     those who have come before us: Thank you for your dedication, 
     your leadership, and your powerful example.
       And I also couldn't be more proud of--and thankful for--
     Miosotis, whom I promote today to Detective-First Grade. 
     Please rise and applaud her life and service.
       To Gennie, Peter, and Delilah: Here we are, today, 
     literally surrounded by a sea of blue as far as the eye can 
     see outside this building. And know this: Our family will 
     always be with yours. We don't ever forget. We will always be 
     here for you and this city.
       And to all the members of the NYPD: Do not ever forget why 
     you chose to become a police officer. Be proud of who you are 
     and what you do. Always remember that Miosotis lived to 
     protect all New Yorkers, and her legacy protects us still.
       We pray that she now finds rest, and that her beloved 
     family finds solace and peace and the strength to live the 
     lives their mother fought to give them.
       God bless Miosotis. God bless her family. God bless every 
     member of the New York City Police Department, who will 
     forever carry on her most important work.
       Thank you.

  Mr. FASO. I also include in the Record my full statement. May God 
bless Officer Miosotis Familia's memory.
  Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, today I rise to honor the memory of 
Officer Miosotis Familia. Officer Familia was a member of the New York 
Police Department's 46th Precinct in the Bronx who lost her life in the 
early hours of July 5th. She was targeted by a deranged ex-convict who 
assassinated her in cold blood. All of New York was affected by this 
evil act. The 48-year-old loving mother devoted her life to helping 
others. Sadly, she becomes the third female NYPD officer to be murdered 
on the job; the first in New York since 9/11.
  Officer Familia had two daughters and a son. She wanted to leave them 
a better future, a safer city. Every one of the 36,000 uniformed 
members of the NYPD goes to work every day for this vision. They 
sacrifice. They risk bodily harm, and worse. Too often they do so 
despite a hostile media and an indifferent public. As New York Police 
Commissioner James O'Neill said about her, and all law enforcement 
personnel, at Officer Familia's funeral: ``Cops are regular people who 
believe in the possibility of making this a safer world. It's why we do 
what we do. It's why we run toward, when others run away.'' He 
remarked, furthermore, ``Everything our government stands for--freedom 
of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear--
everything starts with public safety. Miosotis knew this, and she 
wanted all of us to play our part. That is why violence against the 
police and what we represent is a dishonor to civilized society. We 
should be outraged that any single person had so little regard for your 
right to public safety.''
  Through it all, Officer Miosotis Familia carried love in her heart: 
love for the Bronx neighborhood she patrolled; love for the people of 
her city and state; and love for the oath she swore all those years ago 
when she made the decision to enter law enforcement: To serve and 
protect.
  Her killer--and I refuse to mention his name--was driven only by 
hate. This is the hate which in 2016 resulted in the sharpest spike in 
police killings in five years. It is the hate that robbed three 
children of their mother with a single gunshot on a dark Bronx street. 
I want to share with this Chamber a recollection by Officer Familia's 
oldest daughter, delivered at her funeral. She said that Miosotis came 
into her room on July 4 before going to work, a regular person 
believing in the possibility of bringing about a safer world.
  She said, ``I'm going to work now. And I love you.'' She hugged her 
daughter, twice, and left to join her fellow officers. Now Officer 
Familia joins those lost in the line of duty. With love in her heart, 
she kept us safe. With a renewed dedication to law enforcement and the 
communities they serve, we pledge here to keep Officer Miosotis 
Familia's legacy alive.

                          ____________________