[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 15, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2662-S2664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          National Police Week

  Mr. KING. Mr. President, every morning, across America millions of 
people get up, get dressed, and go to work. They all have similar 
experiences. They are getting ready for a new day. They are getting 
ready for a new set of challenges. They are getting ready to serve 
their company and the place where they work to the best of their 
ability.
  There is one group of Americans who get up every morning to go to 
work, and it is a slightly different experience because when those 
people report for work, they are knowingly and willingly putting their 
lives on the line. I am referring to our police officers and law 
enforcement personnel across the country.
  I think it is an important distinction. All of us go to work. We all 
think about it. But stop and think for a moment that when someone puts 
on that blue uniform or green uniform, or whatever it is, to serve the 
public, they are taking a risk with their life. They are literally 
laying their lives on the line for the rest of us.
  Fifty-six years ago today, President John F. Kennedy designated May 
15 as a law enforcement memorial day, or Peace Officers Memorial Day, 
and the week in which May 15 falls is designed and set aside by our 
country ever since to recognize peace officers. I love that term--peace 
officers. They are here to protect us.
  The Constitution in its preamble lays out the basic outlines for our 
government, and this is one of them: to ``insure domestic 
Tranquility.'' What a lovely phrase that is--to ``insure domestic 
Tranquility.'' That means, in many cases, law enforcement.
  I rise today to recognize law enforcement officials across the 
country but, also, particularly in my State of Maine. As Governor, I 
spent 24 hours a day with the State Police. I learned in that job the 
quality of the people we have serving us, the quality of the people, 
who often could make more money and have more promotions in another 
line of work but who had chosen to serve the public and put their lives 
on the line.
  In Washington, there is a memorial to our law enforcement personnel, 
to our peace officers. On that memorial there are engraved the names of 
those who have lost their lives in the service of their fellow 
citizens. Two of those names that will be added this year are from the 
State of Maine.
  One was Chris Gardner. He was only 47 years old. He had worked with 
the University of Maine Police, and then he worked with the Maine Drug 
Enforcement Agency. He died November 15, 2016, from complications from 
a training exercise. He was involved in the Maine Law Enforcement Torch 
Run. Many law enforcement people across the country are involved with 
the Torch Run, which raises money and visibility for the Special 
Olympics. He is survived by his parents, his brother, his sisters, his 
stepmother, and by many aunts and uncles. He is also survived by other 
loved ones. Chris Gardner served his public, served his people, and 
served his State and community, and he lost his life in that service.
  Another loss last year that will be going onto the monument this year 
is Nathan Desjardins. Nathan was a member of the Fryeburg Police 
Department. He was only 20 years old. He had just begun his career in 
law enforcement as a peace officer. He died on his first day of water 
training, responding to an incident of a capsized canoe. The boat he 
was on hit an object in the river. He was thrown out. Desjardins and 
another emergency responder were thrown from the boat. He sustained a 
head injury and died on June 6, 2017.
  Again, he is survived by his parents, his brother, his grandmother, 
and a large extended family. Both Nathan and Christopher will have 
their names added to the memorial this week.
  They got up, they went to work, they served their public, and they 
served their citizens and their community. They put their lives on the 
line, and, in this case, they made the ultimate sacrifice.
  A name that will not be added to the memorial this year--the 
additions are from the prior calendar year, but we had an unbelievably 
tragic event in Maine barely 3 weeks ago--is that of Eugene P. Cole. He 
was shot and killed in the line of duty on April 25, 2018. He was born 
in a little town called Skowhegan, ME. He was raised in that area and 
was the oldest of five. He graduated from high school and went into the 
Army. He came back to Maine, worked in a repair shop, and then, in the 
year 2000, he decided to pursue what was really his calling as a law 
enforcement officer.
  In 2006, at the age of 50, he went to the Maine Criminal Justice 
Academy, and he became a rural patrol deputy for the Somerset County 
Sheriff's Office. I used to live right across the street from the 
Somerset County Sheriff's Office. I remember the sheriff when I was 
there almost 50 years ago--Francis Henderson. Francis Henderson 
epitomized law enforcement in Maine and then Somerset County, and his 
followers as sheriffs have done the same.
  Gene Cole was in that mold. He was admired in his community. He was 
well-known in his community. He was respected. He embodied the values 
of law enforcement, and he was an inspiration to the officers who 
served with him.
  He is survived by his wife Sheryl of 41 years, four children, several 
grandchildren, his siblings Tom and Sheryl, his mother, and a large 
extended family.
  His funeral was in Bangor, ME, just a week and a half ago, and 3,600 
people were there. Law enforcement officers from across the Northeast 
and from across the country were there to pay their respects to one of 
their fallen comrades.
  Eugene Cole was a hero. He wouldn't call himself that. He would be 
embarrassed to be called that. From my understanding, he was a modest 
and unassuming man, but he was a hero because every morning he got up 
to go to work. He put on his uniform, and he put his life on the line 
for the people of Somerset County, Skowhegan, and Norridgewock and for 
the people of the State of Maine.
  I rise today to pay tribute to Gene Cole, to Chris Gardner, to Nathan 
Desjardins, and to all of the peace officers, the law enforcement 
officers--those across our country in our communities--who every day 
are willing to put their lives on the line for us. Peace Officers 
Memorial Day--and the week--is a fitting tribute to those brave people 
across the country who serve us every day and every night around the 
clock to ``insure domestic Tranquility,'' in the wonderful phrase of 
our Founders.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, across the country this week and as is 
evident in the Nation's Capital, people are honoring men and women who 
serve in law enforcement. If you are visiting the Capitol this week, 
you will see more law enforcement officers in many different uniforms 
than you would have expected to see, unless you are already here for 
law enforcement week.
  When the Presiding Officer and I came to the Senate, Senator Coons 
from Delaware came at the same time. We started the bipartisan Senate 
Law Enforcement Caucus. It is a privilege for me to speak during law 
enforcement week as we honor those in law enforcement and to speak on 
behalf of Senator Coons and myself at a time when we think it is 
particularly important to recognize what law enforcement officers do.
  I want to talk a little bit about the law enforcement officers who 
lost their lives this year in the line of duty. Too many law 
enforcement officers around the country have lost their lives or have 
been fatally injured in the line of duty.
  Three law enforcement officers in Missouri were killed in the line of 
duty in the past year. The Clinton Police Department lost two of those 
officers--Officers Gary Lee Michael, Jr., and Christopher Ryan Morton.
  Miller County Deputy Sheriff Casey Shoemate also lost his life. 
Deputy

[[Page S2663]]

Shoemate was killed last month while responding to a structure fire. He 
was in a fatal car accident. He served at the Miller County Sheriff's 
Office for 1 year. He is survived by his two children, his fiancee, and 
his parents and siblings.
  In March, Clinton, MO, Police Officer Christopher Ryan Morton was 
shot and killed when he and two other officers responded to an unknown 
situation as the result of a 9-1-1 call. As Officer Morton and his 
colleagues arrived at the scene, the subject opened fire. The officers 
returned fire. They entered the home in an attempt to take the man into 
custody. The man continued firing and wounded all three of the 
officers. Officer Morton's colleagues survived their injuries, but 
Officer Morton's wounds turned out to be fatal. He served the Clinton 
Police Department for 3 years. Prior to joining law enforcement, he had 
served in the Missouri Army National Guard, and he deployed to Kosovo 
and Afghanistan. But it was at home in Clinton, MO, where he lost his 
life serving others. He is survived by his parents and his siblings.
  In August of last year, another officer, Gary Michael, was shot and 
killed during a traffic stop. Officer Michael had stopped a vehicle for 
a suspected registration violation, and the driver exited the vehicle 
and immediately opened fire. Even though he was mortally wounded, 
Officer Michael was able to return fire and wound the subject, who was 
later apprehended. He had been with the Clinton Police Department for 
only 1 year. He was an Army veteran. He left behind his wife, his three 
children, and a grandchild.
  In April, the Clinton Police Department placed a tribute to the two 
fallen officers in the station. The plaque quotes John 15:13: ``Greater 
love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.''
  Officers leave their homes every day likely to face more difficult 
situations than most of us face. The families of officers always have 
in the back of their minds thoughts about what is going to happen to 
the person they love when that person is out there defending us. When 
officers put on their uniforms, say goodbye to the people they love, 
and walk out the door, they put their lives on the line to try to keep 
others safe. We are forever indebted to them. We are indebted to their 
families. This debt becomes a responsibility for the sacrifices they 
make and the trauma some families face every day. When we see more 
police officers ambushed, when we see officers becoming targets more 
frequently than they used to be, this is the debt we owe to them and 
their families.
  Every year in conjunction with National Police Week, the names of 
fallen officers like the three I just mentioned are added to the wall 
of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. There are more than 
21,000 names on that wall, dating back to the first law enforcement 
death in 1791.
  This week, Senator Coons and I will be introducing the National Law 
Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act. That bill authorizes the 
Treasury Department to mint coins to commemorate the opening of the 
National Law Enforcement Museum located in Washington, DC. The museum 
is scheduled to open later this year and is dedicated to highlighting 
and honoring the work of law enforcement past and present. After the 
government is reimbursed for costs associated with producing the coin, 
proceeds will support the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial 
Fund's educational and outreach programs. I certainly hope our 
colleagues will join Senator Coons and me--as 15 Members already have--
as we circulate the request to have a coin minted and used in that way.
  Men and women of State and local law enforcement put themselves in 
harm's way every day to protect our communities. The Federal Government 
shares the responsibility of ensuring that they have the training, 
equipment, and support they need to do their jobs.
  We benefit every day from the people who are law enforcement officers 
in and around this building. One of the things they do is obviously 
keep the people safe who work here, but they also make the U.S. Capitol 
the most open and accessible Capitol in the world. People come here 
every day and walk through this building where history has been made 
and where the work of democracy still goes on. It wouldn't be possible 
for them to do that if it weren't for the police officers who serve and 
protect the Capitol and the places around the Capitol where people who 
want to see democracy in action come.
  The stress and fatigue that law enforcement officers face in the line 
of duty can take a heavy toll and can lead to behavioral health issues, 
such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. They have the 
stress that wherever they are can become the frontline when working in 
law enforcement. I was proud that the Senate passed by unanimous 
consent the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act during 
Police Week just 1 year ago. This bill, which I cosponsored, will help 
law enforcement agencies better understand and address the behavioral 
health needs of their officers.
  On that topic, too often in the last decade, we have expected police 
officers to generally be the frontlines of behavioral health delivery. 
This is not a job that is best done by police officers and emergency 
rooms, but too much of it is still being done that way. Police 
departments all over the country have turned into crisis intervention 
teams, where they prepare officers--in some cases, every officer in a 
department is prepared to be a crisis intervention officer. They must 
not only be a law enforcement officer but also the on-site person who 
must recognize a mental health problem and deal with that issue 
differently than they might if it were another kind of problem.
  Recently, I cosponsored the Probation Officer Protection Act, which 
would allow Federal probation officers to protect themselves and 
enhance their ability to do their job by giving them the authority to 
arrest third parties who are interfering with their doing their job as 
they try to secure a person who has violated their probation. 
Currently, probation officers don't have the authority to arrest a 
third party who forcibly interferes with the officer's performance of 
his or her official duties.
  We recently had Jim Goehring from the Eastern District of Missouri in 
our office for a couple of weeks to advise us on this and other issues, 
to be our policy adviser on Federal probation issues. I know he and the 
people he works with would like to see that bill passed this year.
  There are a few things we can do and are doing to honor the men and 
women in law enforcement and to help them better meet the real 
challenges of their job. They are our first responders. They run toward 
danger when others are able to run away. All of us in this Chamber have 
an obligation to honor their service not just today, not just during 
Police Week, but every day and every week. This is a week set aside for 
that, as we see officers here in Washington and at home. It is a good 
week to say thank you. Whether it is here or where we live, reaching 
out and saying thank you to those who serve us is the right thing to 
do.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Blunt). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, today, on Peace Officers Memorial Day, I 
would like to honor the service and sacrifice of Colt Eugene Allery, a 
sheriff's deputy in Rolette County, ND, who was killed in the line of 
duty in January of 2017.
  Deputy Allery was only 29 years old, but he spent much of his young 
life serving in law enforcement. His loved ones said that he was 
happiest when he was doing for others, which is why he chose law 
enforcement as his career. In his life and service, Deputy Allery 
exemplified courage and a willingness to do whatever had to be done, 
regardless of the circumstances.
  Deputy Allery's name was inscribed on the National Law Enforcement 
Officers Memorial earlier this week--a lasting tribute to his bravery 
and dedication to serving his community. His name joins 51 other North 
Dakota law enforcement officers who have paid the

[[Page S2664]]

ultimate price. We honor their legacy, along with police officers 
across the country who have died in the line of duty.
  Here in the Senate, we are also paying tribute to our men and women 
in blue. I am proud to join my colleagues in sponsoring a Senate 
resolution that pays tribute to Deputy Allery and the 128 other law 
enforcement officers killed on duty in 2017. Their dedication to 
community and the rule of law is characteristic of so many of our 
policemen and policewomen, without whose efforts our communities would 
not be the same. In recognition of such efforts, our resolution also 
honors the service of all law enforcement officers by designating this 
week, May 13 through 19, as National Police Week.
  We want to thank our men and women in blue--those who leave their 
homes and loved ones each day to protect our communities and heed the 
call to serve. While we pay special tribute to their service during 
National Police Week, we are always grateful for their sacrifices on 
our behalf. We honor them and thank them for heeding the call to serve.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hoeven). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I am honored to join with my colleagues 
in honoring the men and women of law enforcement during National Police 
Week.
  This year, it was our colleague Mr. Blunt, the Senator from Missouri 
and the leader of our Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, who arranged an 
opportunity for us to speak on the floor, and I thank him for that.
  I wish to commend my colleagues Senators Grassley and Feinstein for 
putting together the National Police Week Resolution. As of yesterday 
afternoon, there were 75 cosponsors to this resolution, which is more 
than we have had previously.
  In 2017, the law enforcement community lost 199 of its bravest to 
line-of-duty incidents. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial 
Fund reports that 53 officers have given their lives in 2018; 28 of 
those killed by firearms. This is a 56-percent increase over the same 
period in 2017.
  I am very grateful that in Alaska we have not lost an officer in 
2018. We are praying that continues and that we don't see any moving 
forward, but we know, like every other State out there, we are living 
on borrowed time.
  Law enforcement families live on borrowed time. The job is inherently 
dangerous, and we pray and wish and hope that loved ones return home at 
the end of his or her shift. Really, we know there are no guarantees, 
and there never will be.
  The last Alaska officer to give his life to protect ours was Sergeant 
Allen Brandt. He was with the Fairbanks Police Department. His end of 
watch was October 28, 2016. Sergeant Brandt was shot multiple times 
just a couple of weeks before his death. Everyone thought he would 
survive his injuries. I had an opportunity to speak with him while he 
was in the hospital with his wife and his best friend. He was released 
from the hospital. Eight days after the shooting, Allen felt strong 
enough to actually appear before the Fairbanks City Council in person 
to thank the community for their outpouring of love and support and the 
unconditional love they had offered him and his family in the wake of 
this tragedy. He was very thankful to the community, most certainly, 
but he also went on to admonish the community. He said:

       We need your support, not just when bad things happen. The 
     officers do a hard job and most of the time it's thankless.

  Those were truly his famous last words. He went to Anchorage for a 
second surgery a few days later, and he died on the operating table.
  Officer Allen is clearly not forgotten in the Fairbanks community. He 
lived a hero's life, and his words before the Fairbanks City Council 
will be long remembered: ``We need your support, not just when bad 
things happen.'' That has to be the reminder to all of us all of the 
time--to be there for those who are serving us, to be there to support 
them.
  In an editorial published this morning, the Fairbanks Daily News-
Miner offers the following:

       With police receiving much negative media attention on the 
     national level, sometimes people forget the vast majority of 
     police officers are good men and women who put their lives on 
     the line. . . . Take time to remember the . . . fallen 
     officers who have given their lives up for their communities. 
     And be sure to thank the police officers you do see for the 
     hard job they do, even if nothing bad has happened lately.

  Those were words taken from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner this 
morning.
  This week, thousands of members of the law enforcement family have 
come to Washington, DC, for public ceremonies on the Mall and here at 
the Capitol. There have been private moments visiting lost colleagues 
at the memorial site. The surviving relatives of the fallen are 
grieving and recovering at events sponsored by Concerns of Police 
Survivors. This is a great organization, a vital organization, whose 
existence is barely known outside of the law enforcement community. I 
have had several--several--opportunities over the years to work with 
this extraordinary organization as they have been there for the 
families who have lost their heroes.
  There are ample opportunities this week to thank members of our law 
enforcement family for their sacrifices in public and, certainly, ample 
opportunities every day of the year to thank our officers in private, 
starting with our own U.S. Capitol Police who greet us at the door 
every morning. They remain on post when we leave at the end of very 
long days. They are here for us day in and day out.
  I would just end with an observation. I think the editorial this 
morning in the Fairbanks paper offers up words of wisdom. As the 
memories of National Police Week 2018 fade, I hope we will not wait 
until next May to thank the men and women of law enforcement for their 
selfless and at times thankless service to our communities.
  With that, I thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.