[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 113 (Friday, July 6, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN REMEMBRANCE OF MELVIN T. BURGESS, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 6, 2018

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recall the excellent life of 
Melvin T. Burgess, Sr., who served his community in various capacities 
for 56 years and died June 28 at the age of 80. Mr. Burgess served for 
33 years with the Memphis Police Department, the final two and a half 
years as Police Director. Mr. Burgess was a graduate of Booker T. 
Washington High School after which he joined the U.S. Air Force. He was 
also a graduate of Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana. 
Mr. Burgess joined the Memphis Police Department on March 12, 1962, 
starting off in the Beale Street Precinct as a beat officer. He rose 
through the ranks, working in the juvenile, robbery, narcotics and 
homicide units before becoming an Inspector then Director in January 
1992. As Director, he assumed the command of 1,448 commissioned 
officers. He ran for Shelby County Sheriff as a Democrat in 1998 but 
did not prevail. The following year, he began working as the second in 
command of the Tunica County Sheriffs Department during federal 
corruption probe and, when the sheriff under indictment pleaded guilty 
to extortion and resigned, Burgess ran the department for almost a year 
until a successor was elected. He was commended by one federal 
prosecutor for ``coming in and righting the ship.'' He also worked as 
chief of security for Harrah's Casino in Tunica. Mr. Burgess was a true 
man of character and integrity whom I grew to know and admire while I 
was the legal advisor to the Memphis Police Department. I want to 
extend my condolences to his wife of 43 years, Johanna; his son Shelby 
County Commissioner Melvin Burgess II and his wife Sandra; his daughter 
Pamela Nelson; and his four grandchildren. Melvin Burgess always did 
the right thing. His was a life well-lived, and he will be missed.

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