[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 186 (Friday, October 30, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION OF SGT. JOHN POHLMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. AL GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 30, 2020

  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to seek posthumous 
Congressional Recognition for former Houston Police Sergeant John G. 
Pohlman, who passed away at the age of 77 on October 12, 2020, after a 
long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Sgt. Pohlman was a dedicated 
father and husband, who is survived by his beloved wife of 30 years, 
Lenora Sorola-Pohlman; his two children, Jason Pohlman and Robbin 
Pohlman; his four grandchildren, Greg, Austen, Wren, and Jonathan; and 
his two great-grandchildren Kathrine and Max.
  For 49 years, Sgt. Pohlman proudly served the great city of Houston 
as a peace officer who never once received a complaint by a citizen he 
served. Sgt. Pohlman cared deeply about education; he earned both his 
Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Criminal Justice from the University 
of Houston-Downtown. Sgt. Pohlman joined the Houston Police Department 
(HPD) in January 1968 and was assigned to the Radio Patrol Division. 
While in Radio Patrol, he worked as a criminal investigator taking 
crime scene photos and fingerprints. He was then promoted to Sergeant 
and assigned to the Narcotics Division in 1975. Eventually, he was 
placed in charge of investigating that division's internal complaints 
until his retirement in 2017.
  Throughout his remarkable career in law enforcement, Sgt. Pohlman was 
truly a respected and recognized leader. He was the first Uniform 
Tactical Unit officer to serve as both a patrolman and a Sergeant; the 
first Narcotics Division Survival School Firearms Instructor; the first 
supervisor of the Narcotics High Risk Arrest Team; and a supervisor in 
the first combined U.S. Customs, IRS and HPD Money Laundering 
Initiative.
  Even on his death bed, Sgt. Pohlman continued to exercise his civic 
duty. His dying wish was to vote one last time, and in his final 
moments before departing this world he asked his wife to bring his 
mail-in ballot to his hospital bed and insisted on completing it in 
time for the 2020 election. He then had his wife take a photo of his 
completed ballot hoping to inspire others to fulfill their democratic 
duty and vote. Moments after casting his final ballot, Sgt. Pohlman 
passed away.
  I am honored to recognize the legacy of Sgt. Pohlman, a true American 
hero, and his nearly five decades of service to the city of Houston and 
to this great nation.

                          ____________________