[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 83 (Thursday, May 13, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2300-H2303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATING NATIONAL POLICE WEEK
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Mrvan). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack)
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
submit extraneous materials.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and honor the
police officers across our country.
As we commemorate National Police Week, I can't help but think about
the barrage of attacks that our LEOs have come under in recent months
and years.
Police officers have constantly been vilified by the media and those
in leftwing politics for just simply doing their jobs. It is a job that
comes with significant challenges and dangers and is often thankless,
at best.
[[Page H2301]]
At this time, I would like to thank my colleagues here today for
joining me for this Special Order to honor our heroes in blue.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank our police officers all
across this Nation for their work and sense of duty. They walk the beat
and meet people at their worst moments, all while maintaining
professionalism and a steadfastness to the rule of law.
This is a job that affects not only the individual officer but their
entire family. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters worry if their
loved ones will return home from a shift. This fear is very real and
very raw.
As the wife of a first responder, I, too, have felt this fear and
dread as my husband, Matt, drives to a SWAT call-out.
Too often, these brave men and women in uniform don't make it back
after that shift. They pay the ultimate price for their bravery, and
their families are left to pick up the pieces.
Just this year alone, we have lost too many brave officers in the
line of duty. I will honor them here today by saying each of their
names. Their memories and bravery will be recorded in the Congressional
Record and etched into the archives of American history.
Their names are as follows:
Sergeant Gordon Best, Sergeant Daniel Mobley, Lieutenant Jeff Bain,
Deputy Sheriff Nicholas Howell, Sergeant Randall Sims, Deputy Sheriff
Jonathan Price, Officer Jay Hughes, Officer Brian Sicknick, Sergeant
David Crumpler, First Sergeant Timothy Howell, Lieutenant William
Gardner, Conservation Officer Steven Reighard, Officer Arturo Villegas,
Officer Tyler Britt, Master Corporal Brian LaVigne, Agent Luis Marrero-
Diaz, Agent Luis Salaman-Conde, Agent Eliezer Hernandez-Cartagena,
Officer Melton Gore, Sergeant Frederick Cameron, Detective Sergeant
Stephen Desfosses, Officer Hector Moya, Chief of Police Tony Jordan,
Corporal Christine Peters, Constable Sherry Kay Langford, Lieutenant
Treva Preston, Officer Alfred Jiminez, Officer Jerry Hemphill, Sergeant
Edward Marcurella, Lieutenant John Reynolds, Officer Joseph Martini,
Deputy Sheriff Adam Gibson, Officer Brandon Stalker, Warrants Officer
Toby Keiser, Deputy Sheriff Jacinto Navarro, Officer Byron Shields,
Lieutenant Robert Van Zeyl, Lieutenant Frank Arnold, Special Agent
Wayne Snyder, Captain Michael Garigan, Lieutenant Juan Rafael Rivera-
Padua, Deputy Sheriff Frank Gonzalez Holguin, Auxiliary Sergeant Louis
Livatino, Director of Field Operations Beverly Good, Sergeant Tommy
Cudd, Sergeant Jeffrey Smith, Special Agent Robert Mayer, Sergeant
William Brautigam, Correctional Officer Juan Llanes, Sergeant Grace
Bellamy, Lieutenant Michael Boutte, Special Agent Laura Ann
Schwartzenberger, Special Agent Daniel Alfin, Detention Officer Robert
Perez, Deputy Sheriff Jack Gwynes, Agent Juan Rosado-Lopez, Patrolman
Darian Jarrott, Detective Pedro Mejia, Officer Cesar Sibonga, Deputy
Sheriff Ross Dixon, Officer Vicky James, Investigator Eddie Hutchinson,
Chief of Police Timothy Sheehan, Deputy Sheriff Donald Gilreath, Police
Officer Mitchell Penton, Officer Genaro Guerrero, Corrections Officer
Tawiwo Obele, Major Esteban Ramirez, Deputy Constable Manuel Phillipe
De La Rosa, Sergeant Richard Brown, Deputy Sheriff Michael Magli,
Police Officer Horacio Dominguez, Lieutenant Eugene Lasco, Officer
Jasaon Lagore, Parole Officer Troy Morin, Officer Carlos Mendoza,
Deputy Sheriff Thomas Albanese, Reserve Deputy Constable Martinus
Mitchum, Police Officer Dominic Winum, Captain Justin Bedwell, Police
Officer Jose Anzora, Corrections Officer Tracey Adams, Officer Crispin
San Jose, Officer Jesse Madsen, Sergeant Barry Henderson, Deputy
Sheriff Stanley Burdic, Police Officer Gary Hibbs, Border Patrol Agent
Alejandro Flores-Banuelos, Police Officer Kevin Valencia, Sergeant
LaShonda Owens, Police Officer Matt North, Police Officer Eric Talley,
Chief of Police Fred Posavetz, Corrections Officer Robert McFarland,
Senior Master Trooper Todd Hanneken, Corporal Kyle Davis, Trooper
Joseph Gallagher, Sergeant Shane Owens, Reserve Deputy Sheriff James
Driver, Trooper Chad Walker, Officer Luis Hernandez, Officer William
Evans, Lieutenant James Kouski, Officer Brent Hall, Deputy Sheriff
Joseph Gore, Deputy Sheriff Christopher Knight, Sergeant James Smith,
Deputy Sheriff Thomas Barnes, Deputy Sheriff Carlos Hernandez, Border
Patrol Agent Christopher Simpkins, Detention Deputy Mark Anderson,
Officer Jimmy Garcia, Officer David Parde, Deputy Sheriff Terry Dyer,
Deputy Sheriff Alexander Gwosdz, Officer Anastasio Tsakos, Corporal
Keith Heacook, Sergeant Chris Ward, Deputy Sheriff Logan Fox, Officer
Christopher Farrar, Detective Luca Benedetti, Deputy Sheriff Samuel
Leonard, Deputy Sheriff Stephen Jones, and Officer Jimmy Inn.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention our K9 officers that also
gave their lives in the line of duty: K9 Figo, K9 Riley, K9 Luna, K9
Joker, K9 Kozmo, and K9 Jango.
Mr. Speaker, please join me in a moment of silence to remember these
heroes.
As you can see, that is a pretty lengthy list. I hope that, even
though I may have mispronounced some of their names, their families
seek comfort in knowing that their names will forever be remembered.
Again, these are just some of the heroes that we have lost this year.
It is May, and this list takes up four pages of paper. May we always
remember their names and recognize their service in keeping law and
order for our communities.
To the brave men and women who we just named: Rest easy. We've got
the watch.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford),
a good friend and sheriff of the great city of Jacksonville.
{time} 1745
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I deeply appreciate Mrs. Cammack having
read all of those names. That is a promise that we make to these
officers. I really congratulate Congresswoman Cammack and thank her so
much for this opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, this morning, as I was laying a wreath at the National
Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, I couldn't help but remember that
this week, National Police Week, is really about promises made and
promises kept.
These 22,000-plus officers, whose names appear at the national
memorial, although they all died in different ways, they all lived for
the same purpose.
They made this promise: ``As a law enforcement officer, my
fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property;
to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression
or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to
respect the constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality, and
justice.''
Mr. Speaker, that is the first paragraph of the Law Enforcement
Officer's Code of Ethics. That is a promise made by every law
enforcement officer in the United States. That promise is kept every
day when they put on that uniform and they go out to protect the
peaceful against violence and disorder.
Last year, in 2020, 394 of those officers gave their last full
measure of devotion to the communities they served after having taken
that oath. They kept their promise.
During this National Police Week, we will keep our promise to them
that we will never forget their names and that of their families.
Mr. Speaker, every year at this time we pause to remember their
lives; not just their deaths and the way they died, but the way they
lived.
This morning, I couldn't help but think of the words of Ralph Waldo
Emerson as I thought about these officers. He wrote: ``The purpose in
life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be
compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and
lived well.''
Those more than 22,000 names that are on those memorial walls over
there, those men and women lived well. Their names will never be
forgotten. Of the names on the wall at the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial, 113 of them are from my district.
Just this year, we will add another 394 names to that memorial wall.
These officers kept their promises. Tonight, at the National Law
Enforcement Officers Memorial, we will keep our promise and remember
their names.
God bless and keep these officers and their families, who are their
survivors.
[[Page H2302]]
Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, former sheriff
from Jacksonville, Mr. Rutherford.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
C. Scott Franklin), a true friend to law enforcement, a fellow
Floridian, and veteran.
Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today during
National Police Week when America joins our law enforcement community
to honor our fallen officers.
Sadly, our police force faces unprecedented attack. Last year, 394
law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty, nearly double
the amount from 2019. In only one year in all of American history,
1930, were there more law enforcement deaths.
Despite these staggering losses, some in this body are seeking to
defund the police, diminishing their ability to protect and defend our
communities and themselves.
While we must be ever vigilant to root out the bad apples, we cannot
forget the overwhelming majority who put themselves in harm's way every
day and serve with honor and integrity.
I am grateful for the efforts of the excellent law enforcement
officials in my district. I stand with these incredible sheriffs and
chiefs and the officers they lead, and I thank them for their service
on behalf of the citizens of Florida.
Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana
(Mr. Higgins), my good friend, who is also a law enforcement officer
and great patriot.
Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, to be a police officer, it is
not something we do; it is someone that we are. I was a military police
officer in the Army and went on to serve for 12 years as a uniformed
police officer, 12 years as a SWAT operator, and I buried far too many
brothers.
There is a time in every man's heart where we have to make a decision
of what we are going to do with our life that day, that week, that
month, with our families, with our career, with our life.
As I reflect upon my career as a police officer prior to my
congressional service, I think about the 8\1/2\ years of night shift
and the exchange that my wife and I would have every evening as she
returned from work and I was preparing to leave. She would have my
little meal prepared, a brown bag, to take with me. And she would say:
``Be safe. Come home to me.'' And I would say: ``Don't worry about me.
Worry about the other guy.''
Every police officer has a little exchange like that with their loved
one before they begin their shift, because we don't know if we are
coming home.
We recognize that the life we have chosen to serve our fellow man is
an effort somehow to become better men ourselves. It is an effort to
serve a Lord that we are not quite worthy of.
I have trained or helped train many officers through the years, and
they would ask me sometimes about this section of the manual or that
section of the manual, and I would always tell them the same: Your
manual is 1,483 pages. Seek to be a better man, do the right thing, and
you will be worthy of the job and career that you have chosen. Forget
that, and you will not.
We are human. We have failed and fallen in some way, every one of us.
This can be said as well about the Members of this body. We wear a
small pin upon our lapel that identifies us as Congressmen and
Congresswomen. We are proud to serve and humbled to serve, and we do
our best every day to be worthy of that service.
This job began with an oath. Imperfect, though, we be; varied,
though, we be in our ideological perspective or our political
affiliation, we do our best every day.
There are a million police officers across this country who don't
have a little lapel pin. They wear a badge like this. And the mourning
band upon that badge is in memory of the brothers and sisters of the
thin blue line who we have lost.
It used to be a rare thing to find your mourning band and put it on
your badge. Now, these days, you can't get it off. Police officers out
there know what I am talking about.
So I will say, Mr. Speaker, in closing, that the journey that we are
upon in this life is a chosen path that all of us embrace, for better
or for worse. We attempt to become better men and women, better
children of God.
Police officers are no different. I ask you to hear my heart, feel my
spirit. The men and women that wear a badge deserve your respect, your
love, and your support. In this special time this week, we memorialize
forever those who we have lost who wear the badge.
I thank Congresswoman Cammack for allowing me to address the House
this day. I extend my love to the thin blue line.
Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Nehls), another great friend of law enforcement; the former sheriff of
Fort Bend County, Texas, who knows truly what it is to be a man of the
law.
Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, as a 30-year law enforcement veteran, I have
seen the very best of our law enforcement officers, brave men and women
who put their lives on the line each and every day to protect and serve
our communities.
I have seen law enforcement officers jump into flood waters to save a
pet, run into a fiery crash to save an unconscious victim, resuscitate
and save the life of a criminal who had just tried to shoot and kill
them.
I have also seen the dangers of serving in law enforcement. Hundreds
of law enforcement officers are killed every year in the line of duty
across our country. In 2021, 394 names of law enforcement officers
killed in the line of duty were added to the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial, right here in Washington, D.C., and 59 of those
brave men and women were from my home State of Texas.
How many people in this Chamber or watching at home can name any of
the officers who died in the line of duty this year?
I would say a very small percentage, if any at all.
But how many know the name of George Floyd or Freddie Gray or Breonna
Taylor?
I would say the vast majority.
What does that say about our media? What does it say about our
culture?
{time} 1800
I think it is a testament to just how divided our country is today, a
time where some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle
actually believe defunding or abolishing the police is a good idea. My
friends, it is not rocket science to conclude that the society, our
society is built on rule of law and it requires law enforcement.
Rather than recognize the bravery and service of the over 800,000 law
enforcement officers in this country who do their job honorably, the
far left has sought to demonize and defund our law enforcement, based
off the actions of a few--a few--who have failed to uphold their oath.
Their hateful rhetoric has led to violence and destruction in cities
across our country. We saw it in Seattle, Minneapolis, Portland. City
blocks burned, businesses destroyed, and lives ruined forever. When
faced with this violence in the streets, the far left doubled down on
their hateful anti-law enforcement rhetoric and encouraged even more
destruction.
It may come as a surprise to many, but there are over 10 million--
yes, 10 million--arrests in our country every year. Most Americans
never hear a word about the millions of arrests that happen without
incident. And why is that? Because it doesn't sell headlines. It
doesn't sell headlines, and it doesn't fit the left's narrative.
Darian Jarrott of New Mexico, Chris Ward of North Carolina, James
Smith of Iowa, and Chad Walker from the great State of Texas. Know
their names? I am sure you don't, because their death didn't fit the
left's narrative or sell headlines. All four of them were murdered in
the line of duty for just trying to protect their communities.
Are their years of service or sacrifice not worthy of remembrance or
recognition? The media doesn't seem to think so. But the Republican
Party, we stand with law enforcement. We support law enforcement. We
celebrate law enforcement. We are the party of law enforcement.
That is why I am proud to stand here today as a 30-year law
enforcement veteran during National Police Week to say to all my
brothers and sisters in blue, we have got your back.
Mrs. CAMMACK. Thank you to our sheriff from the great State of Texas.
I
[[Page H2303]]
appreciate your remarks and thank you for your service, not just to
Fort Ben, but to the great State of Texas and our country. Thank you.
At this time, I yield to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-
Meeks), my good friend who may be the smallest in stature in our
conference but has the biggest heart.
Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, this is National Police Week, and it
is an excellent time to say thank you to the heroic men and women who
put their lives at risk every day to keep us safe.
These officers and their families have sacrificed so much to serve
others that we must be doing more to keep them safe, well funded, and
supported.
This past year has been challenging for all of us, but our police
officers have been hit especially hard. Imagine what we have gone
through with the pandemic, but being a police officer and first
responder during these difficult times.
Many of my colleagues have called to reform, defund, and even abolish
police departments. While I do believe that our policing system is in
need of serious bipartisan and commonsense reforms, I will never
support defunding or abolishing the police. Those calling for defunding
or abolishment of the police as serious policy are flat out wrong.
Our communities need police to stay safe. They must be fully funded,
and they deserve our respect and gratitude.
Defunding or abolishing the police would make our communities less
secure and more vulnerable to criminal activity, putting all of our
families at risk.
We must produce constructive ways to reform and improve our policing
system, not strip departments of critical funding for training,
equipment, community engagement programs, and body cameras.
To reform our police system, we should focus on real solutions, like
empowering police chiefs to fire bad cops and improving police training
and accountability in line with best practices, similar to the reforms
I proudly supported as a State senator in Iowa.
Earlier today, I signed on as a cosponsor to the bipartisan Defund
Cities that Defund the Police Act. Introduced by Representatives
Fitzpatrick, Golden, Stauber, and Lamb, this piece of legislation would
prevent jurisdictions that defund the police from receiving certain
Federal grants, stopping specific Federal taxpayer dollars from
bankrolling jurisdictions that intentionally make their communities
less safe.
Under this legislation, any jurisdiction that chooses to defund the
police is choosing to defund themselves of Federal assistance.
Municipalities around the country that wish to defund or abolish the
police will only harm their communities.
America does not need to defund or abolish the police. We need to
fund and support law enforcement.
It is interesting to me and ironic that here I am in this building as
a U.S. Congresswoman, and my first tour of this building and the White
House was my brother, who was a Secret Service agent in this city.
We especially need to honor our fallen police officers, including
Iowa State Patrol Officer Jim Smith, U.S. Capitol Police Officers
Sicknick, Evans, Liebengood, Green, and Smith. We also need to honor
the selfless sacrifice of Officer Goodman.
Police officers are true public servants and protectors of our
communities who deserve our respect and appreciation. I am proud to
back the blue this week and every week.
Thank you, Congresswoman Cammack, for your fierce advocacy for our
police officers and for organizing tonight's Special Order.
Mrs. CAMMACK. Mr. Speaker, during this National Police Week, we have
highlighted many officers who have met the call of duty with courage
and unmatched service. Two such officers I would like to highlight
today are from my district in the great little tiny town of High
Springs, Sergeant Gary Moore and Officer Mayuly Nodarse.
On April 28, these two officers of the High Springs Police Department
responded to a call about suspicious activity. Upon arriving on scene,
they observed a suspect standing in the bathroom of a house with a
knife and a victim yelling for help.
After these two officers gave multiple commands, they forced entry
into the bathroom and found the armed suspect who was uncooperative.
Based on their training and experience, they were able to disarm the
suspect. Everyone on scene lived to see another day, thanks to the work
and quick thinking of these officers.
For their bravery and professionalism, they have been awarded the
Medal of Valor. I thank these two officers for their quick thinking and
decisive action. They show us what proper training and a well-funded
police force can do to keep our communities safe.
As I stand here today, I know my husband is watching, on shift, from
the station. So, a quick hello to my husband Matt, and thank you. I
also would like to thank my colleagues for joining me here today and a
big thank you to every officer who gets up every day, puts on their
vest, puts on their badge, walks out that door not knowing if they will
make it home at the end of their shift. To the families, thank you for
your service alongside our men and women in uniform.
As we have listed the names here today of those that we have lost
this year, rest easy, know that we have to watch.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________