[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 86 (Thursday, May 19, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2627-S2628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  MR. BLUNT. Mr. President, I rise today to honor police week and 
recognize the service and sacrifice law enforcement officers make every 
day to protect communities across my State of Missouri and my hometown 
of Springfield, right here in the Capitol that you and I benefit from 
every day, and all across the country.
  When I came to the Senate 11 years ago with Senator Coons, we founded 
the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, and I have had the privilege of 
working closely with many of Missouri's police officers, sheriff's 
departments, local, State, and county-level police officials, and 
Missouri Highway Patrol. And, frankly, in the Rules Committee work, I 
have worked closely with the Capitol Police here, and it is something I 
am pleased to be able to do.
  The men and women that serve us really do put their lives on the 
line, and I am going to talk about that a little bit today. They made 
the choice to put the safety of their communities first, and I, like 
many others, are grateful to all of those who wear the badge and stand 
in front of danger for us.

  Tragically, in the last year, five of Missouri's officers lost their 
lives in the line of duty.
  Officer Blaize Madrid-Evans of the Independence Police Department was 
killed by a violent suspect evading arrest. Officer Madrid-Evans was 
just 22 years old, engaged to be married. He graduated from the academy 
2 months earlier.
  His mother Shannon said he could charm anyone he met growing up. One 
of the staff members at Smithville High School remembered him as a 
young man who spent time serving his community. She said:

       He wouldn't hesitate to help a fellow student or another 
     person. He was a wonderful leader and a wonderful friend. I 
     have no doubt his impact would have been far-reaching in the 
     years to come.

  Indeed, it will be, as it turned out, because the selfless person 
that he was, he made a decision to be an organ donor and save the lives 
of others. One of the people being helped by his decision is 
Springfield, MO, Police Officer Mark Priebe, who was severely injured 
in the line of duty in 2020.
  Officer Priebe received a donated kidney and after successful surgery 
said he hoped to honor Officer Madrid-Evans and his family by the way 
he lives his life. The ability that these two families--two law 
enforcement families--had to come together and find a purpose in 
tragedy is a statement to the power of faith and an inspiration, I 
think, to all of us.
  Officer Madrid-Evans is survived by his fiancee Victoria Atkinson, 
his mother Shannon Evans, his step-mom Sharon Braley, his mother 
Michelle Madrid, his sister Jordyn Evans, along with his grandparents, 
uncles, an aunt, and a cousin.
  Detective Antonio Valentine of the St. Louis County Police Department 
was killed during a vehicular pursuit. Detective Valentine was a 14-
year veteran of the department, had served in the U.S. Army, including 
a tour in Iraq, and was recently retired from the U.S. Air Force.
  His Uncle Scott, a fellow law enforcement officer with the St. Louis 
Metropolitan Police Department remembered him as a man who always put 
his family first. When he was a child, according to his uncle, things 
were hard. His uncle said: ``There is nothing like having to fight a 
roach for a cracker.'' But no matter what little the family had, 
Detective Valentine went without to be sure his siblings had what they 
needed.
  As an adult, he often asked his uncle to make sure his kids, Jaylan, 
Alesha, Antonio, Jr., and Victoria were taken care of if something 
happened to him. I hope they will find strength in knowing how 
completely devoted their dad was to them and to all who benefited from 
his life of service.
  Police Officer Lane Burns of Bonne Terre, MO, of that police 
department, was killed while responding to a violent disturbance. He 
was a 5-year veteran of the department. His fiancee Shannon Chasteen 
would often listen to the police radio while he was on duty, and she 
heard the call the night he lost his life that he responded to.
  It is really a tragic reminder of how hard it is for families who 
never know when or where their loved one will be challenged and be in 
danger. And so those families are basically in danger all the time at 
someone's work, and they are wondering what that person may be facing 
at any moment.
  Officer Burns is survived by Shannon and by his children Ivy Claire 
and Raiden Michael Burns, his parents Joe and Julie Burns, brothers 
Scott and Steve Burns, and his grandmother.
  Officer Jake Reed and Corporal Benjamin Cooper, both of the Joplin 
Police Department, were fatally wounded responding to a disturbance. 
Officer Reed was a 5-year veteran of the department. Joplin Police 
Chief Sloan Rowland said: ``Jake was the epitome of selfless service 
and sacrifice.''
  Like Officer Madrid-Evans, Officer Reed was also an organ donor, and 
he will continue to impact the lives of countless recipients and their 
loved ones who--thanks to his selflessness--will have more time 
together and a better quality of life.
  Chief Rowland said of Officer Reed his ``fervent hope is that some 
day those individuals will learn of this remarkable man and honor him 
with a life well lived. A life full of love and compassion, caring, and 
humor, just like Jake lived.''
  It completes the chief's quote about Jake but obviously doesn't 
complete his interest in Jake or the lives he saved or the people that 
Jake cared about, and that included his wife Bayley, with whom he would 
have celebrated his first anniversary earlier this month, as well as 
his parents, Robert and Melissa Reed, his brother Sam Reed, his in-
laws, and a nephew.
  CPL Benjamin Cooper was a U.S. Army veteran. He initially joined the 
Joplin Police Department in 2003 and returned in 2013 after spending 
time as a K-9 officer in Colorado.
  His funeral brought together former colleagues from all over the 
country. His friend and former colleague, Rev. Brian Henderson, 
remembered him as an officer who didn't pull any punches

[[Page S2628]]

but ``always had your back no matter what.''
  Reverend Henderson also said despite his tough exterior, Corporal 
Cooper, or ``Coop,'' had a sneaky sense of humor he would share in the 
squad room to lighten the mood before shifts.
  He is survived by his wife Roxy, two daughters, Tiffany Boyer and 
Ashley Cooper, his parents Steve and Joyce Cooper, sister Robyn Jensen 
and her husband, and two nephews.
  These five people--and I wish I wasn't here reading the names of five 
people today. These five people represent the determination of all of 
our Nation's brave law enforcement officers to go above and beyond for 
their communities.
  Three of these officers were lost in a span of roughly a week in 
March--Officer Burns, Officer Reed, and Corporal Cooper. Their loss was 
certainly a gut punch to the Missouri law enforcement community, and I 
was proud to join my colleague Senator Hawley in introducing a 
resolution to honor their service and sacrifice, which was adopted by 
the full Senate on May 10.
  There are few jobs in this country as difficult, as dangerous, and as 
demanding as being a law enforcement officer or one of their family 
members. The challenges they face today are growing, as local 
departments struggle with staffing shortages caused by record-high 
departures and difficulty filling open positions. So everybody has to 
work harder than you would hope they would work at a job that is 
already hard enough.
  This is all happening against the backdrop of a crimewave afflicting 
communities of all sizes all across the country.
  This is, unfortunately, the predictable result of a movement that has 
villainized law enforcement. And as cochair of the Law Enforcement 
Caucus, one of my priorities has been to ensure law enforcement 
officers have the support and resources they need to do their jobs as 
safely and effectively as possible.
  Ensuring Americans can live, work, and raise their families without 
fear should not be a partisan issue. We can all agree that there should 
be a zero-tolerance policy for police misconduct, and anyone who 
engages in that conduct should be held accountable. But we can't allow 
the millions of outstanding public servants who put their lives on the 
line to question whether they have our full support and gratitude for 
the work they do. I know I do, and many of us every day thank the 
Capitol Police that we see multiple times during the day.
  And I want to thank all of our Nation's law enforcement officers for 
leaving their houses today or later tonight, as they do every day, to 
patrol and protect their communities. I offer my sincere prayer that 
each and every one returns home to their families safe and sound.
  For all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in Missouri and 
across the country, I offer my deepest condolences to their families.
  We must never forget their bravery and their service, even as we hope 
that next year there will be fewer names of the fallen to share.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Michigan.

                          ____________________