[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 146 (Monday, September 12, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S4539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   TRIBUTE TO TRACIE TEXAS SHIFFLETT

 Mr. PAUL. Madam President, after more than 25 years of 
service--first as an officer, then as executive director of the 
Louisville Metro Police Foundation, LMPF--Tracie Shifflett has 
announced that she will retire from the foundation in September.
  The LMPF is an independent, private nonprofit organization, the only 
organization authorized to raise funds on behalf of the Louisville 
Metro Police Department. LMPF supports special community programs to 
strengthen relationships between police and the communities they serve, 
purchase equipment and training programs, and grants for the Officers 
in Distress Program.
  Shifflett took on leadership of the LMPF in 2016 after retiring from 
the Louisville Metro Police Department as a lieutenant over the 
training academy. The rank of lieutenant is the highest achievable rank 
on your merit within the department.
  ``I always felt our officers were like my kids,'' Shifflett said. ``I 
felt like my work with the Foundation was a way I could truly help 
them.''
  During her tenure as its leader, the foundation has grown from less 
than $700,000 in total assets to $2.4 million. Tracie dealt with many 
challenges and faced all of them with grace, love, and a great sense of 
humor. She has put her own life on hold many times to be there for 
``her'' officers, the board, and the Louisville community. She has 
repeatedly set new records for fundraising at the LMPF's annual event 
by sharing the unvarnished truth of what officers face every day while 
serving. Her passion both while serving on LMPD and for the LMPF was to 
make sure ``her babies'' were taken care of, that they felt loved, and 
had the support needed to continue to make a difference every day.
  ``I'm especially proud that we have been able to positively impact at 
least 50 officer families each year that have faced injury, medical 
diagnosis, or other critical needs,'' Shifflett said. ``Since 2016, we 
have granted $1.7 million to officer families who are facing life-
altering difficulty.''
  Some of the foundation's key accomplishments under Shifflett's 
leadership include training programs, purchasing equipment, and the 
Officers in Distress Program.
  Tracie has partnered with many officers and helped to strengthen 
their bonds in the community with programs like Shop with a Cop, Gang 
Resistance, and Education Training. The department has also helped 
build and provide bedding to 100 kids in the community, purchased new 
bleachers for the California Community Center, and launched the Help Us 
Give fund. She also secured funding for seven mounted patrol horses, 
purchased nine K-9s for patrol work and narcotics detection, some of 
which went on to win the National K-9 Olympics Competition, and 
obtained K-9 trauma kits and K-9 protective vests for all LMPD K-9s. In 
her last few weeks with the foundation, she secured two Kid ID Kits for 
LMPD to use in the community.
  Jim Ellis, chairman of the Louisville Metro Police Foundation, said 
the following about Tracie in her evaluation:
  ``Tracie has become the go-to person for many members of LMPD when 
they have a gripe, concern, or problem. I believe that is a great 
demonstration of the trust the officers have in our Foundation and our 
Executive Director. Tracie receives inquiries from other Foundations 
around the county on how we implement and apply checks and balances to 
each of our grants. Tracie maintains confidentiality with sensitive and 
life-altering data and information that comes into the Foundation. This 
confidentiality helps protect the safety of the LMPD and the 
Foundation's board members. Tracie is unique in that she is a former 
police officer and understands what the men and women of the LMPD want 
and need to make Louisville safer. She lets them know what is possible 
to achieve and what may be beyond the Board's ability to obtain or 
provide. She hates to deny any request, but if it is denied, she works 
to solve the problem. Tracie has become somewhat of a parental figure 
for many members of LMPD.''
  Almost every targeted foundation project was obtained under her 
leadership. One of the things that Tracie was proud to have 
accomplished during her tenure at the foundation is securing funding 
for high-velocity bulletproof vests for every LMPD officer, which 
recently saved the life of an officer. Another highlight of her career 
was receiving her master's degree in education.
  She is incredibly proud of her close family: her mother, Judy, her 
late father, Benjamin, her son, Ben, her daughter, Alex, and her 
husband, John, a retired police officer.
  I am proud to salute Tracie for her dedicated career in making our 
community a safer place to live.

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