[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 37 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING PAUL ELMSTRAND

  (Mr. EMMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. EMMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Paul Elmstrand.
  Paul, an officer with the Burnsville Police Department, was killed 
earlier this month in the line of duty alongside Officer Matthew Ruge 
and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth.
  Paul lived in Chaska, but his story began in Isanti County. As senior 
class president and a member of the law enforcement club, he impressed 
his classmates with his strong character of ethical integrity, his 
generosity, and his sense of humor.
  Among those classmates was his wife, Cindy, who he met in 
kindergarten and began dating in high school. Together, they shared two 
children, a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old.
  At 27 years old, his life was cut tragically short. Paul, Matthew, 
and Adam were killed trying to save seven children barricaded in a 
Burnsville home with an armed man, an act of heroism and sacrifice 
beyond measure.
  We were privileged to have Paul as a member of our community and as a 
neighbor and a friend. To Cindy and his children and all who loved him, 
Paul will never be forgotten, nor will Matthew or Adam.

                          ____________________