[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 69 (Friday, April 19, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H2555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING CHULA VISTA ASSISTANT POLICE CHIEF PHIL COLLUM

  (Mr. VARGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chula Vista Assistant 
Police Chief Phil Collum, a 29-year veteran of the department who we 
sadly lost to cancer. His service and his legacy will always be 
remembered.
  Those who knew Assistant Police Chief Collum best emphasize his 
empathy, his compassion, and his reputation for being fair, his work 
ethic, and more than anything, his dedication to his community.
  Community was at the heart of everything Assistant Police Chief 
Collum did. He gave the directive in 2022 to create the Community 
Engagement Division to help foster community relationships, and he 
personally led this division.
  He was committed to building bridges between officers and the 
community they serve. Through the Community Engagement Division, he 
worked to make sure that the Chula Vista Police Department was actively 
connecting with community members, including residents, students, and 
businessowners.
  Under his leadership, the division also worked to make sure community 
members were aware of how officers could help them.
  Assistant Police Chief Collum was also deeply involved in charity 
work. He volunteered at his church. He went to Tijuana every month to 
support orphanages and help children in need as part of the Corazon de 
Vida Foundation. His empathy and his compassion for others were on full 
display.
  Assistant Police Chief Collum was a true trailblazer. He was the 
Chula Vista Police Department's first Black lieutenant, first Black 
captain, and first Black assistant chief. He was also the first openly 
gay male officer in the department.
  Mr. Speaker, we will remember him.

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