[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3676-S3677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          National Police Week

  Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak in recognition of 
National Police Week.
  This week is a time for our Nation to collectively recognize and 
honor the bravery and dedication of the men and women who keep our 
communities safe.
  I want to give special thanks to the law enforcement officers across 
my State of Nevada who serve every day with honor, integrity, and 
courage.
  In Nevada, while we are a State that welcomes visitors from around 
the world, our policemen and women are critical for protecting our 
communities--not only our communities but also all of those visitors. 
It is a task that they have proven time and time again that they stand 
ready for.
  More than 6 years ago, Las Vegas experienced the deadliest mass 
shooting in American history. And in that moment--in that moment--local 
police and first responders ran toward danger to neutralize the threat, 
to get people to safety, and to save countless lives. Do you know why? 
That is what they are trained to do.
  Whether it is a major emergency or a domestic dispute or a routine 
traffic stop, every day they put on their uniform and leave their 
homes--the brave men and women of Nevada's law enforcement community--
and put their lives on the line. These officers know the risk of the 
job, but their sense of service is even stronger.
  I want Nevada law enforcement to know: I have your back.
  As I have met with police officials across my State of Nevada, they 
have consistently told me one of the biggest challenges they are facing 
is the dire shortage of officers and support staff. We must tackle this 
head-on. That is why I am working across party lines to make sure we 
take action here in Congress to hire and to retain more officers.
  I signed on to bipartisan legislation--the Recruit and Retain Act--
which will establish a Federal pipeline between local police 
departments and schools to help facilitate recruitment activities and 
encourage young people into these careers.
  It is going to also help cover some of the costs associated with 
recruitment and onboarding, making it easier to bring on these new 
officers.
  I was proud to help pass this bipartisan legislation here in the 
Senate nearly a year ago, and I call on the House of Representatives to 
take action on this critical legislation as soon as possible.
  I will keep pushing to see that our law enforcement officers have 
access to resources, training, and recruitment support--the kinds of 
things that they need to do their jobs safely.
  While we work to support our police, we must also remember to honor 
fallen officers. These are our heroes who left behind families, 
friends, colleagues, and communities they serve and help to protect.
  Earlier this month, my team attended an annual Law Enforcement 
Officers Memorial ceremony to pay our respects to the memory of the 
five new officers whose names were added to the memorial this year.
  Mr. President, to honor their lives and their bravery, I ask 
unanimous consent to submit a list of the names of the five fallen law 
enforcement officers who were added to the Nevada Law Enforcement 
Officers Memorial to be printed in the Congressional Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Sergeant Michael Abbate, Nevada Department of Public 
     Safety, Highway Patrol. Trooper Alberto Felix, Nevada 
     Department of Public Safety, Highway Patrol. Trooper Clifford 
     Fontaine, Nevada Department of Public Safety, Highway Patrol. 
     Officer Anthony Francone, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police. 
     Corrections Officer Victor Hunter, Las Vegas Metropolitan 
     Police Department.
  Ms. ROSEN. These brave officers--these brave officers--they made the 
ultimate sacrifice for our communities, and they deserve our eternal 
gratitude.
  I promise that I will keep working with my colleagues across the 
aisle to support our police departments, support the officers who 
serve, to support our staff, and to support all of their families.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, in my 12 years in Congress, like you, I 
have been blessed to participate in lots of events--large ones, small 
ones, medium-sized ones--in my State, throughout our Nation, even 
around the world.
  It is difficult to rank them. Some of them are more memorable than 
others. They are all special. They are all important. Some of them are 
great celebrations. Others are more somber. Some are even sad, 
occasionally. But when these events are done, we go to the next thing 
on our very busy schedule that is prepared for us by someone we hire 
who is looking out for us. We trust that person with the irrevocable 
asset of our time, often with little opportunity to process or think 
much about what we have just done and what we have just participated 
in.
  As you know, it is Police Week in our Nation, and, of course, the 
evidence of that is all around us here in Washington, DC.
  I began my Police Week on Sunday, surrounded by heroes with badges at 
the 31st Annual TOP COPS Banquet. TOP COPS is a program hosted by the 
National Association of Police Organizations, which recognizes 10 
heroic acts by local, county, State, and Federal law enforcement 
Agencies and officers during the previous year.
  The reason I attended this year's TOP COPS banquet was to join Fargo 
Police Officer Zachary Robinson and his wife Ashley--who are in the 
Chamber with us today in the Members' Gallery--as Zach received one of 
the 10 TOP COPS recognitions. Also attending were his parents, 
colleagues, and friends--including Governor Doug Burgum; our attorney 
general, Drew Wrigley; the chief of police from Fargo; and many, many 
others.

  Zach is a 7-year veteran of the Fargo Police Department, where he 
serves as a member of the honor guard, the crowd management team, and 
the Red River Valley Regional Bomb Squad. Officer Robinson, like so 
many of our law

[[Page S3677]]

enforcement officers, also serves in the North Dakota National Guard.
  Mr. President, he epitomizes what it is to be a hero.
  On July 14, 2023, nearly a year ago, Officer Robinson was one of four 
officers to respond to a routine fender bender. As the officers were 
wrapping up their handling of the accident, Officer Robinson moved his 
police vehicle out of the street. A shooter, who was not involved in 
the initial accident, ambushed the officers, firing on them and a 
bystander.
  The shooter hit Zach's three fellow officers, killing Officer Jake 
Wallin and gravely injuring Officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes, both 
of whom attended the TOP COPS banquet with their spouses.
  Zach radioed to ``send everybody,'' as he engaged in a shootout with 
the assailant. Officer Robinson was literally the last man standing, 
but he did not hesitate as he moved toward--not away from, but toward--
the gunfire, putting himself between the shooter and the innocent--
finally, fatally wounding the assailant.
  This senseless, premeditated attack targeted police officers who were 
simply doing what they do: their jobs protecting and taking care of 
citizens in need.
  Evidence collected in the investigation revealed the shooter's 
fixation on mass shooting events and his likely intent to perpetrate an 
attack at a large event, like the Downtown Fargo Street Fair that was 
going on just a few blocks away or, in the next community over, the Red 
River Valley Fair. In his car alone, the shooter had more than 1,800 
rounds of ammunition, multiple firearms, and several homemade explosive 
devices. This was a man intent on inflicting carnage on the community--
a community that had never seen anything like this before.
  Despite this quote--``it was a bad, bad day''--when Officer Robinson 
was asked if he had considered leaving law enforcement, he did not 
hesitate. He said he ``wanted to come back right away. There was no 
question I wasn't going to not come back to work.''
  We will likely never know how many lives he saved that day--that his 
heroism protected that day--but his actions will never be forgotten by 
the Fargo community or the State of North Dakota. In addition to the 
TOP COP award, Officer Robinson earned the Medal of Honor from the 
Fraternal Order of Police, was named the Fargo Police Department's 2023 
Officer of the Year and the 2023 National Rifle Association Law 
Enforcement Officer of the Year.
  Several months after the shooting, he was asked what he thought of 
being called a hero and said he was ``grateful to be in the right place 
at the right time to do what needed to be done. I was just able to 
react and eliminate the shooter before he had the chance to hurt 
anybody else.''
  It has been said that heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary 
things, and while Zach's extraordinary act of heroism is what was 
celebrated Sunday night in Washington, DC, it is his humility that 
stands out the most to me. This is a characteristic, by the way, that 
is shared by his fellow officers who were involved in the horrific 
events of that day in Fargo. Officers Hawes and Dotas project this 
quiet strength and a noble concern for others, never shining the 
spotlight on themselves. And while it is not surprising, it is always 
encouraging.
  Officer Robinson's story--his refusal to yield, his swift action in 
the face of grave danger--captured the essence of why we must back the 
blue, always supporting our officers not just in words but in actions 
and deeds, ensuring that they have all they need to carry out their 
duties safely and effectively.
  During National Police Week, we honor Zach and his brothers and 
sisters in blue across the country who go to work every day to protect 
our communities, despite the dangers around the corner or across the 
street. This week is also a chance to remember the men and women who 
paid the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.
  At a time when police officers are all too often scoffed or defunded 
by the very people relying on them for public safety, we need to 
constantly remember the real-world impacts of their service. Every 
officer who is lost is a mother, father, sister, brother, a son, or a 
daughter taken too soon from a family who loves them and will miss 
them.
  Mr. President, our officers and their families deserve to know we 
will always have their backs. The TOP COPS awards banquet at the Omni 
Shoreham Hotel on Sunday was not just one of the many special events we 
all attend in these jobs. For me, it was the honor of a lifetime to be 
there to pay tribute to the most extraordinary of the ordinary.
  Congratulations to Officer Robinson for the TOP COPS award, to Chief 
Dave Zibolski and the entire Fargo Police Department, and thank you to 
all law enforcement officers for their everyday heroism. We love you, 
and we pray for you always.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Louisiana.