[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2289-S2290]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, on a separate matter, this week is 
Police Week. We honor the brave officers all across the country who 
continue to serve and truly remember those who gave their lives in the 
line of duty.
  Yesterday, I met with law enforcement officers from Wyoming here in 
the Capitol. There was a ranger from the Bureau of Land Management. She 
is from Buffalo, WY. There were also two police officers from Sheridan, 
WY, part of the same police department that lost Sergeant Nevada 
Krinkee, nearly 2 years ago. And they are in Washington, DC, this week 
to honor Sergeant Krinkee. It was an honor to thank these heroes for 
keeping our community safe.
  Every year the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial adds names 
of fallen officers to its memorial wall. It does this for officers who 
died in the line of duty in the previous year. It also adds the names 
of fallen officers from earlier years who, through extensive research, 
were recently uncovered. It enlists their new names onto the memorial 
wall as well.
  This comprehensive rollcall of heroes serves as a living memorial to 
all of the fallen officers in the history of our Nation. This year, the 
names of 363 new fallen officers were added. It is a high number.
  One of the officers is someone who died in the past but research has 
disclosed should have been named, and that is Marshal Daniel Hansen of 
the Cokeville Police Department in Wyoming.
  Cokeville is a small town along the western border of our State. 
Marshal Hansen wore the badge over a century ago. In a wild land, at 
the time, dotted by small frontier towns, the difference between 
civilization and lawlessness was a very thin blue line. On June 21, 
1912, the wife of a local businessowner found a blackmail letter. It 
was signed by notorious outlaws. The note demanded $1,500, which was a 
fortune at that time. It also threatened to kill her and her family if 
police were warned.

[[Page S2290]]

  Although any backup was dozens of miles away, Marshal Hansen rode out 
to investigate. As he did his job, he was shot dead. It is believed 
that the murder of the marshal had been targeted.
  More than a century has passed since Marshal Hansen died in the line 
of duty. Yet his legacy of service, selflessness, and sacrifice lives 
on.
  Today, Wyoming officers proudly protect and serve across our State. 
Officers work double shifts. They answer emergency calls. They stay 
late into the night. And they do all of this to keep their community 
safe.
  And I am always going to support the men and women of law enforcement 
without apology.
  Today, Republicans are putting money back into the pockets of law 
enforcement. Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cuts law. That 
new law includes no taxes on overtime. For Wyoming officers, no taxes 
on overtime--it is not just extra; it is essential.
  The average tax deduction for no taxes on overtime this year is more 
than $3,100.
  Republicans are again delivering safer streets. The Working Families 
Tax Cut law invests in local law enforcement. It helps officers fight 
violent crime. This year, violent crime is falling across the board. 
Murders, robberies, rapes, aggravated assaults are all down compared to 
last year. Clearly, supporting law enforcement makes our communities 
safer.
  By contrast, Democrats in Congress continue to want to defund the 
police. Democrats have left Immigration and Customs Enforcement and 
Border Patrol officers unfunded since January. Tellingly, the Democrat 
leader recently said on this floor that ICE and Border Patrol, he said, 
are two groups nobody respects. Radical Democrats continue to 
disrespect, to demonize, and to defund the men and women who keep us 
safe.
  Republicans are going to ensure ICE and Border Patrol are fully 
funded, and we are going to continue to stand up for the men and women 
who keep all of our communities safe.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The minority whip.

                          ____________________