[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10257]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        TRIBUTE TO RETIRING MICHIGAN STATE TROOPER CHARLIE GROSS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 19, 1999

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I like to pay special tribute today to 
Detective Sergeant Charlie Gross, who is retiring after a career of law 
enforcement with the Michigan State Police.
  As you may know, Mr. Speaker, I served as a law enforcement officer. 
In point of fact, I served with Charlie in a variety of posts, while 
our careers seem to follow a parallel track.
  In one sense, my own law enforcement career ended when I was injured 
in the line of duty and retired in 1984. In a deeper sense, I however, 
the friendships that form among law enforcement officers are bonds that 
survive changes in careers and changes in address. In that regard, when 
I founded the Law Enforcement Caucus in my freshman year in Congress, I 
was not only giving my many comrades in law enforcement a voice in 
Washington, but I was also giving myself a professional reason to 
maintain these strong ties to many good friends and providing myself 
with an opportunity to forge new friendships with dedicated people in 
law enforcement.
  Now, one of these old friends is retiring after a 27 year career. The 
unit D/Sgt. Gross will actually leave is a Michigan State Police 
tactical drug unit, the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team, 
known as UPSET.
  Charlie was one of the first troopers I met on the road in 1974, and 
we seemed to stay on the same career road. When I was transferred to 
Lansing, Charlie was in Lansing. When I went back to the Upper 
Peninsula, Charlie went to the Upper Peninsula. As he gained knowledge 
and experience, Charlie demonstrated a wide array of skills, including 
sharing his knowledge with other troopers by teaching traffic safety, 
the proper use of the Breathalyzer, and other investigative subjects.
  Last week here in Washington we spotlighted U.S. law enforcement in a 
number of ways. We paid special tribute to fallen officers, and we 
celebrated funding 100,000 new police officers under the Community 
Policing program.
  This Saturday, the co-workers of Charlie Gross will celebrate one 
man's career in law enforcement. I ask you and my House colleagues to 
join me in wishing the best in retirement for this dedicated public 
servant.

                          ____________________