[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        TRIBUTE TO RETIRING MICHIGAN STATE TROOPER ROBERT KRAFFT

                                 ______
                                 

                            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 1st 
Lieutenant Robert Krafft, who is retiring after a career of law 
enforcement with Michigan State Police.
  As you know, Mr. Speaker, I served as a law enforcement officer. In 
point of fact, I first served with Bob Krafft early in my own career 
with the Michigan State Police.
  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, 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, Bob Krafft, is retiring after a 26-
year career.
  I recall moving into this neighborhood, where he took me under his 
wing. My recollections of those first years of our friendship remain 
vivid, as he took me deer hunting, as I met his wife Sue and watched 
their daughter grow. Even though our law enforcement work carried us in 
different directions, the bond we formed as friends, neighbors and law 
enforcement officers has always dissolved the distance that geography 
put between us.
  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 Friday, May 21, the co-workers of Bob Krafft 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.

                          ____________________