[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9459]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     NATIONAL POLICE OFFICERS WEEK

  (Mr. FOSSELLA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, this is National Police Officers Week. I 
rise today to pay tribute and offer my thanks to the law enforcement 
officers throughout our Nation who stand at the front line protecting 
the American people.
  These brave men and women risk their lives every day so that our 
community may be safe, that our children, parents, and grandparents 
need not live in fear of criminals.
  All too often, we see the tragic consequences that come with such 
awesome responsibility. Hundreds of times each year, America is forced 
to confront the horror that one of our finest has lost his or her life.
  We mourned as a Nation last year when two officers who worked right 
here, Officers Gibson and Chestnut, were killed trying to protect 
innocent tourists when a madman entered the United States Capitol with 
his guns blazing.
  Where I live, on Staten Island, we experienced loss twice last year, 
and our community still grieves for Police Officer Sal Mosomillio and 
Officer Gerald Carter, both of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.
  I can use words like hero, courage and bravery to describe these two 
men, but the truth is that no words can truly do them justice. In fact, 
I think both officers would be embarrassed by such descriptions 
because, in their minds, they were only doing their job.
  The same could be said of Police Officer Matthew Dziergowski, a 
dedicated official who was killed earlier this year and has left one 
son and his wife who was pregnant at the time he lost his life.
  Mr. Speaker, the New York City Police Department right now and the 
men and women who serve our city every day are under constant attack. 
The morale is at an all-time low. But let them know and let them stand 
assured that there are a lot of people out there who appreciate the job 
they do, the fact that they are willing to risk their life every day to 
protect us.

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