[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12733-12734]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               IN MEMORY OF SANDY POLICE CHIEF SAM DAWSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I come 
before the House today to memorialize the death of Police Chief Sam 
Dawson of Sandy, Utah. Chief Dawson, who served faithfully for 7 years 
as the head of the police department of Utah's fourth largest city, 
passed away July 2, 2001, doing what he loved best, riding his Harley-
Davidson motorcycle.
  Chief Dawson lived up to the sign he had on his desk that said, 
``Lead, follow, or get out of the way.'' Chief Dawson was a leader for 
30 years in Utah law enforcement. He started as a Salt Lake County 
sheriff's deputy in 1971. He became the chief police investigator for 
the Salt Lake county attorney's office after that and became the head 
of Sandy City's police department in 1994.

[[Page 12734]]

  Chief Dawson was an outspoken leader in his field. In the year 2000 
he spearheaded a project to produce and distribute a video called 
``Your Kid May Have a Secret,'' which describes the growing problem of 
methamphetamine use in Utah communities. Keeping true to his style, 
Chief Dawson sent a copy to every county sheriff and every city police 
chief, asking them to freely distribute the video throughout the State.
  Chief Dawson was also a leader among his peers. He led an effort to 
increase the size of the Sandy Police Department while at the same time 
increasing officer pay. He succeeded at both, increasing his department 
by 30 officers during his tenure and significantly increasing the wages 
of those who worked for him.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I end with the words of Lieutenant Kevin 
Thacker of the Sandy Police Department. He said, ``Sam Dawson will be 
greatly missed by all who knew him. He will always be remembered for 
his leadership abilities and dedication to the community. His death 
leaves a void in the police department.''
  Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the Members of the House of 
Representatives to join me in heartfelt appreciation for the service 
this great man provided my community. I would also like to ask the 
House to join me in extending our deepest condolences to the wife of 
Chief Dawson, Bridgett Dawson, and her three children, Sam Jr., Chris, 
and Angela.

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