[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 523-524]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO STEVE YOUNG

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, at this hour in Ohio, final tributes are 
being paid to Steve Young. I rise this morning on the Senate floor to 
pay tribute to Steve Young. He is an Ohioan who dedicated his life to 
keeping our communities safe and free from crime. Steve was well known 
and a well-respected figure in the law enforcement community; he was 
elected by his peers to serve as the national President of the 
Fraternal Order of Police. He held this position until his death from 
cancer last week, on January 9. Steve was just 49 years old.
  Steve Young grew up in Upper Sandusky, OH, and was a graduate of 
Upper Sandusky High School. He joined the Marion City Police Department 
in 1976 and spent his entire law enforcement career as an active duty 
officer in Marion. It was in Marion that Steve first became a member of 
the FOP, joining lodge 24 in Marion. Steve later went on to serve as 
President of this local lodge in Marion.
  Leadership in the law enforcement community came naturally to Steve 
as his hard work and dedication earned him the respect and admiration 
of his peers. Steve went on to become active in the Ohio State Lodge of 
the FOP and served first as Vice President and then as President of the 
State FOP, representing Ohio's 24,000 law enforcement officers. Through 
the Ohio State Lodge, Steve helped to create the Ohio Labor Council. 
This council created a model for improved labor-management negotiations 
in police forces--a model that has now been adopted in at least 14 
other States.
  Mr. President, Members of the Senate, Steve's leadership in the Ohio 
law enforcement community and his expertise in labor issues earned him 
a national reputation. In 2001, after serving 4 years as national Vice 
President, Steve was unanimously elected to serve as the national 
President of the FOP. In this capacity, Steve represented over 300,000 
law enforcement officers nationwide and worked to protect the interests 
of our Nation's finest. This was, I can tell you, a job that Steve 
loved and one he did with dignity and pride.
  While Steve Young had an incredibly successful career with multiple 
accomplishments, I also want to take a few moments to discuss my 
personal connection with Steve. I had the privilege of knowing not just 
Steve Young the police officer, but also Steve Young the man. Steve was 
a dear friend for many years. He was someone in whom I had a great deal 
of trust, and I was fortunate to be able to call on him as a trusted 
advisor.
  Whether it was when I was Lieutenant Governor of Ohio or as a 
Senator, I had the opportunity to work with Steve for many years, and I 
have relied on him for advice and counsel. I consulted with Steve 
regularly on criminal justice issues, and I must tell you that his keen 
insights have helped shape nearly every piece of criminal justice 
legislation I have introduced in the Senate, and he helped me immensely 
when I was Lieutenant Governor carrying out the Governor's criminal 
justice agenda. Steve made a lasting impression on law enforcement both 
in Ohio and across our Nation. From pension plans to crime-fighting 
technology, Steve's foresight and vision have helped bring law 
enforcement into the 21st century.
  One of the last times I saw Steve, he was here in Washington in July 
for a Judiciary Committee hearing. Fortunately, I had a chance to spend 
a few brief moments with Steve. That meeting reminds me again of 
Steve's humility. He was a humble man. He had no airs about him. He was 
quiet and, I must say, self-effacing. He didn't put on a show or try to 
impress people with his position or his power within the FOP. People 
felt comfortable around Steve because he was comfortable around them. 
He liked people and they liked him back.
  At the same time, though, his affable nature didn't hide the fact 
that Steve Young was also a very strong man, brave, courageous, 
fearless, and tough as nails. After all, Steve Young was a policeman--
exactly the kind of policeman I would have wanted by my side when I was 
a county prosecutor, the kind of policeman I would have wanted

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helping me if I were a victim of a crime, the kind of policeman I would 
have wanted protecting my children and my grandchildren and my entire 
family.
  That was Steve Young--a model for all law enforcement. Because Steve 
was so humble and unassuming about his work and his position as 
President of the FOP, many people don't realize just how many leaders 
relied on him for guidance and counsel. President Bush listened to him. 
In fact, the President called Steve shortly before his death. I think 
that shows how much respect President Bush had for him and how much he 
appreciated Steve's work and service to our Nation.
  As I read through so many of the tributes written about Steve and 
spoken about Steve after his death, I was especially struck by a 
statement given by Chuck Canterbury, the FOP's national vice president. 
This is what he said:

       In his 11 years as President of the Ohio State Lodge, 4 
     years as national vice president, and his all too brief term 
     as national president, Steve woke up each morning and went to 
     work for the citizens of Marion City and the rank-and-file 
     officers in every region of the country. He was as dedicated 
     a man, an officer, and a friend as I have ever known.

  I could not agree more. This quote illustrates why Steve Young was so 
special to so many people. He was a humble, dedicated man who devoted 
his career toward working for the good of his fellow officers, for the 
good of Ohio, and for the good of this Nation.
  Steve's commitment to our community was evident in everything he did. 
Criminals were caught because of him, and crimes were, in fact, 
prevented. He was a protector. He was a leader. He was a good, decent, 
hard-working man for whom I have great respect and admiration.
  As I think about Steve's short but full life, I am reminded of a very 
familiar passage from the Bible, a passage from St. Paul's second 
letter to Timothy in which St. Paul said:

       The time of my departure has come. I have fought the good 
     fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.

  There is no question, Mr. President, Steve Young fought the good 
fight. He finished the course. He kept the faith. Steve Young lived a 
life of great achievement, both public and private, and we will miss 
him deeply.
  My wife Fran and I extend our heartfelt sympathy and our prayers to 
the entire Young family, especially his wife, Denise; their sons, 
Staten and Steven; his sisters, Gloria, Kay, and Deborah; and his 
mother, Lillian. Our thoughts are also with all the police officers in 
Steve's extended family.
  I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Steve Young was a dear friend, an 
exceptional leader and a tireless advocate for law enforcement officers 
across the Nation. There are so many who will truly miss him, and I am 
one of them.
  With 26 years of law enforcement experience, in 2001 Steve was 
elected National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, FOP, the 
world's largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers with 
more than 300,000 members in over 2,000 local lodges across the United 
States. An active police officer, serving as a Lieutenant in the Marion 
City Police Department of Marion, OH and an FOP member for 26 years, 
Steve was an innovative leader in law enforcement issues. Before he 
became FOP's National President, Steve was the organization's National 
Vice President for 4 years and served as Ohio's State FOP President 
from 1988 to 1999. For the past 15 years he devoted much of his time to 
the Ohio State Lodge's Legislative Committee. He graduated from the 
185th Session of the FBI National Academy.
  I was honored to work with Steve and the Fraternal Order of Police on 
many issues affecting rank-and-file law enforcement officers. Most 
recently we worked closely together in the last Congress on the top 
legislative priority of the FOP, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety 
Act. His powerful testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee 
helped enormously as we worked to move this bill forward. He told how 
law enforcement officers are never ``off-duty,'' and described their 
commitment as dedicated public servants who are trained to uphold the 
law and keep the peace. He observed that whenever there is a threat to 
the peace or to our public safety, law enforcement officers are sworn 
to answer that call. Steve was dedicated to this legislation because he 
understood the importance of having law enforcement officers across the 
nation armed and prepared when they answer that call, no matter where, 
when, or in what form it comes.
  Steve Young inspired me and so many others with his enduring 
dedication to making our communities safer and protecting the officers 
who are sworn to guard and serve the American public. Law enforcement 
officers everywhere, and everyone who had the chance to know him or 
work with him, lost a great friend and champion last night. Our hearts 
and thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and associates 
at this time of sadness over this loss and remembrance of Steve Young's 
life.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.

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