[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 5740]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO RAUL ELIZONDO DAY

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, our attention if focused right now on Iraq 
and on our troops--the men and women on the front lines who are 
protecting us.
  But we have always had men and women on the front lines protecting 
us--right here at home. They are our police officers, and they fight a 
war against crime every day.
  I'd like to talk about one of those officers today--Raul Elizondo, of 
the North Las Vegas Police Department.
  Raul Elizondo went to the same high school I did--Basic High School 
in Henderson, NV. He was a member of the championship wresting team 
there.
  He went to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and then joined the 
North Las Vegas Police Department.
  We have some outstanding officers in North Las Vegas, but Raul 
Elizondo quickly distinguished himself as one of the best.
  He was known for going above and beyond the call of duty, and for 
getting personally involved in his community. He even helped get 
Christmas and birthday presents for children on his patrol beat.
  In 1994, Raul Elizondo was named ``Police Officer of the Year'' by 
his colleagues in the North Las Vegas Police Officer Association.
  That same year, he got a special commendation from the Chief of 
Police at the Annual Policeman's Ball.
  Two months later he was killed in the line of duty.
  This Thursday, March 13, will be Raul Elizondo Day in North Las 
Vegas.
  Officers from the North Las Vegas Police Department will go to the 
elementary school that's now named after Raul Elizondo. They will read 
to students there, and help with classes, and eat lunch with kids.
  Then in the afternoon they will have an assembly and a parade.
  I wish I could be there with them. But on Thursday, while I'm here on 
the Senate floor, I'll be thinking about everyone involved.
  I will be thinking about the police officers, who will be carrying on 
Raul Elizondo's tradition of being a role model for the community--as 
well as a law officer.
  I will be thinking about Raul Elizondo's family--his mother Ann, his 
sister and his two brothers.
  I will be thinking about the officers of the North Las Vegas Police 
Department, who still live with the pain of losing a colleagues and a 
friend.
  And I will be thinking of the police officers all over the country, 
and the sherrif's deputies, and the FBI agents, and my old department--
the Capitol Police. I'll remember how they put themselves on the front 
lines every day to keep me and my family safe. I'll offer my thanks for 
their sacrifice and my prayers for their safety. I hope you will join 
me.

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