[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9650]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN T. SALAZAR

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 12, 2005

  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National 
Police Week and the thousands of police officers who serve our 
communities. A life of public service is not always an easy path, and 
so I thank the officers and their families who sacrifice so much to 
keep us safe. Just the other day, James Billings, the Chief of Police 
for the City of Pueblo in my district, visited the office to discuss 
crime and drug issues, including recent developments involving the 
Community Oriented Policing Services, COPS, program. His visit 
underscored to me the importance of those who work in law enforcement 
and the difficulties they face each and every day.
  To that end, we should take the time to recognize and thank those who 
work so diligently to protect our families. It is not enough though to 
simply thank them; it is important that we continue to ensure funding 
and other necessary support is available for these brave men and women 
so they might do their jobs unimpaired.
  This is why I strongly support the COPS program and urge the 
congressional leadership to increase, not cut, its funding level. COPS 
is designed to help police departments hire the officers they need to 
keep our streets safe, to purchase the equipment so crucial to their 
work, and to help ensure these stations can pay the overtime and build 
the support systems they need to allow their officers to do the jobs 
they carry out so nobly. Funding cuts to the program are unacceptable--
a decrease in COPS funding means a decrease in the number of officers 
on the streets of our communities.
  For that very reason, I am also a co-sponsor of a resolution calling 
for the creation of a Peace Officer's Memorial Day, which would honor 
those officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. I believe one of 
our greatest duties is to keep our communities, and our families, safe. 
Giving police officers the support they need and the recognition they 
deserve is one of the best ways to serve those we represent.

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