[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 21878]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF SHERIFF DON HORSLEY

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to 
recognize San Mateo County sheriff Don Horsley, who is retiring after 
38 years of dedicated service to law enforcement and public safety.
  Sheriff Horsley is a San Francisco Bay Area native who was born in 
San Francisco, raised in Daly City, and educated in the county's public 
schools. He graduated from Daly City's Westmoor High School before 
graduating with honors from San Francisco State University in 1969.
  After a brief time as a classroom teacher, Sheriff Horsley entered 
into a career in law enforcement that has spanned 38 years.
  Beginning as a patrol officer in Daly City and later serving as a 
patrol deputy officer in East Palo Alto, Sheriff Horsley was elected 
Sheriff of San Mateo County in June 1993. From the beginning, Sheriff 
Horsley has been dedicated to making his community a better and safer 
place to live. Under his leadership, the San Mateo County Sheriff's 
Office has implemented an extensive number of innovative programs to 
make the community safer, including community policing, graffiti 
abatement, gang intelligence/investigative unit, sexual habitual 
offender program, high-tech task force, school resource officer 
program, and a youth camp for at-risk youth. Sheriff Horsley also 
established an after school Sheriff's Activity League to help kids 
succeed in school and stay out of gangs.
  After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Sheriff Horsley stepped into 
a leadership role and joined the FBI in a regional Joint Terrorism Task 
Force. He established a regional information sharing network with the 
nine Bay Area counties and directed the Sheriff's Office of Emergency 
Services to take the lead to ensure that the county's first responders 
and public health workers had the equipment and training to respond to 
disasters. Sheriff Horsley also worked with regional transit agencies 
to establish a transit unit of deputy sheriffs to patrol bus and rail 
transportation within the county.
  Sheriff Horsley was also a fierce advocate for the construction of a 
state-of-the-art forensic crime lab that is used by local, regional, 
State, and Federal agencies to solve crimes. Sheriff Horsley tirelessly 
worked with the Bay Area Congressional Delegation, including my office, 
to obtain funding to ensure that the forensic crime lab had the latest 
in crime fighting technology.
  Among his many accomplishments, Sheriff Horsley currently serves as 
cochair of the Attorney General and State Superintendent of Public 
Instruction's Safe Schools Task Force; vice chair of the Northern 
California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area; chair of the San Mateo 
County Vehicle Theft Task Force and Vice Chair for the County Narcotics 
Task Force. Sheriff Horsley has also been a member of the executive 
board of the California State Sheriffs' Association since 1996, served 
as the past chair of the San Mateo County Criminal Justice Council and 
as a past member of the board of directors of the California Peace 
Officers' Association.
  Sheriff Horsley has not only improved public safety but has worked 
tirelessly with local elected officials, schools, and community 
organizations to foster a strong sense of community and improve the 
lives of children and families in San Mateo County.
  Sheriff Horsley's service to San Mateo County and dedication to 
public safety throughout California is inspiring. I have been honored 
to work with him. I am confident that, even in retirement, Sheriff 
Horsley will continue to touch lives with his good will and 
compassion.

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