[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8167-8168]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY

  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge the brave 
men and women who lost their lives while serving as law enforcement 
officers and to thank them for making the ultimate sacrifice.
  Today is Peace Officers Memorial Day, a day to honor all the law 
enforcement officers in our communities who have been killed or 
disabled in the line of duty. I was proud to join Senator Patrick Leahy 
on S. Res. 472, a Senate resolution, which passed the Senate last week, 
commemorating this important day.
  This past Saturday, thousands of people from across the country 
gathered at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial here in 
Washington, DC, for a candlelight vigil to honor these fallen officers. 
And today, there was a Peace Officers Memorial Service in front of the 
U.S. Capitol for these brave men and women. I am proud that we had a 
dedicated group of Michigan officers in attendance, representing their 
fellow officers from around the State.
  The names of 466 fallen officers were added to the memorial on 
Saturday, including 8 officers from Michigan: Lavern Steven Brann, 
Battle Creek, Michigan; William A. Daniels, Cas-
sopolis, Michigan; Owen David Fisher, Flint, Michigan; Dale Francis 
Bernock, Dearborn, Michigan; Scot Andrew Beyerstedt, Mattawan, 
Michigan; Benjamin Lewis Carpenter, Newaygo, Michigan; Michael Allen 
Scarbrough, Wayne County, Michigan; and Paul Lee Mickel, Wayne County, 
Michigan. We honor all of these officers today.
  In Michigan, we also remember two officers who recently lost their 
lives in the line of duty. Less then a month ago, Reserve Officer 
Matthew Tuttle and Chief Scott Sumner were killed in a helicopter 
accident in Scio Township while providing aerial support for officers 
who were involved in a foot pursuit.
  Chief Sumner was a 19-year veteran of the Chelsea Police Department, 
and Officer Tuttle was only 28 years old. Our thoughts and prayers go 
out to their families and the entire Chelsea Police Department.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I commemorate the hard work and 
sacrifices made daily by law enforcement officers all across our great 
land. Many have lost their lives in the line of duty so that our 
families and communities may remain safe. We must never forget those 
who have given their lives to protect us all.
  The annual celebration of Peace Officers Memorial Day and National 
Police Week during the calendar week has its roots in Public Law 87-
726, which was signed into law on October 1, 1962 by President John F. 
Kennedy. Public Law 87-726 designated this day and week as a time for 
``recognition of the service given by the men and women who, night and 
day, stand guard in our midst to protect us through enforcement of our 
laws.'' This law was later amended during the 103rd Congress as part of 
the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act in 1994 to order the 
United States flag on all Government buildings displayed at half-staff 
on May 15.
  Since the turn of the last century, more than 60 law enforcement 
officers have been killed in the line of duty in New Mexico. This year, 
among other activities, law enforcement officers from around the 
country honored the lives of three New Mexico police officers whose 
names were recently added to the National Law Enforcement Officers 
Memorial in Washington, D.C. One occurred a very long time ago, and the 
two others just last year.
  Officer Michael R. King and Officer Richard W. Smith, Jr., both of 
the Albuquerque Police Department, are two of the three officers being 
honored this year. Their deaths occurred on a day that has become 
ingrained in the hearts of most New Mexicans as one of the bloodiest 
and most tragic in recent times. Officers King and Smith, longtime 
veterans of the Albuquerque Police Department, were responding to a 
call on August 20, 2005 ordering the pickup of a mental health patient 
from Kaseman Hospital. When they arrived at the scene, Officers King 
and Smith had no way of knowing that the subject of their call, John 
Hyde would be implicated in the shooting deaths of three people earlier 
that day. During the pickup Officers King and Smith were gunned down in 
the street before their murderer fled on a motorcycle. It took a force 
of approximately 300 of their

[[Page 8168]]

fellow officers to chase down and finally apprehend the man responsible 
for the deaths of these brave and respected police officers.
  The other officer honored this year was gunned down in Hope, New 
Mexico approximately 108 years ago. At the time, Eddy County Deputy 
Sheriff Bud Johnson had traveled to Hope in order to serve a warrant on 
one L.E. Pratt in regard to an infraction over water control. According 
to the Eddy County Sheriff's Department, Pratt shot and killed Bud 
Johnson with a shotgun when he was notified of the warrant. Deputy 
Sheriff Johnson died immediately.
  Deputy Johnson's death shows us that the dangers of police work have 
been present throughout the long history of our Nation. All too 
recently, citizens of New Mexico mourned the loss of Deputy James 
McGrane, Jr., who was killed on March 22, 2006 during a traffic stop in 
Tijeras, NM. While we remember those who have lost their lives, we also 
take solace in the fact that many others have been able to survive the 
dangers of duty. Officer John Garcia, Officer Josh Otzenberger, 
Sergeant Carol Oleksak, Deputy Shaun Sanchez, and Sheriff's pilot Chris 
Holland were all shot during the past two years while protecting our 
communities. We are thankful that most of them survived these close 
brushes with death and were able to return to duty.
  We should remember their dedication to protect and serve, and the 
tragic price they paid for that devotion. We must also remember the 
families of all fallen officers and the sacrifices they have incurred 
because of a deep-seated commitment to duty and public service. All of 
us from New Mexico owe a debt of gratitude to each and every officer 
who has lost their lives in the line of duty. To all who have paid the 
ultimate price and to those who continue to serve, may we forever be 
grateful and never take for granted what you do. You have my utmost 
admiration.

                          ____________________