[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15748]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING OFFICER ROBERT HODGES FOR HIS VALIANT SERVICE TO THE SOUTHLAKE 
                      DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 13, 2007

  Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my gratitude and 
praise to Officer Robert Hodges of the Southlake Department of Public 
Safety for his invaluable contributions to his community and for his 
bravery in times of turmoil.
  Officer Hodges has loyally served as a police officer for more than 
18 years. He began his career with a five-year stint at the Lake Worth 
Police Department, worked shortly for the Sansom Park Police Department 
and has spent his last 12 years with Southlake DPS.
  In 1997 Hodges obtained his Instructor certification and began 
teaching other officers the skills necessary to be a Motorcycle Traffic 
Officer. Over the past 10 years, Officer Hodges has taught many of the 
Traffic Officers throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area such skills and 
his dedication has affected the lives of many officers in the region.
  Throughout his career, Officer Hodges has also touched lives in many 
other roles. In 2003 he initiated the first-ever police ``Motorcycle 
Rodeo'' to raise funds for Special Olympics. Through Officer Hodges' 
efforts and the Motorcycle Rodeo, more than $12,000 was donated to the 
Special Olympics. The following year, Hodges organized a second 
Motorcycle Rodeo and managed to raise another $7,000 for the cause. And 
5 years ago, Officer Hodges was awarded the department's Life Saving 
Award and is credited for saving the life of a two-year-old child. In 
the incident, Hodges responded to a drowning call involving the small 
child who had been retrieved from a pool and was non-responsive. 
Officer Hodges cleared the child's airway and began administering CPR. 
Through his quick actions, he revived the child and kept her stable 
until medical help arrived.
  Madam Speaker, I am deeply honored to pay tribute to the life and 
accomplishments of Officer Robert Hodges. I would also like to 
recognize his wife, Beth Hodges, and his son, Bobby Hodges, for their 
immense courage during difficult circumstances. It is a privilege to 
represent the Hodges family in the 24th District of Texas and I pray 
for God's blessings upon them.

                          ____________________