[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10860]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  LISA BEAULIEU--TEXAS POLICE OFFICER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, peace officers are the last strand of wire in 
the fence between the law and the lawless. They do society's dirty work 
for us. They are a cut above the rest of us because of who they are and 
what they do.
  For Lisa Beaulieu, becoming a police officer was her life's ambition. 
She wanted to protect and serve the citizens of the community that she 
loved. Lisa worked hard at becoming a peace officer, and it didn't come 
easy for her. To gain experience, she worked as a jailer in Dayton, 
Texas while putting herself through the police academy at Lamar 
Institute of Technology. And when she graduated, Lisa got a job as a 
dispatcher at the Beaumont Police Department. To gain more experience 
as a law enforcement officer, Lisa became an unpaid part-time reserve 
officer with the Kountze Police Department in Texas. After years of 
determination, Lisa was hired by the Beaumont Police Department as a 
patrol officer in 2001.
  For 6 years, Officer Lisa Beaulieu was, as many officers are, the 
first line of defense between the good and the evil of our community. 
She was dedicated to her job, and she took it seriously. Friends of 
Lisa stated that, when off duty, she was a girly girl. She loved the 
color pink, she always had manicured nails and pedicured toes, and had 
a closet full of shoes. Lisa had a smile that could light up a room and 
a great sense of humor, often telling men that would hit on her that 
she was just a driver's education instructor. She was dedicated to the 
family she had and her friends, and she cherished the moments she spent 
with them. She was also an avid animal lover, housing two dogs that she 
adopted from the animal shelter.
  During the devastation of Hurricane Rita, Lisa took care of the 
citizens of Beaumont and her law enforcement family. She worked long, 
tireless 12-hour days, patrolling the hurricane's aftermath and caring 
for the residents of Beaumont. For her fellow officers, she turned her 
own garage into a makeshift shelter, offering them a place to come and 
get some rest before heading back into the disaster zone.
  Friends stated that when she put on her uniform, however, she was all 
business. She was fearless and Texas tough, invincible when she wore 
the badge of a peace officer. Known as the type of officer who would 
set an example for others, Lisa's police file was filled with 
commendations from Chief Tom Scofield.
  Around 1 a.m. Friday morning, April 27, the seasoned Officer Beaulieu 
responded to the scene of a motorcycle accident on the Eastex Freeway 
in Beaumont. She began directing traffic around the accident, allowing 
motorists to pass. While controlling the accident scene and out of the 
darkness of the night, a car driven by 24-year-old Willie McCray 
slammed into Officer Beaulieu, knocking her over the guard rail and 
onto the road below, killing her. She became the first female police 
officer in Southeast Texas killed in the line of duty.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a photograph of Lisa Beaulieu. The Beaumont 
Texas community was stunned by the loss of this veteran peace officer. 
Some news reports, however, have tried to portray the person who ran 
over Lisa as the victim instead of her. McCray was not the victim, he 
was the offender. McCray's driver's license was suspended and he had no 
liability insurance. He had been arrested eight times for minor crimes. 
And the worst part, McCray was allegedly drunk and believed to be high 
on marijuana when he was blasting down the road. McCray has been 
charged with the intoxicated manslaughter in the death of this peace 
officer of Texas. He robbed the Beaumont community and Officer 
Beaulieu's family of a dedicated law officer.
  Yesterday, I had the honor to attend her funeral, where over 1,000 
citizens, law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency personnel 
throughout Southeast Texas were all in attendance showing their support 
for their fallen comrade. The peace officers present wore a black 
ribbon of sorrow across their badges as they paid a last farewell to 
Lisa Beaulieu.
  Mr. Speaker, Officer Beaulieu exemplified what it meant to be a peace 
officer. She was a protector of the innocent, the community, and her 
fellow peace officers. Officer Beaulieu wore the badge with pride, 
honor, and courage. The people and peace officers of Texas are saddened 
by the loss of one of their dedicated servants.
  As a former Texas judge, I have known a lot of peace officers in my 
day, and some of them were superior peace officers. Lisa was one of 
those superior officers. Officers like Lisa Beaulieu serve us well and 
are on duty in the middle of the night so that the rest of us can sleep 
with safety and security.
  And that's just the way it is.

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