[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7798-7800]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL DAY

  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1299) supporting the goals and ideals of Peace 
Officers Memorial Day.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1299

       Whereas there are more than 900,000 sworn law enforcement 
     officers in the United States, 12 percent of whom are women;
       Whereas law enforcement officers selflessly protect the 
     people of the United States and their communities;
       Whereas law enforcement officers serve the country in spite 
     of the inherent danger of their service;
       Whereas more than 18,600 law enforcement officers have been 
     killed in the line of duty in the United States since the 
     first recorded police death in 1792;
       Whereas 72 law enforcement officers were killed while 
     responding to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, 
     making that day the deadliest in law enforcement history;
       Whereas 125 law enforcement officers were killed in 2009;
       Whereas, on March 21, 2009, Sergeant Mark Dunakin and 
     Officer John Hege and Sergeants Ervin Romans and Dan Sakai of 
     the Oakland Police Department in California were shot and 
     killed by the same gunman in two separate attacks;
       Whereas, on November 29, 2009, Sergeant Mark Renniger and 
     Officers Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens II, and Greg Richards of 
     the Lakewood Police Department in the State of Washington 
     were shot and killed as they sat in a coffee shop;
       Whereas Public Law 87-726 designates May 15th of each year 
     as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the calendar week during 
     which that Day occurs as Police Week;
       Whereas section 7(m) of title 4, United States Code, 
     requires that the United States flag be flown at half-staff 
     on all government buildings on Peace Officers Memorial Day; 
     and
       Whereas law enforcement officers deserve the gratitude of 
     the people of the United States for their service: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of Peace Officers 
     Memorial Day;
       (2) honors Federal, State, and local law enforcement 
     officers who have been killed or disabled in the line of 
     duty; and
       (3) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
     Peace Officers Memorial Day with ceremonies and respect 
     befitting those who have risked their lives and died in 
     service to their communities.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Deutch) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

[[Page 7799]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution honors our law enforcement community by 
supporting the observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day. Since 1962, 
May 15 has been recognized as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week 
of May 15 has been designated as Police Week.

                              {time}  1500

  For nearly 50 years, we have continued this observance as a way to 
honor the men and women of our Nation's law enforcement agencies. They 
protect our neighborhoods, our homes, and our loved ones; and we are 
grateful.
  The men and women who dedicate their careers to our safety do so at 
the expense of spending long hours away from their families, putting 
themselves at great risk, and in too many instances, making the 
ultimate sacrifice.
  On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty 
somewhere in this Nation every 53 hours. Unfortunately, since the 
beginning of this year we have lost 58 officers.
  Despite this ever-present danger, these dedicated professionals 
continue to make sacrifices for their communities without asking thanks 
or praise. The law enforcement professionals and police officers who 
toil in our communities across this Nation deserve our unwavering 
support and our thankful recognition.
  I commend our colleague from Texas (Mr. Poe) for introducing this 
important resolution.
  I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1299, supporting the goals 
and ideals of Peace Officers Memorial Day. Every year the President 
issues a proclamation naming May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial 
Day. Of course, in the days leading up to May 15, thousands of peace 
officers and their families come to Washington, D.C. They come here to 
remember their fellow officers and their loved ones who have given 
their lives, all in the line of duty. They participate in conferences 
and memorial services. They honor the memories of those who worked so 
hard to protect our communities and, in the end, made the ultimate 
sacrifice and gave their lives for the rest of us.
  Americans have been protected by peace officers for 217 years, ever 
since the early settlers in Boston, Massachusetts. They established a 
program called Night Watch to safeguard those Bostonians.
  Not a day goes by that law enforcement officers do not face danger in 
their mission to keep us safe from crime, acts of violence, and now 
terrorism. On May 17, 1792, New York City's Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith 
became the first recorded peace officer to be killed in the line of 
duty.
  Mr. Speaker, since that time, 18,600 law enforcement officers have 
been killed in the line of duty. Let me repeat: 18,600 peace officers 
in the United States have been killed in the line of duty. On average, 
58,000 law enforcement officers are assaulted every year; and in 2009, 
125 of those officers were killed protecting other Americans. Five of 
those fallen officers were from my home State of Texas. Those 
individuals were Senior Corporal Norman Smith of the Dallas Police 
Department. He was killed by gunfire on June 6, 2009. Lieutenant Stuart 
Alexander from the Corpus Christi Police Department. He was killed by 
vehicular assault on March 11, 2009. Sergeant Randy White of the 
Bridgeport PD was killed by a vehicle pursuit on April 2, 2009. Houston 
police officer Henry Canales was killed by gunfire on June 23, 2009. 
And Jesse Hamilton was killed on August 25 by gunfire, and he was a 
member of the Pasadena Police Department of the State of Texas.
  2009 was a particularly difficult year for peace officer families. On 
the 21st day of March 2009, four members of the Oakland, California 
Police Department were shot and killed in the line of duty. Sergeants 
Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans, Dan Sakai and Officer John Hege gave their 
lives in service to their fellow Americans, and we honor them in their 
service today.
  On November 29, 2009 four members of the Lakewood Police Department 
in Washington were brutally ambushed as they sat in a coffee shop 
catching up on paperwork and planning for their upcoming shift. 
Sergeant Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens and 
Greg Richards were all veteran law enforcement officers, each with 
between 8 and 14 years of experience. This loss was a staggering blow 
to the Lakewood community and the national community of peace officers. 
We continue to mourn this senseless loss and honor them for their 
service.
  Although there has been great progress in protecting the safety of 
these men and women who wear the uniform, the death of every officer 
serves as a reminder to the whole country that our Nation's law 
enforcement officers still face dangerous and potentially deadly 
situations every day.
  During my 20 years as a judge in Texas, I had the privilege of 
working alongside some of America's finest police officers. Later, 
during my term on the bench, some of those police officers were killed 
in the line of duty. Now, as a founder and co-chair of the 
Congressional Victims Rights Caucus, I recognize that peace officers 
are too often victims of crimes they seek to prevent.
  When a peace officer puts on a uniform in the morning, they represent 
everything that is good, everything that is right about our country. 
And I am privileged to honor them here today.
  Mr. Speaker, we in this House of Representatives need to always 
remember that outside these Halls, on the rooftops and around the 
Capitol are the Capitol police officers watching and protecting those 
who come to the people's House, to the Capitol Building and the 
surrounding buildings. And we need to remember that in 1998, two of 
those Capitol police officers, Jacob Chestnut and Detective John 
Gibson, were killed in the line of duty in this very building as they 
were protecting other Members of Congress from a gun-wielding assailant 
that came into this place.
  We should always remember that these peace officers every day are a 
cut above the rest of us, and they do represent everything that's good 
and fine and right about America.
  Later this week, not far from here, on the west side of the Capitol, 
there will be the families of the slain police officers in the United 
States. Surrounding them, in a group, will be thousands and thousands 
of peace officers in the United States, all wearing the uniform, 
wearing a badge that they wear above their heart and a black cloth 
across that badge. Those people stand in honor of those families that 
have lost loved ones who were peace officers that represented the rest 
of us and were killed in the line of duty. We owe them everything that 
we can say that is good and noble about their work. We honor them. We 
praise those that are in the line of duty. We remember those that were 
killed in the line of duty, and we also remember their families.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
strong support of H. Res. 1299 to support the goals and ideals of Peace 
Officers Memorial Day.
  Every year, on May 15, we recognize the fallen peace officers from 
our communities that have given their lives in the line of duty. We can 
thank these men and women for upholding our laws and ensuring our 
safety, even in times of crisis. I am deeply humbled by the sacrifices 
of these brave men and women, and I express my condolences to their 
families for their loss.
  On January 6, 2009, Dallas lost one of our own police officers, 
Senior Cpl. Norman Stephen Smith, when he was shot and killed while 
serving an arrest warrant. He died shortly before his 18th anniversary 
with the Dallas Police Department, and his knowledge and skill continue 
to be missed within his unit. With his death, Dallas lost a great man 
and a great police officer, and we will never forget his sacrifice for 
our community's wellbeing. My condolences go out to his wife, Regina 
Smith, and their two children.
  Mr. Speaker, Peace Officers Memorial Day is a day in which we honor 
some of our nation's bravest and most valiant men and

[[Page 7800]]

women. The work of police officers and other peace officers places them 
in danger almost on a daily basis, and I ask my fellow colleagues to 
join me today in supporting this resolution that honors our peace 
officers who have died in the line of duty.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1299, 
which recognizes the men and women who have given their lives in the 
line of duty as law enforcement officers. This is an important measure 
that pays tribute to the selfless men and women who lost their lives as 
they worked to protect the American people. These brave individuals 
deserve our national gratitude for their sacrifice.
  I thank Chairman Conyers for his leadership in bringing this bill to 
the floor. I also thank the sponsor of this legislation, Congressman 
Poe, for his dedication to ensuring that the men and women who protect 
our families and communities are honored for their bravery, service, 
and sacrifice.
  Careers in law enforcement are inherently dangerous and the men and 
women who decide to serve as police officers should be commended for 
their bravery. Today, there are more than 900,000 law enforcement 
officers in the United States who risk their lives every day to protect 
our communities. Following the horrific terrorist attacks of September 
11, 2001, more than seventy law enforcement officers were killed while 
rescuing victims and restoring a sense of order during this time of 
national tragedy. September 11, 2001, was the deadliest day for law 
enforcement officers in the history of our nation.
  More than 18,600 law enforcement officers have been killed in the 
line of duty throughout the history of the United States. These police 
officers were killed while responding to disturbance calls, making 
arrests in robberies, investigating suspicious circumstances, making 
traffic stops, and countless other efforts to protect the American 
people and ensure the safety of our communities.
  In my district in Long Beach, California, 28 police officers have 
died in the line of duty. In a Peace Officers Memorial Day tribute, 
Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster eloquently stated, ``All of our officers 
and firefighters chose a profession where they could no longer sit 
still and proclaim that somebody should do something. Thinking about 
taking action and actually taking action is what separates the good 
from the great; the well intentioned from the heroes.'' I agree with 
Mayor Foster. Law enforcement officers are true American heroes.
  I salute the bravery and dedication of law enforcement officers at 
the Federal, State, and local levels. I extend my deepest sympathy to 
the loved ones of police officers who have been killed while working to 
protect the American people.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1299.
  Mr. POE of Texas. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this 
resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1299.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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