[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 927-928]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    SLAIN MIAMI-DADE POLICE OFFICERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart 
to also honor our first responders killed in the line of duty, two 
brave south Florida police officers shot and killed just this past 
week. Miami-Dade County veteran detectives 41-year-old Roger Castillo 
and 44-year-old Amanda Haworth died last Thursday while protecting the 
community they love.
  As part of a fugitive task force working with the U.S. Marshals 
Service, Officers Castillo and Haworth were members of a professional 
elite unit whose mission is to go after violent career criminals. Last 
week, they were attempting to arrest one such violent criminal. They 
were hunting a fugitive suspected of murdering another man simply for 
raising his voice with the suspect. When police knocked on the door of 
a home where he was believed to be, the suspect opened fire, killing 
Officers Castillo and Haworth and injuring Officer Diedra Beecher.
  Combined, Officers Castillo and Haworth dedicated 44 years to 
servicing the citizens of south Florida. They put their lives on the 
line every day to make us safer. And last Thursday, these two heroes 
made the ultimate sacrifice. We lost them to a senseless act of 
violence by someone with a total disregard for the lives of others. We 
grieve their loss not only to the community they served, but to the 
families and loved ones they leave behind.
  A 21-year veteran on the force, family members say Detective Roger 
Castillo loved two things in this world, his family and his job. His 
wife of 15 years, Debbie, also works as a police officer. Officer 
Castillo leaves behind his three sons, 14-year-old Anthony, 11-year-old 
Michael, and 9-year-old Brian.

[[Page 928]]

A dedicated father, neighbors said that he was the kind of dad you 
would see on the front lawn tossing around a football with his boys.
  Amanda Haworth spent 23 years on the force. A neighbor said the only 
thing she loved more than her job was her 13-year-old son, Austin. A 
single mom, Amanda Haworth would never miss her son's baseball games 
and would often practice with him in their backyard. Amanda Haworth was 
the first female detective ever killed in the line of duty in Miami-
Dade County.
  While I did not have the good fortune of knowing these two 
detectives, I know this: I know these were two exceptional individuals 
taken from us and lost too soon. These were incredible parents, ripped 
from their families before their time. They were excellent public 
servants trying to make our community a better place to live. We send 
our thoughts and prayers to heal their families.
  To their families and loved ones, I struggle to find words that can 
offer solace and comfort in your time of distress. The great poet 
William Wordsworth once said, ``Not without hope we suffer and we 
mourn.'' Perhaps he meant that we find hope in the belief that our 
thoughts and prayers will in time heal their families, and in the hope 
and belief that the children of Officers Castillo and Haworth will grow 
up knowing that their parents made this sacrifice to make their world 
and our world a better place. In the meantime, we will suffer and 
mourn.
  After going through our own senseless tragedy with our colleague, 
Gabby Giffords, we share in the pain of senseless loss and inexplicable 
violence. Officers Castillo and Haworth will be forever in the hearts 
of our community.

                          ____________________