[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Flores) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FLORES. As many of you know, this week is National Police Week, a 
time to give special recognition to law enforcement officers who have 
lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of 
others. I come before you today to honor one of my constituents who did 
just that.
  On April 23, 2011, Johnson County Deputy Sheriff Clifton Taylor was 
first to the scene of a reported domestic disturbance in Venus, Texas. 
An anonymous caller had reported a man was threatening people with a 
weapon. Upon arriving at the scene, Deputy Taylor, two other Johnson 
County deputies, and an officer from the Venus Police Department were 
informed that an armed man had fled to another building on the 
property. Deputy Taylor and the three other officers approached the 
building, but the gunman immediately opened fire.
  Deputy Taylor was shot three times by the gunman and later died. He 
was 31 years old. His death marks the first time since 1971 that an 
officer in Johnson County died in the line of duty, and he is the 31st 
law enforcement officer to be killed by gunfire in the line of duty 
this year.
  Deputy Taylor had been with the department a little more than 3 
years. He was deeply committed to serving and protecting his community 
as a law enforcement officer and will always be remembered as one who 
placed honor and duty above his own personal interests and safety.
  I am deeply humbled by his service and dedication as a Texas law 
enforcement officer to keeping others safe that he would lay down his 
life not only for his fellow officers but for the community that he 
took an oath to protect. His sacrifice exemplifies that set forth in 
John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's 
life for his friends.

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