[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14441]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  KENTUCKY STATE TROOPER JOSEPH PONDER

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2015

  Mr. POE or Texas. Mr. Speaker, another peace officer has been 
targeted and killed.
  Late Sunday night, Kentucky State Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder made 
a routine traffic stop. He pulled over the suspect who as it turns out 
was driving with a suspended license. The trooper was going to arrange 
for an overnight stay for the man and his fellow passengers, which 
included two children, but this plan never came to fruition.
  This stop would prove fatal. Suddenly, the driver sped away and the 
chase began.
  For nine miles, Trooper Ponder pursued the criminal. Then, the 
criminal's car made a hasty and abrupt stop. The trooper's vehicle 
smashed into the back of the criminal's getaway car.
  The criminal emerged from the vehicle and fired intently at the 
officer. Bullets scattered around the hood and windshield and hit the 
officer.
  Ponder was struck multiple times.
  The armed criminal fled, this time on foot.
  And a manhunt was underway for the killer.
  Helicopters manned the sky as officers and canines manned the ground 
and wooded areas.
  The criminal was spotted. He refused to drop his weapon and instead 
hatefully pointed it straight at police. The criminal was taken down.
  The trooper passed away at the hospital later that night.
  This story is becoming all too common. Officers are being targeted 
just because of the car they drive and the uniform they wear. This war 
on police must stop.
  Trooper Ponder graduated from the police academy in January and was 
working in Trigg County.
  He was a Navy veteran and just 31 years old.
  On the Kentucky State Police Facebook page, tributes fill the comment 
section.
  One stands out, from Ponder's sister.
  It reads:
  ``Thank you for all the kind words. My brother was the best man in 
the world and did not deserve what happened to him. Please pray for us, 
this was an enormous loss.''
  A loss that is felt around the country, as our nation continues to 
mourn fallen peace officers.
  Kentucky State Trooper Joseph Ponder will not be forgotten.
  As I have said many times before, those who wear the badge--the 
shield over their heart--represent the best of our communities.
  Our gratitude goes to Trooper Ponder for his selfless service both to 
our country and our community.
  We continue to pray for police. They are the silent safe guardians 
who protect our cities, neighborhoods and schools. They are the men and 
women of the thin blue line between the law and the lawless.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________