[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12989-12990]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO COLONEL THOMAS L'ESPERANCE

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to recognize and commend Colonel 
Thomas L'Esperance for his noteworthy career with the Vermont State 
Police, which will conclude next month with his retirement. One of the 
strongest voices in Vermont law enforcement for the past 28 years, 
Colonel L'Esperance has dutifully served the public and sought to 
protect his fellow Vermonters as an invaluable member and leader in 
Vermont. He rose through the ranks of the Vermont State Police after 
beginning his career as a detective trooper with the Brattleboro 
barracks in 1987, and has since assumed new and challenging roles 
within the force. He has contributed to Vermont's public safety and 
helped to combat crime by serving as a detective trooper, the Southern 
Vermont Drug Task Force field supervisor, director of the Bureau of 
Criminal Investigations, and, since 2009, as the director of the 
Vermont State Police. Colonel L'Esperance has earned the respect and 
admiration of his colleagues throughout his career for his unwavering 
dedication and ability to empathize with those whom he serves and 
protects.
  In recent years, Vermont has faced immeasurable challenges in 
combating the cycle of heroin and opioid abuse. In 2014, I called on 
Colonel L'Esperance to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee field 
hearing in Rutland, VT, about this very challenge. Colonel L'Esperance 
graciously and with expertise provided testimony on the harmful effects 
of addiction in the State of Vermont, and on the challenges facing 
Vermont's law enforcement community in combating such abuse. His 
testimony was exemplary, not only because of his firsthand experience 
with this critical policing and public health issue, but also because 
of the colonel's personal commitment to eliminating this destructive 
epidemic from our State. I thank Colonel L'Esperance for his powerful 
testimony and for the great work he has done throughout his career in 
fighting criminal activity in our State.
  While his retirement from the position of Vermont State Police 
director will be a loss for the force and for the State of Vermont, I 
am confident that Colonel L'Esperance will bring the same level of 
excellence to the next chapter of his career. Colonel L'Esperance will 
no doubt continue to serve others with integrity and with the highest 
regard for the public's safety. I am proud of Colonel L'Esperance for 
his exceptional work with the Vermont State Police, and I am grateful 
for all of his efforts in improving the safety and well-being of 
Vermonters.

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