[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13171]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       EDWARD A. THOMAS BUILDING

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great excitement to 
congratulate the Houston City Council and our chief, Charles 
McClelland, for naming our beacon of law enforcement building after 
Edward Alfred Thomas, the longest serving and greatest patrol officer 
in the history of the Houston Police Department, so noted by fellow 
officers.
  Edward Alfred Thomas was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1920. He 
played football for Southern University. As well, he was drafted in 
World War II, where he saw action with the United States Army in 
Normandy, in northern Africa, and during the Battle of the Bulge.
  After the war, with his honorable discharge, Edward Thomas became one 
of the first African American police officers in the city of Houston--
when he started, he could not vote without a poll tax--where he worked 
for 63 years until his retirement on July 23, 2011. He worked for more 
than six decades, way before the civil rights movement.
  His work was not without challenges. Because of his work and because 
of his race, Officer Thomas was not allowed to drive a squad car or 
arrest White suspects without obtaining permission from his supervisor.
  At one point in his career, he was disciplined for speaking to a 
White meter maid, who asked him to walk with her in order to avoid the 
unwanted attention and advances of nearby construction workers, just 
extending himself and doing his job.
  I am excited about him having his name on the 26-story headquarters 
building, and I would offer to say that, to this great leader, I will 
be coming home to present you with a number of resolutions and honor.
  I know that he wants the Voting Rights Act reauthorized because he 
couldn't vote then, but now, he stands as the longest serving police 
officer and one of great service.
  I salute you, Edward Alfred Thomas.

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