[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 261]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY


                         Officer Shawn Bakr and
                           Deputy Sonny Smith

  Mr. COTTON. Madam President, this past Saturday, January 9, was Law 
Enforcement Appreciation Day, a day set aside to honor the men and 
women who work in law enforcement, keeping our communities safe and 
enforcing the rule of law, which underpins any free and just society. 
Recently we have heard a great deal about controversies and scrutiny 
surrounding law enforcement in many parts of our country. It is easy to 
be distracted by these stories, but it is important to remember that 
many are inaccurate, and even the true ones are the exception, not the 
rule.
  The rule is officers such as Little Rock Police Officer Shawn Bakr. 
On Saturday, Officer Bakr spent his Law Enforcement Appreciation Day 
and his night off working as a security guard at a local restaurant. 
During his shift, three armed men entered a restaurant and pointed a 
gun at an employee in an attempted robbery. Officer Bakr's law 
enforcement instincts kicked in, and he reacted with calm dispatch. He 
confronted the suspects, who subsequently shot him in the shoulder, yet 
he bravely managed to return fire and injure one of the robbers. The 
other two suspects fled but have since been apprehended after a 
standoff with Little Rock police earlier today.
  The rule is also county sheriffs such as Johnson County Reserve 
Deputy Sonny Smith, who died in the line of duty last year after he was 
shot while responding to a burglary. Deputy Smith confronted danger 
head-on to protect his fellow Arkansans, and he gave the full measure 
of devotion to duty that only those called to serve in the front lines 
can fully understand.
  The rule is also the large group of Deputy Smith's law enforcement 
colleagues who stood to the right of the stage, just hours after his 
death--a place typically reserved for parents--and saluted during his 
son's high school graduation ceremony so he would feel the support and 
love of the law enforcement community to which his dad belonged.
  As a soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan, my soldiers and I knew what it 
meant to face our enemy head-on, but at the end of our tours, we went 
home. Many of us worked in much less dangerous jobs at military bases 
around the country until our next tour or we left the service.
  For law enforcement officers, there is no end to the tour. They take 
risks every single day, often for the lengths of their careers. Officer 
Bakr's and Deputy Smith's actions are heroic by any definition, but to 
them and to countless other law enforcement officers across the 
country, that is simply part of the job description. Each day that they 
go to work, our law enforcement personnel around the country put 
themselves in harm's way to keep us and our communities safe.
  So to all of our law enforcement officers, the men and women who 
serve with the selfless dedication of Shawn Bakr and Sonny Smith, thank 
you for your service and for your sacrifice. May God bless you and your 
families and keep you safe.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arkansas.

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