[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15670]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1200
                  HONORING OFFICER REGINALD GUTIERREZ

  (Mr. REICHERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, late in the afternoon on Wednesday, 
Officer Reginald ``Jake'' Gutierrez of Washington State's Tacoma Police 
Department responded to a domestic violence call. Despite the potential 
danger he knew lay ahead, he went forward with courage and a resolute 
focus on saving lives, sadly sacrificing his own life in the end.
  Tragically, he was 1 of 133 law enforcement officers this year to die 
in the line of duty. That is a 20 percent increase, Mr. Speaker, over 
last year. Officer Gutierrez has served in law enforcement 17 years, 
and he is one of the few who accept the calling to serve.
  The men and women who wear the badge like Officer Gutierrez have 
continued to show resilience during difficult times and have maintained 
an unshakeable commitment to perform their critical mission of keeping 
our families safe and protecting our freedoms, whether we are relaxing 
at home or protesting in the street. Wednesday was no exception.
  During what became an 11-hour standoff with the suspect, the Tacoma 
Police Department was assisted by many of its neighboring partners to 
ensure the surrounding area was secure. What is exceptional about this 
demonstration, Mr. Speaker, of bravery is that it is not exceptional at 
all. Men and women every day in this country walk out of their home 
wearing the badge and the uniform to protect our children, protect our 
communities, protect our kids at school.
  I ask all of us to keep our law enforcement officers in their 
prayers, Mr. Gutierrez's family, and the Tacoma Police Department.

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