[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3316-3317]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
               HONORING THE LIFE OF OFFICER JACAI COLSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Maryland (Ms. Edwards) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I rise today 
to pay tribute and honor the life of Prince George's County Police 
Officer Jacai Colson, who was killed in the line of duty.
  Line-of-duty deaths are always difficult to bear. A police officer or 
another first responder leaves their home, their station, or their 
vehicle, and their loved one, coworker, or partner expects to see them 
return.
  My heart breaks for Jacai's loved ones and for the tight-knit 
community that is the Prince George's County Police Department.
  On March 12, 2016, an off-duty detective, Police Officer First Class 
Jacai Colson, arrived at the District 3 police station in Landover, 
Maryland, with the intent of visiting a fellow officer, when matters 
took an unexpected turn for the worse.
  We will continue to learn the details of this tragedy in the coming 
days. What we do know is that Officer Colson's actions saved lives and 
allowed his fellow officers to neutralize the threat, even as he made 
the ultimate sacrifice.
  On behalf of the citizens of the Fourth Congressional District of 
Maryland, I want to extend my appreciation to Officer Colson for his 
selfless and heroic actions and his relentless dedication to public 
service.
  I would like to remember the legacy Officer Colson leaves behind. He 
was a Pennsylvania native who played quarterback at Chichester High 
School in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania, where he graduated.
  Officer Colson then went on to play wide receiver and defensive back 
at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. His college football 
coach recalled Colson as ``a really respectful kid and just a high-
character young man. To be honest, he wasn't a great player, but he was 
a really great person.''
  Officer Jacai Colson was the grandson of a career police officer. He 
himself joined the Prince George's County Police Department. After 2 
years of service on the force, he joined the narcotics department. 
Officer Colson worked as an undercover detective. Later this week would 
have been his 29th birthday.
  I well know how difficult a job our local police officers have. They 
are tasked with the tremendous responsibility of meeting the 
increasingly diverse needs of growing populations with diminishing 
resources.
  At a time of so much national discussion about the relationship of 
law enforcement to our local communities, Officer Colson reminds us all 
of the important service and sacrifice of our men and women in blue.
  Unfortunately, his death makes three officers that have been shot and 
killed in Maryland in 2016. Last month two officers from the Harford 
County Sheriff's Office were fatally shot: Senior

[[Page 3317]]

Deputy Mark Logsdon and Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey.
  Today our police officers are being asked to be the first line of 
defense in our war on terror in addition to carrying out more 
traditional police work.
  I want to thank them for their commitment to the citizens and 
families of this great State. They are Maryland's heroes, and they have 
my utmost respect and support.
  Officer Jacai Colson's record of service was characterized by 
sacrifice, hard work, dedication to duty, and, most of all, by 
achievement. He leaves behind a legacy of service that others can and 
should aspire to.
  Now that his time on Earth has come to a needlessly premature end, it 
is my hope that Officer Jacai Colson has found the peace he has earned. 
On behalf of this House, I extend my sincerest gratitude and 
condolences to James and Sheila Colson, his parents; his entire family; 
friends; Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinski; Major 
Kathleen Mills, District 3 Commander; the entire Prince George's County 
Police Department; and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89.
  May God continue to comfort and sustain each of you.

                          ____________________