[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3630]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING OFFICER LOURDES HERNANDEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARIO DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 23, 2016

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, in recognition of Women's History 
Month, I rise today to honor Officer Lourdes Hernandez, an outstanding 
individual in the South Florida community.
  Officer Hernandez first joined the Miami-Dade Police Department in 
1997. After two years in the force, she decided to take a leave of 
absence and enlist in the United States Army Reserves. Officer 
Hernandez served honorably for seven months, and I would like to take 
this opportunity to thank her for her service.
  Officer Hernandez returned to the Miami-Dade Police Department as 
part of the Intracoastal District's Crime Suppression Team, but quickly 
moved to the Miami-Dade Narcotics Bureau, where she has been for the 
past thirteen years.
  Officer Hernandez's most recent accomplishment is the completion of 
Miami-Dade's Special Response Team (SRT) boot camp training. This five 
week program is extremely mentally and physically grueling. Officer 
Hernandez is the only woman to have completed the updated course, which 
is a testament to her strength and tenacity. It is worth noting that 
Hernandez's determination to achieve this goal was formed nearly three 
years ago. Her focus and seriousness of purpose clearly go above and 
beyond the usual.
  Officer Hernandez sets a high priority on physical and tactical 
training. She appreciates the dangers that officers see in the field 
and remains committed to keeping herself, her fellow officers, and 
every citizen as safe as possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Officer Lourdes Hernandez 
for her continued service to South Florida, and the world at large, and 
I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this remarkable 
individual.

                          ____________________