[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5663]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  (Mr. LaHOOD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National 
Police Week, a week we set aside to thank the 780,000 police officers 
who put on a badge nationwide and risk their lives to protect our 
communities.
  We thank them for their brave service. Our police officers play an 
essential role in our community, working to keep us safe, upholding the 
rule of law, and responding to emergencies. The 18th District of 
Illinois is home to many upstanding, honorable, courageous, and self-
sacrificing police officers.
  Mr. Speaker, we also take time this week to mourn the loss of our 
fallen officers whose lives were lost in the line of duty. On average, 
one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in 
the United States every 61 hours.
  That is why I am proud to support a measure on the floor this week to 
extend the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program through fiscal 
year 2020. We need to ensure our officers have the necessary equipment 
to keep them safe.
  Just this winter South Jacksonville, Illinois, in my district grieved 
the loss of one of its very own police officers in the line of duty.
  I also want to take this time to thank the support network that 
supports our police officers, their parents, wives, husbands, and 
children, for the sacrifices they make when their loved ones serve as 
police officers.
  Let us show our men and women who wear the badge how much we value 
their crucial work.

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