[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5808-5809]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, every year in May we commemorate National 
Police Week, a time to reflect upon the sacrifices made by the men and 
women who serve in law enforcement. In particular we honor those who 
have made the ultimate sacrifice and died in the line of duty. Our law 
enforcement officers risk their lives every day to protect and serve 
our communities in Vermont and across the country. This year I am proud 
to say that Congress has come together to deliver more than just 
rhetoric in honor of this service. This year we are providing something 
much more important--tangible, lifesaving protection for hundreds of 
thousands of law enforcement officers. On Tuesday, the House of 
Representatives joined the Senate and passed my bipartisan 
reauthorization of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program.
  I originally worked with former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell to 
establish the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program in the wake of the 
Carl Drega shootings on the Vermont-New Hampshire border. While the 
Federal officers engaged in a shootout with Drega were equipped with 
body armor, many of their State law enforcement counterparts were not, 
which resulted in the death of two State troopers. Now, nearly 20 years 
later, this program has provided more than 1.2 million protective vests 
to more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies around the country, 
including more than 4,400 vests for Vermont officers; yet the program's 
charter expired in 2012, and I have been working to reauthorize it ever 
since. The Senate passed the bipartisan measure coauthored by Senator 
Lindsey Graham last year. I am proud that the House has now done the 
same, and the legislation is headed to the President's desk for 
signature. This program saves lives and proves that Congress can work 
together to protect those who protect us.
  While the Bulletproof Vest Partnership will continue to protect 
officers, we must never forget the more than 20,000 fallen officers 
enshrined on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers 
Memorial. These walls stand as a testament to the dedication and 
commitment of our brave law enforcement officers. Officers like 
Sergeant Gary A. Gaboury, a patrol commander in Shaftsbury and member 
of the State police dive team, who tragically died 24 years ago today, 
on May 12, 1992, as he was attempting to recover a drowning victim. No 
matter how old these wounds are, our communities must not forget the 
sacrifice of Sergeant Gaboury and others in uniform.
  Tomorrow the names of 252 fallen officers will be added to the walls 
of the memorial. Among those who will be added to the wall is Vermont 
State Trooper Kyle Young, who tragically died last September. Trooper 
Young, who suffered heat stroke during a training exercise, was the 
first line-of-duty death in Vermont in 12 years. Like so many of his 
fallen colleagues, Trooper Young died while working to be a better 
public servant. He hoped to be promoted to the agency's tactical team, 
and he died showing the same grit and determination that he showed 
throughout his life, always trying to achieve the next goal. Trooper 
Young was only 28 years old and the father of two young girls. He was 
an outstanding high school athlete who went on to serve in the U.S. Air 
Force, with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His colleagues described him 
as an active trooper who, with less than 2 years on the job, quickly 
found his calling.
  The tragedy of Trooper Young's death will not be forgotten, nor will 
the lives of 23 other Vermont law enforcement officers who have died in 
the

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line of duty. Vermont is fortunate to be served by so many professional 
and dedicated public servants in law enforcement. That is why I have 
worked so long to provide law enforcement officers with what they need 
to keep both themselves and their communities safe. It is my hope that 
the reauthorization of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program will do 
just that--and will help keep names off that wall.

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