[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5907-5912]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL POLICE WEEK: BLUE LIVES MATTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2015, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, tonight, my colleagues and I come to the 
floor of the United States House of Representatives to spotlight and 
highlight a very special week, a week that brings families and police 
officers together here in Washington, D.C. It is a week that is called 
National Police Week where these families and police officers from 
around the country come and gather to remember those police officers 
whose lives were tragically taken in the line of duty during the past 
year, and this happens every year. In that process, we not only 
remember those lives who were lost in the past year, but we also 
remember those lives who were lost in all of the years prior to that. 
Later on, I will talk about a couple of close friends of mine whose 
lives were taken early in their careers in the King County Sheriff's 
Office.
  I should say that, prior to coming to Congress, I spent 33 years in 
the King County Sheriff's Office in Seattle, starting in a patrol car, 
then as a detective, then as a SWAT commander, a hostage negotiator, a 
precinct commander, and, finally, as a sheriff, then coming here to 
Congress.
  To begin tonight, I honor Chehalis Police Officer Rick Silva and 
Washington State Trooper Brent Hanger, who both tragically died in the 
State of Washington in the line of duty.
  I begin with Washington State Trooper Brent Hanger.
  Trooper Hanger died on August 6, 2015, while investigating a 
marijuana grow in a small town called Yakima, Washington. He was 47 
years old. He had a wife, Lisa, and six children: Emily, Erin, Kailey, 
Erik, Kyle, and Kevin. Trooper Hanger served with the State Patrol for 
17 years, all of which were spent in the State Patrol's District 7, 
which includes Washington State's Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom 
Counties. Early in his career, in 2000, Trooper Hanger received the 
Award of Merit from the State Patrol for assisting and saving the life 
of a suicidal person.
  It is one of the things we forget about with regard to police 
officers. We are really peace officers, and we are there to protect 
people and keep the peace. The vast majority of us who go into law 
enforcement enter into law enforcement to protect people and to save 
lives, and that is what Trooper Hanger did in 2000 on just one occasion 
that he was recognized for.
  I also recognize Chehalis Police Officer Rick Silva.
  Rick was 60. He died in Chehalis on June 18, 2015, in Centralia, 
Washington. He had a wife named Cindy and a daughter named Shannon. 
From 1986 to 1988, he was a Lewis County corrections officer. From 1988 
to 2002, he was an officer with the Lewis County Sheriff's Office; and 
he was employed, when he passed away, with the Chehalis Police 
Department. He was a self-taught master fabricator, race car driver, 
automotive restorer, and carpenter.
  Since the first known line of duty death in the year 1791, more than 
20,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice. 
A total of 1,439 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty 
during the past 10 years--an average of one death every 61 hours, or 
144 per year. There were 123 law enforcement officers who were killed 
in the line of duty in 2015. Since the beginning of 2016, 36 law 
enforcement officers have died in the line of duty--36 this year. So 
far, the number of firearm-related fatalities is up 50 percent compared 
to the same time last year. In 2014 alone, there were 15,725 assaults 
against law enforcement, resulting in 13,824 injuries. Now, we hear 
sometimes in our own communities about those who lost their lives, but 
we don't always hear about those who were injured in the line of duty.
  The next speaker I will introduce here in a moment is also a career 
law enforcement officer. He was also a sheriff, a sheriff in Florida, 
and I am sure that he and I together could trade police stories all 
night that would illustrate for you, Mr. Speaker, and for others who 
are listening the danger that one experiences as a law enforcement 
officer across this country.
  I yield to the sheriff, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Nugent).
  Mr. NUGENT. I thank Sheriff Reichert so very much for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, we are here at a very solemn time in the law enforcement 
community. National Police Week is the week that we honor those who 
have fallen the year before and in all of the prior years.
  When Sheriff Reichert was talking about the statistics of assaults on 
law enforcement officers and about the number of law enforcement 
officers who are killed annually, behind each of those stories is a 
real person--a son or a daughter who is not coming home anymore, or a 
wife or a husband.
  I have been a police officer. I was a police officer for 38 years, 
and I was ultimately a sheriff in Hernando County, Florida. I have 
buried my share of fellow law enforcement officers in those 38 years--
too many to even talk about without bringing a tear. I can tell you, as 
a rookie police officer who was right out of the academy, in the first 
year I was on the street, one of the guys with whom I went through the 
academy was shot and killed. That was the first year out of the 
academy. I was held hostage at one point in time in my career by a guy 
who was intent on killing his wife.
  We all have stories like that. Sheriff Reichert is one of those true 
heroes in law enforcement. He is too modest to talk about the times 
that he has been assaulted, stabbed, or of the folks he has put in 
jail--the Green River Murderer. That is just the type of people we are. 
We are very humble. I was blessed to be in law enforcement for 38 
years, and 12 of those years were outside the city of Chicago. I will 
tell you this: the brotherhood in law enforcement is the same wherever 
you go across this great Nation.
  We are made up of people, though, and we have flaws like anybody 
else. Whether you are a physician or a teacher or even a priest, 
sometimes they do wrong things, but 99.99 percent of those in law 
enforcement do it for all of the right reasons. It is not because they 
are going to make great pay, and it is not because: Oh, my gosh, I get 
to work the weekends or work holidays or work midnights or miss 
birthday parties. They do it because of the love that they have for the 
people whom they serve in whatever community it may be--as large as New 
York City and as small as Apopka, Florida. It doesn't matter. The 
feelings that go into being a law enforcement officer are those of 
service to his fellow man.
  I have been blessed. My wife and I have been married for 41 years, 
with three sons--all of them in the military--but the one middle son, 
who is a Blackhawk pilot for the Florida Army National Guard, is also a 
deputy sheriff in Hillsborough County, Florida. I know the feeling that 
his wife has every time he dons that uniform and goes to work: Is he 
going to come home tonight?

[[Page 5908]]

  That is the feeling that all of our wives and mothers and 
grandmothers felt for their children as they went out the door wearing 
that uniform of whatever city, county, township they supported or State 
police agency.
  We have been blessed in America, and it is because of those people--
that thin blue line--who are willing to stand in front of danger to 
protect the normal, average citizen, somebody they have never met and 
may never meet again. They run into burning buildings, just like on 9/
11, to save people. They face down felons to save their fellow man. All 
they ask for is a little respect, and I don't think that is too much to 
ask.
  This week we passed a piece of legislation, the Fallen Heroes Flag 
Act, that allows us as Members of Congress and in the Senate to provide 
a flag. It is a small token of our everlasting appreciation for the 
sacrifices their families have made in the deaths of loved ones who 
served their country while wearing a law enforcement officer's uniform. 
We passed that here, and the President is going to sign it. It gives us 
the ability to provide that flag at no cost to the families. Go figure. 
At the end of the day, it is really about recognizing in a very small 
and symbolic way that it does matter. Blue lives matter, and all lives 
should matter.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished sheriff, the gentleman from 
Washington State, Dave Reichert.

                              {time}  1745

  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, Sheriff Nugent served 35 years. I know he 
looks a lot younger than I do, but he served a couple of years longer 
than I did.
  Sometimes we call people heroes and we don't readily accept those 
titles because, as the sheriff said, we just want to help. Cops just 
want to help. They want to help people. They want to serve the 
community and want to keep people safe.
  I am proud to have another Member here tonight who I am going to 
introduce who has been a staunch supporter of law enforcement since his 
time in Congress. We actually came here together in 2005, and he 
happens to be a judge from Texas.
  So I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Sheriff Reichert, 
Sheriff Nugent, and all the Members in Congress who have served in law 
enforcement before they came to the House.
  This is a solemn week when we show our respect and honor to those who 
have worn the shield or the star. You notice, Mr. Speaker, the shield 
or the star is always over the heart, and it is symbolic of protecting 
us from outlaws, from criminals.
  Law enforcement stands between us and those who would do us harm. 
That is why they wear the shield or the star over their heart, because 
they will give their lives and have for the rest of us, protecting us 
from those do-bads out there.
  I served as a prosecutor in Houston, Texas, for 8 years and then 22 
years in the criminal courts trying all kinds of cases. I met a lot of 
police officers. I still know a lot of them. They are certainly a rare 
breed that would do what they do.
  Most Americans couldn't go on patrol one day and do what they do. 
They are to be admired. We honor those who have died last year, but we 
honor those who have died in previous years.
  Some in America don't realize that the Capitol Police protect us 
around the Capitol. In 1998, two Capitol police officers, John Gibson 
and Jacob Chestnut, gave their lives protecting Members of Congress. We 
should remember them.
  Last year, 128 peace officers were killed in the United States. 
Eleven of those were females. Twelve were killed in Texas, the highest 
of any State. There were also two K-9s who were officers that were 
killed in Texas.
  Three of those officers who were killed were from my hometown of 
Houston, Texas: Darren Goforth of the Sheriff's Department, Officer 
Tronoski Jones of the Sheriff's Department, and Officer Richard Martin 
of the Houston Police Department.
  About this time last year, there was a robbery in progress--we call 
those hijackings in Houston--at a service station on Sunday morning. 
The Houston Police Department responded.
  They get to the scene and see a stolen U-Haul van speeding away from 
the service station. There is a high-speed chase. The U-Haul got a 
distance on the Houston police officers, jumped out of the U-Haul, 
grabbed a lady that was getting in her minivan, pushed her out of the 
way, stole the minivan, took off, and are firing shots at the police 
officers. Meanwhile, most of Houston is asleep and safe.
  Their chase goes on for a long time. Officer Richard Martin was ahead 
of the chase. He got his patrol car far enough ahead that he jumped out 
of the car and put spikes in the road to stop this outlaw from getting 
away.
  The outlaw sees Richard Martin, veers off the road, hits him and 
kills him and keeps driving for 20 miles before the Houston Police 
Department stopped him.
  Richard Martin was 47. He had only been a peace officer for 4 years. 
He had other careers before that, including serving in the United 
States Air Force. He has two children. I met Tyler last week. He is 11. 
It was a rough, rough conversation talking to him about his dad.
  As Sheriff Nugent said, these are real people and they are good 
people. They are a rare breed, the American breed, who will wear that 
star, that badge, over their hearts to protect us.
  All that separates us from evil and criminals is the thin blue line. 
That is it. You either have anarchy or you have the rule of law. Those 
who want to cause anarchy and mischief and crime in our communities are 
stopped by the law. That is why we call them law officers, peace 
officers.
  They are protecting us from those that would do us harm, and we 
certainly should give them and their families the respect and honor 
that they rightfully deserve because they make a sacrifice every day. 
They willingly make that sacrifice for us.
  Most peace officers I ever met have an extra job. They don't make 
enough money being a peace officer; so, to support their families, they 
do something else. They work long hours all week doing everything they 
can to make an income to take care of their families, and we should 
recognize that they are the best that America has.
  In closing, I would just like to say, Mr. Speaker, peace officers are 
really the last strand of wire in the fence that protects good from 
evil, that protects the chickens from the coyotes. That is the peace 
officers. We appreciate what they have done.
  I want to thank Sheriff Reichert for his service to our country, 
especially all those cases that you solved years ago. I am sure that 
the criminals are glad that you are in Congress and not back in 
Washington State chasing them down.
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Judge Poe for his service, too, 
and for his staunch support of law enforcement officers across the 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, 
who has a real understanding of what it means to serve. His family is a 
family of military service. So he understands the service that law 
enforcement officers provide across this country as well.
  I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank Sheriff Dave 
Reichert along with Sheriff Richard Nugent and Judge Ted Poe for their 
service to law enforcement in Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, this Sunday marks the beginning of National Police Week, 
a time each year when we especially honor the service and sacrifice of 
our Nation's police officers. Tragically, the citizens of South 
Carolina's Second Congressional District lost two distinguished and 
courageous officers this year.
  Officer Gregory Alia, a 7-year veteran of the City of Forest Acres 
Police Department, was beloved by his friends, family, and the entire 
community where he was born and raised. Gregory was an Eagle Scout, a 
graduate of Richland Northeast High School, and a

[[Page 5909]]

graduate of the University of South Carolina.
  In 2003, I was grateful to accompany him along with my son, Hunter, 
with Troop 100 of St. Joseph's Catholic Church of Columbia to the 
Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, for a 100-mile trek. I 
knew he was a great fellow.
  A hardworking, dedicated, and humble man, he was the embodiment of a 
hero every day of his life. As a new father, he loved his family, 
looked for the good in everyone, and was a selfless leader, one who 
brought people together.
  His end of watch was September 30, 2015, when he was shot while 
pursuing a suspect.
  I am grateful his wife, Kassy; parents, Dr. Richard and Alexis; aunt, 
Catherine Alia-Harding; and his infant son, Sal, are here in the 
gallery and community today.
  Gregory's legacy lives on not only in the outpouring of love and 
appreciation from the community, but also in the actions of his family 
and friends.
  I would like to especially recognize his wife, Kassy, for her 
selfless service in the days, weeks, and months following the loss of 
Gregory.
  Less than a week--actually, even during the funeral service--after 
her husband was killed, the community was devastated by a 1,000-year 
rain, which caused widespread flooding.
  Days after Gregory's funeral, Kassy volunteered at the Harvest Hope 
Food Bank. She also started Heroes in Blue, an organization dedicated 
to sharing and caring and providing courageous stories of police 
officers in South Carolina and across the country. She founded Gregory 
Alia Day on December 14, the date of what would have been their fourth 
anniversary.
  Hundreds of community members and local businesses honored his memory 
by providing hot meals to 13 police stations in the Midlands of South 
Carolina.
  Nearly a month after Gregory Alia was provided final honors at St. 
Joseph's Church, our community faced another tragedy when Officer Stacy 
Case lost her life in the line of duty.
  Stacy, an Iraq war veteran, served the Army for 15 years, earning 
several commendations, including the National Defense Service Medal, 
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Award, the Army Commendation 
Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal.
  Originally from Michigan, Stacy joined the City of Columbia Police 
Department in 2011. She worked one of the most difficult beats of the 
department and regularly sought opportunities for professional 
development. Stacy was killed in an automobile accident when responding 
to a shots-fired call on November 7, 2015.
  A highly respected member of the Columbia Police Department, her 
legacy will continue to live on. Indeed, last month the City of 
Columbia Police Department commissioned a new K-9 officer named Case in 
Stacy's memory. It is just one of the many tributes to her honor.
  As we mark National Police Week, I remember those that we have lost 
and stand in support of the men and women who risk their lives every 
day to protect us.
  God bless and protect our law enforcement and their devoted families.
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Wilson for his support and for 
being here tonight to help us highlight law enforcement Police Week and 
remember those who have died in the line of duty and those continuing 
to serve.
  Mr. Speaker, I would now like to introduce Mr. Gowdy from South 
Carolina, who also has a career in law enforcement and has continued 
that effort here to do the right thing and protect the American people 
here in Congress.
  I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Gowdy).
  Mr. GOWDY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Sheriff Reichert for his service to 
the country and to the great State of Washington. I want to thank Judge 
Poe, Sheriff Nugent, and my friend and colleague from South Carolina, 
Joe Wilson, who is the father of a prosecutor.
  Mr. Speaker, Allen Jacobs was going to be a father again, but this 
time was going to be a little bit different. He was already the father 
of two precious little boys, but he was going to be the father of a 
little girl. His wife, Meghan, and he were expecting a child this July.
  Life had prepared Officer Jacobs very well to be a father. He was an 
outstanding student, an athlete in Greenville, South Carolina. He put 
that athleticism and intelligence to work for our country in the United 
States Army.
  He was deployed to Iraq, Mr. Speaker, for 15 months and even 
volunteered to live in the neighborhoods of Baghdad because he 
understood that all people want to live in a peaceful, secure 
environment.
  After Iraq, he was deployed to Haiti because he wanted to help the 
Haitian people in the aftermath of their tragic earthquake.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, the tug of fatherhood is strong. So Allen decided 
to return to the Upstate of South Carolina, but his desire to protect 
and serve others and to provide peace and security to others never 
dissipated.
  So he left the uniform of the United States Army and put on the 
uniform of the Greenville City Police Department. He pursued that 
calling with the same vigor and the same strength and the same 
professionalism that epitomized every other facet of his life, whether 
it was service on the SWAT team or the Cops on the Court, as a patrol 
officer for schools or a gang resistance team.
  Mr. Speaker, Allen Jacobs would stop his patrol car from time to time 
to shoot basketball with young men in the inner city of Greenville who 
did not have the father figure that he was to his boys and that he 
would be to his daughter.

                              {time}  1800

  Now, Mr. Speaker, I learned all of this from Allen's mother in a 
telephone call we had 2 days before his funeral. This strong man who 
survived Iraq and Haiti and boot camp and police officer training 
couldn't survive an encounter with a teenage gang member who had just 
been released from jail. He never even had a chance to unholster his 
weapon, Mr. Speaker. He was just trying to protect, serve, enforce the 
law, and he was ambushed.
  His funeral gave all of us an opportunity to reflect not only on his 
life, but on the lives of all the other folks in the upstate of South 
Carolina who died in the line of duty, whether it be Russ Sorrow or 
Kevin Carper or Eric Nicholson or Marcus Whitfield or Greg Alia, who 
was killed in the line of duty, as my friend from Columbia made note 
of. His wife is here and his parents are here and his aunt is here. 
They have a little boy who is less than 1 year old.
  I want to say this in conclusion, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank all 
the women and men in uniform who are willing to do what most of us are 
not willing to do, and interact with people that most of us are not 
willing to interact with, and miss things in life that most of us are 
not willing to miss. But I especially want to send a message, Mr. 
Speaker, to Allen Jacobs' two sons and his daughter on the way and Greg 
Alia's son. Their fathers lived a life of service and sacrifice and 
significance, and they left the greatest legacy that you can ever leave 
children, which is a good name to be proud of.
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Gowdy.
  I was going to try to get some courage up to tell one of my stories 
about my partner who was killed in 1982, but I think I am going to wait 
and gain my composure.
  I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Jolly), who has led one of 
these Special Orders in the past in honor of police officers and is 
another staunch supporter of law enforcement across this great Nation.
  Mr. JOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the sheriff. I want to associate 
myself--I know we all do--with our colleague Mr. Gowdy's remarks. This 
is personal for so many.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of Pinellas County, 
Florida, the people in the State of Florida, who, if they were here in 
this Chamber tonight, would also want to associate themselves with the 
gratitude that fills

[[Page 5910]]

this well, gratitude to law enforcement officers who each day do risk 
their lives. They risk their own security, they risk the stability of 
their family, and at times they risk the security of their children, 
knowing the risk that is on the line every day.
  Mr. Speaker, the risk is very real. It is very audible. We know--it 
has been talked about tonight--that, on average, we lose a law 
enforcement officer once every 3 days in the line of duty. As Sheriff 
Reichert very rightfully pointed out, we also know the prevalence of 
assaults and injuries. By some accounts, more than one assault every 
single hour of every single day, 365 days of every single year. The 
risk is real.
  We all have an opportunity, a privilege, to hold the public trust. 
When we sit in this Chamber, we represent fine men and women who wear 
the uniform. We represent multiple police departments, sheriff's 
departments, other law enforcement agencies. One of the great 
departments I have gotten the opportunity to work with since being a 
Member is the Clearwater Police Department--men and women of impeccable 
character, impeccable bravery, but also impeccable sacrifice, a 
department that dons the number 4 on their shirts to remember four law 
enforcement officers from their department who paid the ultimate 
sacrifice: Patrolmen Harry Conyers, Ronald Mahony, John Passer, and 
Peter Price.
  So what can this body do in addition to paying tribute, on behalf of 
the people we represent, to those who serve in blue, our men and women 
in law enforcement? We can do what we are doing tonight, but we need to 
do it every single year. What we need in this town are Members of 
Congress and elected officials who stand with law enforcement.
  Frankly, Mr. Speaker, I am sick and tired of people in this town who 
refuse to stand with law enforcement, who take cheap shots questioning 
the integrity of men and women who put their valor on the line, on 
display every single day. You want to make America safer? You want to 
solve civil unrest throughout the country? Let's stand with law 
enforcement. Let's say: Just as you have our back, we have yours.
  The way to solve so many of these issues that we have seen on display 
on television in the last 2 years is to dispense with the rhetoric, 
dispense with the vitriol, dispense with the lies and the rumors and 
say: You know what? As a body, this Congress, this government is going 
to stand with our law enforcement officers each and every day.
  There are two simple measures that I have introduced, and I am joined 
by colleagues, each who have other measures as well. There are a lot of 
good measures out there.
  One we will be highlighting tomorrow in a national press conference 
is called the Thin Blue Line Act. It provides for enhanced penalties 
for anyone who assaults or takes the life of a police officer. We 
currently provide those additional protections for someone who attacks 
a child, an elderly person, a disabled person. I think we should take 
that model code and apply it to law enforcement officers as well and 
very simply say to somebody: If you take the life of a law enforcement 
officer, be prepared to lose your own.
  Another piece of legislation I think we should move on is something 
that addresses some of the questions about the 1033 program to provide 
surplus equipment. This President has launched a war on local law 
enforcement by restricting the availability of equipment and technology 
for local law enforcement agencies. Why don't we trust the leadership 
and the judgment of our local law enforcement leaders, our chiefs, and 
our sheriffs to determine what equipment is necessary for their force?
  I have legislation that would leave 1033 perfectly in place but 
simply require the local law enforcement agency to certify that they 
have personnel trained and capable of operating that equipment. It is 
the right way to stand with law enforcement and say we are going to 
make sure you have the tools and technology you need.
  The risk is very real; the politics, at times, are absolutely 
disgusting. We may never be able to replace the loss of families whose 
fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters were lost in the line of duty; we 
may never be able to heal the wounds; but we can honor our law 
enforcement officers every day. It is what this body is attempting to 
do tonight. It is the commitment of my colleagues I stand here with to 
let law enforcement officers around the country know that, just as you 
have got our back, we have got yours.
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Jolly for his comments and his 
strong support of law enforcement over the years. I especially 
appreciate his comments regarding the partnership between police and 
community.
  The police cannot protect our families and our neighborhoods and our 
communities alone. The communities can't do it alone. There has to be a 
partnership there, Mr. Speaker, and that partnership has to be based on 
trust.
  So together, as a nation, in our communities across this great 
country, we have got to come together, police and communities, for the 
good of our children and the protection of our neighborhoods and the 
safety of our country. I think we can accomplish that with dialogue and 
especially going back to the good old days of community policing and 
actually visiting and talking with members of the community, as Mr. 
Gowdy pointed out, a police officer who stopped in his neighborhood, 
got out of his car and played basketball with the young men and women 
on the street. I can remember those days myself. I got hurt in a 
basketball game with some kids on the street, but that is another 
story.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr).
  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Reichert--Congressman, colleague, 
and sheriff--for this opportunity to support National Police Week and, 
more importantly, to thank him for his long career in law enforcement 
and his service.
  Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to meet with the 
families of fallen Kentucky State Troopers Eric Chrisman and Blake 
Tribby. Tomorrow I will meet with the families of fallen Nicholasville, 
Kentucky, Police Officer Burke Rhoads and fallen Richmond Police 
Officer Daniel Ellis.
  Each of these men died while doing his job, to defend our communities 
and to keep our families safe. These families have been deprived of a 
loved one, endured tremendous pain, and made enormous sacrifices so 
that all of us can live with greater peace of mind.
  At a time when some are using the bad actions of a few to attack the 
dignity of the entire law enforcement profession, let the sacrifices of 
these men and their families remind us that uniformed officers are 
putting their lives on the line for our benefit every single day. We 
owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all law enforcement officers 
throughout this country, and especially to those who have made the 
ultimate sacrifice.
  My wife, Carol, and I had the privilege and the honor of attending 
the memorial service for fallen Richmond, Kentucky, Police Officer 
Daniel Ellis just a few months ago. The memorial service in the Eastern 
Kentucky University Alumni Coliseum was packed full of family and 
friends and colleagues on the Richmond police force. But even more 
impressive, brothers in blue from all over Kentucky and all over the 
country were packed in that coliseum to pay tribute to this hero to our 
community.
  Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock, who was eulogizing his colleague, 
addressed the crowd, and speaking of Ellis' valor and his kindness, he 
also expressed the heartbreak felt by all of Ellis' colleagues in blue. 
This is what he said:
  ```As we left the hospital to escort Daniel to Frankfort for the 
required medical exam, the skies opened up and it poured rain. It was 
as if the angels themselves were crying at the loss of this special 
young man,' said Brock, his voice breaking.''
  I would like to join all of my colleagues in welcoming the tens of 
thousands of people who have come across the country to our Nation's 
Capital in support of National Police Week. I especially want to thank 
Katie, the

[[Page 5911]]

widow of Officer Ellis, and Officer Ellis' 3-year-old son, Luke. In the 
words of the Gospel, John 15:13: ``Greater love hath no man than this, 
that a man lay down his life for his friends.''
  Mr. Speaker, I again thank Congressman Reichert for hosting this 
important Special Order to recognize the contributions and the 
sacrifices of police officers from across the country.
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Barr for his comments and his 
support.
  I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Buck).
  Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Sheriff Reichert and others who have 
so eloquently spoken and recognize the importance of this week.
  Police Week gives us the opportunity to honor and thank those law 
enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to protect us. The 
men and women who work in law enforcement know the definition of 
sacrifice. They know the look on their spouse's face when they leave 
for the swing shift. They know the loneliness of a patrol car on a 
snowy night. They know how many times they have looked at that picture 
of their family on the dashboard, and they know what it is like to lose 
one of their own.
  In Colorado, we have already lost three officers this year: Deputy 
Sheriff Travis Russell, Corporal Nate Carrigan, and Deputy Sheriff 
Derek Geer. But speaking their names on the House floor won't bring 
them back for dinner tonight or put them in their patrol car or seat 
them in the bleachers of their son's baseball game on Saturday.
  We must honor those who have fallen, but our honor must engender 
resolve; otherwise, we are forgetting too quickly the sacrifices we 
meant to remember. This is why I have introduced the Blue Lives Matter 
Act. The despicable criminals who would assault or kill an officer 
simply because of that officer's status as a member of law enforcement 
deserve an enhanced sentence and a prosecution and investigation from 
every possible agency that we can bring resources from. This 
legislation ensures that these criminals see justice.
  Everywhere I go in Colorado, I run into officers who thank me for 
introducing this bill, and I appreciate that, but I don't deserve their 
thanks. Protecting police officers isn't something we do because we 
have some extra time or because we feel especially patriotic. Congress 
has a duty to protect those who protect us.

                              {time}  1815

  Mr. REICHERT. I thank the gentleman for his support and taking time 
to honor those fallen in the State of Colorado.
  Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Allen). The gentleman from Washington 
has 19 minutes remaining.
  Mr. REICHERT. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green).
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlemen and 
sheriff, and I would also like to thank President John F. Kennedy for 
his proclamation recognizing our peace officers.
  I want to say that I am grateful that the gentleman has chosen to 
come to the floor and have this Special Order honoring those who are 
willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
  I have heard persons talk about the virtues of peace officers. I 
don't have to have it explained to me because I have a personal 
experience that I can relate to.
  My uncle was a deputy sheriff. My uncle was a peace officer. He was 
well respected in his community. I adored him. My uncle and I were 
together in his patrol car, and I was asking a lot of questions.
  His comment to another person with us was: This boy is asking a lot 
of questions. He is going to be a lawyer because he is asking so many 
questions.
  I did not know what a lawyer was, but I knew that, if my uncle, who 
was a deputy sheriff, said I was going to be a lawyer, then a lawyer I 
would be.
  From that day forward, I had one mission in life when it came to my 
education and my career. That was to be a lawyer because my uncle, the 
deputy sheriff, the peace officer, proclaimed it as such.
  So I am honored tonight to pay tribute to him. His name was Dallas 
Yates. He served in Florida in a small town called Gifford, near Vero 
Beach.
  He lived into his nineties, became a minister, and passed away just 
recently. It was not in the line of duty, but it meant something to me 
to know that he lived and made a difference in the lives of others.
  With reference to the phrase itself, this terminology, ``in the line 
of duty,'' it takes on new meaning if you go to the home-going ceremony 
of a peace officer. It will take on a new meaning.
  When you see that riderless horse with the boots in the stirrups, it 
takes on a new meaning. When you see the family grieving, it takes on a 
new meaning. When you understand this is a person who was willing to 
sacrifice so that others might have life, it takes on a new meaning.
  So I am honored to be here tonight, and I want people to know that 
there are many of us who believe that we have to support our law 
enforcement officers and stand with them and recognize that ``in the 
line of duty'' means more than going to work. It sometimes means not 
coming home.
  Mr. REICHERT. I thank Mr. Green for his support. I think your uncle 
gave you great advice.
  Mr. Speaker, as I stood here tonight and listened to all the other 
presenters, I came to the realization that there were a lot of people 
here that might be a lot more articulate about what it means to be a 
police officer. Even though I have served for 33 years, I found that a 
lot of words here touched me tonight because it brings back memories of 
good friends.
  I want to tell a brief story related to some topics that were 
discussed earlier tonight about the opioid epidemic here. Yes, we are 
concerned about the people who are addicted. We are concerned--and 
rightly so--about the families who are trying to deal with that 
addiction and the danger that it presents to the person addicted, the 
danger it presents to the family, the tragedy it presents to that 
family and the addicted individual and the community in the entirety.
  But sometimes we forget to include the police officer in that group 
of people that is endangered by this epidemic that has ripped our 
Nation. They are the first people there. They are the first ones called 
to a scene where someone might be acting up as a result of being 
addicted to heroin or some other drug.
  I can remember a night. I just want to share this short story so 
that, Mr. Speaker, you can understand this is something that happens to 
police officers across this country every day of the year.
  I was with a team of officers who were assigned to serve a drug 
search warrant on an apartment. We were all assigned a room to go to. I 
kicked in the door and I went to the right to a small bathroom.
  When I entered that door and went into the bathroom, there was a 
young man in the bathroom with a rubber band around his arm and a 
needle injected in his arm. His eyes were glazed over. He was standing 
by the toilet.
  He saw me come in with my badge over my heart and my gun in my hand. 
I said: Raise your hands above your head and drop to your knees. He 
raised his hands, but he didn't go to his knees. He stood there and 
stared at me for a short time. Eventually, his right hand moved to the 
right behind a half wall and came out with a gun.
  At that moment, I had to make a decision. Every police officer across 
this Nation has to make a split-second decision: Do I shoot? Is my life 
in danger? Am I going home to my family? Am I not going home to my 
family? Is this the time? Those things go through your mind in a 
millisecond. In the snap of a finger, you have to make a decision.
  Something told me I could talk to this young man. And so I continued 
to talk, and he finally leaned back and dropped the gun in the toilet, 
fell to his knees, and we handcuffed him and took him to jail.
  I share that story to just emphasize the fact that police officers 
are going through these dangerous situations every day, having to make 
those decisions. And then, Mr. Speaker, every

[[Page 5912]]

day after that they second-guess themselves, if they had decided to 
pull the trigger, and then the community will continue to second-guess.
  And, yes, we need to be questioned. And, yes, we need to be held 
accountable. And, yes, we need to be trained. All of those things are 
true. But it is so easy to Monday-morning-quarterback.
  I had a partner that was killed in 1982. We were tracking down a 
murder suspect. In the process of that, my partner was ambushed and 
shot in the chest and killed. He had five sons. They are all grown men 
now. They grew up without their father.
  In 1984, another friend and partner was stabbed and killed with a 
World War II sword. His name was Michael Rayburn. My partner's name was 
Sam Hicks. But just a few years before that, Mike Rayburn saved my 
life.
  I was directing traffic in the middle of the night, at 2 o'clock in 
the morning, on Pacific Highway just south of Seattle. It was a pretty 
major accident. I had my back turned to the ditch behind me. Deputy 
Rayburn drove up.
  Just at the moment he drove up, somebody jumped out of the ditch. He 
had a knife in his hand and was running across the lanes of traffic to 
bury that knife in my back. Mike Rayburn was there just in the nick of 
time and tackled that man who was about to stab me. Two years later, 
Mike Rayburn was dead. His kids grew up without their father.
  I am here tonight to honor them. I am here tonight to honor every 
police officer in this country. I am here tonight, Mr. Speaker, to ask 
people across the Nation to say thank you to the police officers that 
protect their community, protect their children, and protect their 
homes each and every day.
  I will be there on Sunday at the memorial in front of the Capitol and 
be with those families. I have held the widows in my arms, as the 
sheriff. I have held the children and cried. I will be doing that again 
on Sunday.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________