[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 11862-11863]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO MINNESOTA POLICE OFFICERS

 Mr. FRANKEN. Mr. President, today I would like to recognize 
three outstanding Minnesota police officers. The Minnesota Police and 
Peace Officers Association, the largest association representing 
Minnesota's rank-and-file police officers, met earlier this year for 
their annual conference and named Officer Sayareth Toy Vixayvong of the 
St. Paul Police Department ``Police Officer of the Year'' and gave 
``Honorable Mention Awards'' to Officer Tony Holter of the St. Paul 
Police Department and Detective Bryan Bye of the Burnsville Police 
Department.
  Officer Vixayvong is a 15-year veteran of the St. Paul Police 
Department and, until recently, was assigned to the FBI Safe Streets 
Task Force, where he worked tirelessly to make St. Paul a safer place 
to live and work. Officer Vixayvong has spent his career fighting drug 
trafficking and has put numerous high-profile criminals behind bars and 
worked to prevent others from becoming involved in the illegal drug 
trade. Working undercover with the task force, he put his life on the 
line repeatedly to protect and serve his community of St. Paul.
  St. Paul Police Officer Tony Holter is a dedicated member of the St. 
Paul Police Department. He has served for 15 years and is currently the 
senior investigator in the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement 
Team. Throughout the past year, Officer Holter has served as the 
primary undercover officer in a number of narcotic investigations 
focusing on members of international drug cartels and other dangerous 
drug dealers and gang members.

[[Page 11863]]

  Since 2002, Burnsville Detective Bryan Bye has loyally served his 
community as a member of the Burnsville Police Department. His work 
with Burnsville's Emergency Action Group tactical team has earned him 
five distinguished service awards for his tactical response. In 2015, 
the Burnsville Police Department named Detective Bye ``Police Officer 
of the Year.''
  I join with the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and 
all of my fellow Minnesotans in applauding these three distinguished 
public servants. I would also like to thank not only these three 
individuals, but all of Minnesota's brave law enforcement officers who 
work tirelessly to keep our communities safe from harm. They put their 
lives on the line to protect our safety and that of our families every 
day.

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