[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 13229-13230]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRATULATING CLEARWATER POLICE OFFICER JONATHAN WALSER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Jolly) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a man who has 
served our country and his community as a U.S. Marine, a sheriff's 
deputy, and as a police detective.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my very dear friend and 
American patriot, a man of deep and abiding Christian faith, Mr. 
Jonathan Walser, on his retirement from the Clearwater Florida Police 
Department.
  After serving his country in the United States Marine Corps for 6 
years, Officer Walser opted to continue serving his community by 
joining the Pasco County Sheriff's Department in 1994 as a detention 
deputy. Two years later, Walser joined the Clearwater Police Department 
and began a career that has made an incredible impact on our entire 
Clearwater community.
  Early on, Officer Walser demonstrated remarkable commitment and 
leadership, earning a highly successful rating at the conclusion of his 
new-hire probationary period.
  Officer Walser would serve in several specialty assignments during 
his career. He served as a field training officer and a member of the 
emergency response team.
  He also served for more than a decade on the Clearwater Police 
Department honor guard team. As an honor guard member, Officer Walser 
has represented the department at hundreds of funerals and memorial 
services and, in particular, has honored the families of fallen 
officers, a duty most personal to him.
  Officer Walser served as a community police officer on Clearwater's 
Wood Valley Community policing team in 2001 and 2002.
  In June 2002, Officer Walser was assigned to serve on the traffic 
enforcement team motorcycle unit, a role in which he focused on traffic 
safety, intoxicated driving, and crash investigations. Jonathan most 
compassionately used his department motorcycle as a tool to connect 
with the community, frequently posing for photos with kids sitting on 
the motorcycle.
  In August 2011, Officer Walser transferred to the criminal 
investigations division burglary unit to serve as a detective. During 
his time as a detective, he was continually lauded for his superior 
investigative abilities and report-writing skills, in addition to his 
passion for being actively engaged in the community and volunteering at 
local events.
  In 2015, Officer Walser returned to the traffic enforcement team 
motorcycle unit, where he served until his recent retirement.
  Officer Walser also serves as an active board member with the 
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 10. He has served as the president of 
Lodge 10 for an incredible 12 years, and has been selected 11 times as 
the FOP Lodge 10 Member of the Year.
  Officer Walser is not only highly respected by FOP members, but also 
by his fellow Clearwater Police Department colleagues, City of 
Clearwater leadership, and a broad base of community leaders. Because 
of his exceptional service, Officer Walser has received the Chief's 
Unit Citation for his service with the honor guard team and the 
burglary unit.
  When asked about Officer Walser, Clearwater Police Chief Dan 
Slaughter said:

       Officer Walser proves that you don't need to be a 
     supervisor to be a remarkable leader. I have never met a 
     person more dedicated to the officers, their families, and 
     the entire community.


[[Page 13230]]


  I couldn't agree more with Chief Slaughter.
  Mr. Speaker, John Walser is a dear friend of mine. He is a dear 
friend of so many in the Clearwater community, a constant source of 
faith-based counsel, a compassionate leader, a man who deeply loves his 
family, deeply loves his community, and deeply loves the God in whom he 
daily puts his trust.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking a remarkable person, 
Officer Jonathan Walser, for his years of service to our country and to 
our community in Florida. We wish him the very best in his retirement.

                          ____________________