[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7832]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, as we know, this week is National Police 
Week. With many officers coming from all over the country to 
Washington, D.C., it is an opportunity for all of us to show our 
support for our local law enforcement at home by thanking them for all 
they do to keep us safe in our communities.
  I recognize all the men and women in uniform in my own district in 
northern California and across the country who sacrifice to protect and 
serve our communities each day. We can't allow these sacrifices to go 
quietly unnoticed either.
  Last year, 135 officers never made it home to their families or their 
loved ones. In California, 11 officers lost their lives in 2016, one of 
which was from my district in northern California.
  Sheriff Deputy Jack Hopkins of Modoc County Sheriff's Department was 
murdered while responding to a disturbance call at a rural property a 
few miles south of Alturas, California. His watch ended on Wednesday, 
October 19, 2016.
  Jack's killer is rightfully facing the death penalty in California; 
and this week, the House of Representatives is voting on the Thin Blue 
Line Act, which adds the murder of a law enforcement officer, 
firefighter, or first responder, as an aggravated factor for a jury to 
consider in deciding whether to impose the death penalty in Federal 
capital cases.
  The murder of a Federal law enforcement officer is already an 
aggravated factor under current law. Now we are taking action to ensure 
that those who harm local and State law enforcement officers are 
brought to justice as well. We have to send this clear message: We 
cannot tolerate this under any circumstances.

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