[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 10348]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1915
                     OFFICER DOWN: MIOSOTIS FAMILIA

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as fireworks boomed in the sky above 
the Bronx, 48-year-old law officer Miosotis Familia sat in a mobile 
command unit. She was a good officer.
  Known for her no-nonsense approach to law enforcement, she was 
friendly with the neighborhood, spoke Spanish, and was always quick 
with a smile and a wave. But suddenly, an evil outlaw appeared at her 
window and, with a heart fatally bent on mischief, pointed a .38-
caliber revolver through the window and pulled the trigger, cold-
bloodedly murdering Officer Familia.
  She wore the uniform with the badge, the shield over her heart.
  Officer Familia was one of 10 siblings from an immigrant family from 
the Dominican Republic, and she had three children of her own.
  Our men and women in blue are being targeted, gunned down for simply 
wearing the uniform, gunned down by the scourge that prey on the 
police.
  Congress should take action and protect those who serve our Nation 
every day, all day, on the streets of America. Senator Cornyn and I 
have introduced the Back the Blue Act of 2017, which increases the 
penalties for the soulless criminals who intentionally target the law 
enforcement community.
  Peace officers are the last strand of wire in the fence between the 
law and the lawless, between good and evil.
  Taps has been played for the end of watch for Officer Familia. Her 
life may be gone, but her service and sacrifice are a reminder of those 
who give their lives to the thin blue line.
  So back the blue, Mr. Speaker, back the blue.
  And that is just the way it is.

                          ____________________