REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN OFFICERS

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Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 82 (Thursday, May 14, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3517-H3521] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN OFFICERS (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Rutherford of Florida was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.) Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I am here tonight to celebrate Police Week, the National Police Week celebration for the police officers who have given their lives in service to their communities. This is a very bipartisan hour that we are going to have, and I am glad and proud to have with us here on the same side Josh Gottheimer from New Jersey who is, without a doubt, I think, one of the most supportive of our law enforcement officers in the Chamber. I have always enjoyed working with Josh. {time} 1840 Mr. Speaker, I will begin with this quote: ``As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence and disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality, and justice.'' That is the first line of the Law Enforcement Officer's Code of Ethics, a code every officer whose name is etched into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial lived and died by. Today, I rise to honor the 363 fallen officers whose names were added to the wall this year, including 10 officers from Florida. Sadly, these officers are joining over 24,000 of their brothers and sisters whose names are already etched into that wall. Each fallen officer said goodbye to their loved ones as they put on their gun and badge to protect and serve their community, not knowing if they would ever return home. They stood as a shield between the vulnerable citizens that they vowed to protect and those intent on doing them harm. Of the 363 officers added this year, 111 were killed in the line of duty in 2025, which is 111 too many. Ambushes and unprovoked attacks on our Nation's law enforcement officers are happening at an alarming rate, making the job of a law enforcement officer even more dangerous. Almost daily in 2025, an officer was shot in the line of duty, totaling 347 shot, and 45 of those officers died. Specifically, there were 67 separate ambush-style attacks on law enforcement officers which left 90 officers shot and 22 of them fatally. There was also over 90,000 officer assaults last year, indicating a rate of 13.8 assaults per 100 officers, the highest officer assault rate in 10 years. This violence upon our officers is unacceptable, and ambushes on our officers must stop. That is why I want to make it clear to the criminal element who are intent on attacking our officers, if you target law enforcement, Congress will target you. This Congress, Josh Gottheimer and I introduced the Protect and Serve Act, a bipartisan bill to increase penalties on those who target, ambush, and harm our officers. I urge all of my colleagues to support passage of this very important legislation. It is our responsibility to protect those who protect us. Of the 111 officers killed in the line of duty this past year, I would like to take just a minute to honor a few of them. On July 23, Ohio's Lorain Police Department Officers Phillip C. Wagner and Peter Gale were taking their lunch break in their police vehicle when a 28-year-old man with a high-powered rifle opened fire on them and later a responding officer, Brent Payne. The officers were able to return fire, killing the heavily armed assailant who had ambushed the two patrol cars parked at the end of a dead-end street. Officers Gale and Payne were critically injured but made recoveries. Sadly, Officer and United States Marine Corps veteran Phillip C. Wagner's end of watch was July 24, 2025. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, including his wife and three children, his friends, and the men and women of the Lorain Police Department. I also rise today to honor the life and service of four Northern York County Regional Police Department detectives in southern Pennsylvania whose lives were taken in a senseless ambush on September 17, 2025. Detective Sergeant Cody Becker, along with Detectives Mark Baker and Isaiah Emenheiser, were attempting to serve a warrant for a stalking suspect when they were met by gunfire that took the lives of three detectives and wounded two others. Together, Detective Sergeant Becker, Detective Baker, and Detective Emenheiser served the Northern York County Regional Police Department for a combined 57 years. I will close with this, Mr. Speaker: Ralph Emerson once said that the purpose of life is not to be happy; it is to be useful; it is to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you lived and lived well. [[Page H3518]] These officers did just that. They lived well. We are forever grateful for their service and the heroic legacy of these fallen officers. I ask, Mr. Speaker, that all of us and all of those watching, that we would all live the rest of our lives worthy of these officers' sacrifice. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer). Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking and recognizing my very dear friend and a phenomenal leader in our country, Sheriff John Rutherford. Sheriff Rutherford served in law enforcement and continues to serve our great country today in Congress. He serves with distinction and a deep recognition that standing by our men and women who wear a uniform is not a partisan issue. It is an American issue. It is what we should do for our communities and our country, and I am grateful for him. I thank him so much. It is an honor to serve as the co-chair of the bipartisan House Law Enforcement Caucus, especially this week during National Police Week when we honor the brave men and women in law enforcement and all of the first responders who put their lives on the line every single day to protect our communities and keep our families safe. Of course, as the sheriff said, this is a particularly tough week because we recognize the fallen and honor the fallen, and, of course, spend time with their families. But every day, officers and families from across our Nation watch as their loved ones go off to protect us. So while we gather here in Washington to honor those who put on the badge and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, we also honor those who go out every single day. Earlier this month, Congressman Rutherford and I attended the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Ceremony here in our Nation's Capital, surrounded by thousands of names etched into that stone wall, names that represent heroes, families forever changed, and a debt we can never fully repay. You heard Congressman Rutherford share some of the names that will be etched onto that wall. This year 363 brave officers will be added to the memorial, including 11 officers from my home State of New Jersey. Tonight, we honor their memory, their courage, and their sacrifice, and we recommit ourselves to them, because the names on the walls, those are moms and dads and brothers and sisters and loved ones. So we commit ourselves to them, to getting the backs of men and women who continue to serve. {time} 1850 Every single day when they wake up, our officers put on that bulletproof vest, kiss their spouses and children good-bye, and head into unknown danger. They run toward that danger when many run away. They are the first to respond, often the last to leave, and, far too often, the ones we only recognize when tragedy strikes. That is why it is so important this week that we recognize them. Frankly, we should be doing this every day to honor their service, because to me the badge represents that service and sacrifice, unwavering commitment, courage in the face of danger, and a true bond with the communities that officers serve every day. Mr. Speaker, supporting law enforcement should never be a partisan issue. I will say this time and again. It is why we are standing together on one side of the aisle, symbolically, because there should be no Democrat or Republican way to protect a community or stand by an officer. That is why we are so proud to work together every day on legislation with a group of us. Support can't stop with words, it has to require action. That is why we continue fighting for commonsense investments in public safety and in the officers who protect our communities. Together, we worked to secure more than $1 billion in Byrne Justice Assistance Grants and Community Oriented Policing Services resources to help local departments hire officers, improve training, and access critical support. We helped secure resources for bulletproof vests, hate crime prevention initiatives, and support for smaller departments and rural departments. We secured full lifetime resources for the World Trade Center Health Program so our 9/11 responders and survivors continue to receive the care they earned and deserve. The sheriff talked about our push on the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act because we know that smaller and midsize departments need more support, not less. We need more, not less. They need help with retaining and recruitment and mental health resources, especially for our smaller departments who carry the burdens of the jobs home every day. We have to help them. We talked about the Protect and Serve Act to ensure stronger penalties for those who deliberately target law enforcement officers in the line of duty. I also support, and have in the past, the Thin Blue Line Act because, Mr. Speaker, if you deliberately hurt a cop, you are going to jail; and if you kill a cop, you should get the death penalty. This week, during National Police Week, I announced the bipartisan Stop the Doxx Act to protect officers and their families from targeted intimidation online. It is because protecting law enforcement means protecting officers not only while they are serving on the streets but also at home with their families. The idea that people are taking pictures of officers without their permission, pictures of their family--they are taking the information of their address and their phone numbers and putting that online to target officers--is totally unacceptable. As the sheriff said: If you target officers, Congress will target you. As I have said for years: We need to fund, not defund, law enforcement to keep our communities safe. Weakened law enforcement does not make our communities safer. It drives good officers away, it strains departments, and it undermines our communities and public safety. Tonight is, first and foremost, about gratitude and honoring, honoring those who have served, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. To your families, all those families out there, some of whom the sheriff talked about: God bless you. Thank you. We pray for you. We are here to take your tragedy and ensure that it is remembered with action. To those who continue to serve right now: Thank you for the long hours, the missed holidays, the missed family dinners, and for carrying the burdens most Americans will never fully understand. Thank you for your professionalism, your sacrifice, what you face on the streets every day, and the disrespect you have to endure. To the families who stand beside these heroes every day: We thank you, all of you. Mr. Speaker, especially during National Police Week, we remember that duty and service are not without cost. We honor the sacrifice of those officers. Their service will never be forgotten, and their legacy will live on forever. Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen). Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the sheriff for yielding to me, and I thank the sheriff for hosting tonight's Special Order. It is a privilege to join the sheriff as we commemorate National Police Week and honor the upstanding men and women who serve our Nation's law enforcement. When I travel to my district back in Georgia, I meet regularly with our sheriffs and law enforcement officers as much as possible, and I am constantly in awe of the courage, the selflessness, and the heroism that they demonstrate every day for our communities. Here in the Chamber, we are without excuse. We have right there above the Speaker ``In God We Trust.'' We have Moses, the full face of Moses, who gave us the law. The Apostle Paul penned it as well as anyone can. In fact, basically, God ordained government to restrain evil. That was the sole purpose. In Romans 13, the Apostle Paul said: ``Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ``Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ``For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. [[Page H3519]] ``Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? ``Then do what is right and you will be commended. ``For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ``Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.'' I am going to tell you, Mr. Speaker, this was drilled into me by my parents. One of the things that is really disturbing in our culture today is the disrespect for authority in our Nation, but I tell our police officers about Romans 13. It is the highest calling in this land to be called by God in authority to make sure that folks are safe and secure. On a daily basis, these officers choose to prioritize the safety of others above their own. Georgia's 12th District felt this ultimate sacrifice firsthand when one of our own, Deputy Brandon Sikes of Columbia, lost his life in the line of duty last April. As the family and our community continue to mourn this tragic loss, we are reminded of his extraordinary service, and we find solace in Scripture. John 15:13 says: ``Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.'' That is, again, a high calling. We will never forget Deputy Brandon Sikes. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all the officers serving in Georgia's 12th Congressional District and across the State of Georgia and throughout our country, including our own Capitol Police officers here in the Capitol who work every day to keep us safe. I am proud to unequivocally stand with the men and women in blue and will continue to support their mission now and always. Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), who is a great supporter of our law enforcement officers across the country. Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Rutherford for putting this on with due respect for the men and women in blue. During National Police Week, I rise to honor the brave law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting you, our communities, and defending the rule of law. This year, 363 American law enforcement heroes are being honored at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Among them are two courageous Arizona officers, Officer Gabriel Facio of the Apache Junction Police Department and Deputy Shawn Braaten of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. These heroes wore the badge with honor and gave their lives in service to others. At a time when politicians on the left and radical activists continue pushing soft-on-crime policies and demonizing police officers, we must be crystal clear: America is safer because of our law enforcement. The anti-police rhetoric coming from the left has emboldened criminals, weakened public safety, and made an already dangerous profession even harder. I unapologetically stand with the men and women in blue. I stand with the officers who run toward danger while others run away. I stand with the deputies patrolling our neighborhoods, the border agents defending our sovereignty, and every law enforcement officer who risks their life to protect innocent Americans. To the families of Officer Facio, Deputy Braaten, and all our fallen officers across our Nation, we will never forget their sacrifice. Their courage and service represent the very best in America. That is all you can ask. May God bless our fallen heroes and their families, and may God bless the United States of America. {time} 1900 Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi), a great champion of law enforcement and our great country. Mr. SUOZZI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressmen Gottheimer and Rutherford, two great friends. I really admire the bipartisan work that both of them have done in the Law Enforcement Caucus. It really means a great deal to all of us that they work together with such close collaboration. It is really a great honor for me to join with them this evening. Tonight, we recognize police officers who lost their lives throughout 2025 throughout our country, over 360 police officers, 13 of whom we lost in New York State, 11 of those 13 died from 9/11-related injuries and sicknesses, 1 was killed in a shooting, and another died of a heart attack after a physical altercation. I served as the mayor of a small city and oversaw the police department, and I served as a county executive of a large county and oversaw the 12th largest police department in the United States of America. It pains me when I hear people criticize the police. People need to recognize that tonight, here in our Nation's Capitol, we honor law enforcement officials, police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, sometimes in very tragic circumstances that left behind families who were shattered. We also have to recognize that, every single day, police officers go to work. Sometimes, their jobs are very boring. They could go on a regular patrol. They walk a beat. They drive their car. The day goes by without incident. Then, without notice, they are called to an incident where they could lose their life in a shooting, breaking up a crime, or in a fire. Other times, they deliver miracles to people's lives when they stop a crime, when they deliver a baby, or when they respond to a fire. Some days, it is very mundane: people ask you for directions, you say hello to folks that you see on a regular basis, or you do investigations. Other times, it is 9/11, and you are put in harm's way that will challenge you for decades and decades after that incident. I join my colleagues here tonight, Democrats and Republicans, to come together to say to our police officers in our Nation and in my Third Congressional District in New York: Thank you for your service. We honor you. We respect you. We recognize how difficult your jobs are. We recognize that sometimes people don't treat you with the respect that you deserve, but we respect you, admire you, and are grateful to you for the sacrifice that you have made on our behalf so that we can live with some sense of safety because of the safety that you provide to us. Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Gillen), someone who has been an avid champion of law enforcement. Like Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Gillen has been a great friend of those in blue. Ms. GILLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the brave law enforcement officers on Long Island and across our Nation who we have lost and the men and women who continue to serve and protect. I thank my colleagues on the bipartisan Law Enforcement Caucus, Representatives Rutherford and Gottheimer, for organizing this Special Order hour during National Police Week to remember these heroes. Madam Speaker, every day, our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. They do so not knowing if they will return home safely to their loved ones. During National Police Week, we thank and honor the law enforcement officers who gave their lives to protect all of us. This month, I had the privilege to join my colleagues to lay a wreath at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and honor 363 officers who we lost this year. It is our solemn duty to ensure that their sacrifice and contributions are never forgotten. Among the American heroes we lost last year was Police Detective Patrick Franzone of the Freeport Police Department from New York's Fourth Congressional District. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who grew up in Freeport, Detective Franzone's life was defined by service to his fellow Americans and to his community. He served in law enforcement for more than 30 years and shared his devotion to the Freeport families outside of work as the chairman of Toys for Tots. Following the 9/11 terrorist attack, Detective Franzone bravely assisted with the search and recovery at Ground Zero as a first responder. On September 18, 2025, he tragically passed away from a 9/11 cancer that [[Page H3520]] was associated with his heroic work in the rubble. His passing is a painful reminder of what our first responders' contributions can cost. Detective Franzone was a friend to all who knew him, a devoted father, and a true American hero. We will never forget his service to fellow New Yorkers and to our great Nation, and we will ensure that his legacy lives on. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me for a moment in remembering Detective Patrick William Franzone of Freeport, New York. Thousands of our heroic law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency personnel continue to suffer from debilitating conditions from toxins at Ground Zero. That is why I was proud to help advocate for bipartisan legislation to permanently fund the World Trade Center Health Program. I will continue to fight alongside my colleagues here today to make sure our law enforcement has the resources they need to keep their communities safe and to keep themselves safe. Whether it is more crime-fighting technology, COPS hiring grants, or funding for improved access to mental health care, something that I care deeply about. I am proud to have introduced peer-to-peer support, advocacy, and counseling through my bipartisan bill introduced with Congressman Rutherford just this week. We must always have the backs of our law enforcement. Our families can sleep knowing that the brave men and women in uniform are protecting them, watching our streets, and safeguarding our communities. Madam Speaker, I thank each and every one of our law enforcement officers on Long Island and across our country. We owe them an incredible debt of gratitude. Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Kennedy), a true supporter and backer of our law enforcement officers across the country. Mr. KENNEDY of Utah. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Gottheimer and Officer Rutherford for organizing this Special Order hour. It is a reflection of the good things that happen here in Congress, Madam Speaker, the fact that Mr. Gottheimer can be here on the Republican side of the aisle, acknowledging something significant. The fact that we as Republicans and Democrats can stand united behind the thin blue line between order and chaos, and sometimes between life and death. I am honored to join this distinguished group of people who recognize the significance of National Police Week, which is what we are doing this week. In memory of those who have given their lives--which I will review in my prepared notes in a moment regarding that--we can't forget that we must remember those who continue to live in the service of our country in the form of what Representative Gillen just talked about. There are a variety of toxic exposures, as well as mental health challenges, that come along with the job associated with the chaos that sometimes our law enforcement officers have to deal with. I want to point out, as well, that, in Congress, there is a great deal of attention paid to the dysfunction, disagreements, arguments, and outright vigorous vitriol that goes back and forth between us. There is far more that unites us, as reflected by Congressman Rutherford and Congressman Gottheimer as they organized this. We can unite together to honor our police officers who do a great service for our society. We need to honor these men and women in law enforcement who serve our communities with courage, integrity, and sacrifice day in and day out. Two hundred fifty years of American liberty have taught us that law and order is essential to a free society. Without order, our freedoms cannot survive. Our freedoms only hold because good men and women are willing to back them up--sometimes with their lives. {time} 1910 This week, I and the people in the State of Utah especially remember Sergeant Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada of the Tremonton-Garland Police Department who gave their lives last August as they answered an average call for help from a citizen who ultimately, they gave their lives to try to respond to and help. In Congress, I and many others will remain committed to backing our blue, the officers who need resources, support, and respect as they do their jobs. To every officer in Utah and across this country, I thank them for keeping us safe. I am deeply grateful for all they do. Madam Speaker, I will conclude by saying, I don't believe that there is going to be a lot of attention given by the media to what is happening right now. We need our country to recognize that there is a lot more good that is happening in Congress. Even though we have our disagreements, we find far more that unites us and that we can work together on than those things that will divide us and cause us to be media clowns and have the circus of Congress be demonstrated on a regular basis. I am proud to join with these great people to recognize something that is functioning well, and that is our law enforcement throughout the country and the fact that we can all unite together to acknowledge that great service. Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Madam Speaker, I think Congressman Kennedy said it best. Congressman Rutherford and I just leaned over to each other after what you just said, Congressman Kennedy, and said: That is exactly right. There is far more that unites us as a country than divides us. We spend far too much time in this Chamber and outside of this Chamber tweeting, screaming, and yelling instead of focused on getting things done for the American people and thanking those who serve our great country. That is what this week is about, Police Week, to thank those who are continuing to get up every day to protect us and to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting us and serving us. We should honor them, as we should honor all of those shoulders we stand on, by actually doing right by them, by investing in them, by supporting their families, by making sure that officers who are out there today on the front lines looking out for us have what they need to keep themselves safe and to keep our communities safe. There should be no fights about that or disagreements about that and no questions about whether we are going to fund law enforcement or not. Those should not be even issues of debate. It should just be about doing the right thing by people, by those who protect us, by those who serve us, people like Sheriff Rutherford who, before he was in this Chamber, served us in Florida, and looked out for families. That is the kind of service we should recognize. What Congressman Kennedy said is exactly right. We should look out for each other. We should stand together. It should not be a thing that we are on this side of the aisle, because that is irrelevant. We stand in a Chamber with a flag behind the Speaker that we salute every day and that we pledge our allegiance to every day, as we should. To me, there is so much to be proud of for living in this great country, the greatest country the world has ever known. There is so much to be grateful for as an American. The reason we have this safety, because this blanket of safety is provided by others, those who serve on the front lines, our servicemen and -women and those who are here at home, law enforcement, looking out for us. They do it knowing the risks they take, the sacrifices they make, and what could ultimately happen to them and to their families if they make that ultimate sacrifice, which so many have. We remember them. We honor them. I hope that we take their falling as a call to action for all of us in this Chamber to protect all law enforcement, to invest in them, and to remember that this should not be a partisan political issue whether we stand by our law enforcement or not. That should not be a fight we should ever have. The question just should be how much should we invest to keep them safe and to keep our country safe. With that, I thank the co-chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus, a great man and a great friend, Sheriff and Congressman John Rutherford. Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I thank Josh. Madam Speaker, as we come together this year to celebrate the lives of 111 [[Page H3521]] officers who paid that ultimate sacrifice, that full last measure in service to their communities, I think it is very appropriate that we come together, not as Republicans, not as Democrats, but as Americans to recognize those men and women. I can tell you that for the 41 years that I served as a law enforcement officer, I didn't serve Democrats and Republicans. I served the public. Still today, in Congress, I serve Americans, not just Republicans and Democrats. I think it is important that we do change the tenor. This is a great opportunity to get that message out as we celebrate the lives of men and women who gave that last full measure of devotion. For many years, I talked about law enforcement being a noble profession, not because it was just about service, but because it was truly about service with self-sacrifice. That is what we celebrate this National Police Week. I thank my good friend from New Jersey for being here and helping to put this together. I look forward to our continued collaboration on issues that are important to law enforcement and our communities. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. ____________________

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