National Police Week

Floor Speech

Ms. WARREN. Mr. President, today, we honor the service of our brave men and women in the law enforcement community. As we look around at American flags flying at half-staff today, we remember those we have lost. In the years since President John F. Kennedy designated May 15th Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which that date falls National Police Week, tens of thousands of people from departments throughout the United States and agencies around the world have come to Washington, DC., to mark this day.

As they say, there is no such thing as an off-duty police officer. Our men and women in law enforcement work tirelessly to protect our communities. While it is often in emergencies that we remark at their courage and perseverance, we know that they remain vigilant every day. Especially this year, as our community recovers from the cowardly and despicable terrorist attack in Boston last month, we acknowledge the hazards that our police officers face and the sacrifices that they make in the service of their communities. We remember Sean Collier and pay respect to his family, to his friends, and to his brothers and sisters in the police force.

The members of our law enforcement community have earned our respect, gratitude, and support. In Massachusetts, we honor Andrew J. Tufts, Frederick G. Mercer, John W. Powers, James A. Callahan Sr., Ryan Tvelia, Kevin E. Ambrose, Jose Torres, John P. Gibbons III, and Peter James Kneeland. They are among 321 law enforcement heroes who died in the line of duty, whose names have been engraved this spring on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial here in Washington, DC.

As we take this moment to thank our police officers for all that they do every day, we are also reminded that we must continue to work in Congress to make sure that our agencies have the resources they need in their important work protecting our communities.

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