Honoring Fallen Police Officers

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RATCLIFFE. I thank my friend and colleague from Texas for holding this Special Order and for yielding.

Madam Speaker, ``to protect and serve,'' those words are much more than just a slogan on the side of police cars across this country. It is a promise, a promise that our men and women in blue fulfill on a daily basis while they serve to uphold the pillars of law and order that our society depends on. Without their work, without their sacrifice, our communities would be lawless, and our families, our friends, our neighbors, our loved ones would all be in constant jeopardy.

Thousands of police officers go to work each day knowing the danger, knowing that they may have to pay the ultimate sacrifice to provide us with security. Officers like Deputy Goforth of Texas have been targeted for execution and have paid the ultimate price simply because they choose to protect our communities.

The recent wave of violence against our peace officers simply because they wear a uniform is outrageous. It is appalling, and it must end.

Madam Speaker, I will continue to stand with our law enforcement, and I want to personally thank the men and women in law enforcement in the Fourth Congressional District of Texas that I am privileged to represent.

I want to thank those Texas peace officers who have reached out to me personally to express their concerns on this issue, like Mike Sullivan in Farmersville, Otis Henry in Sherman, Terry Garrett in Heath, Harold Eavenson in Rockwall, Jay Burch in Denison, and Daniel Shiner in Texarkana.

Thanks to you all. Thanks to all the men and women who serve in law enforcement and serve our communities. You are appreciated. We are grateful.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source