Veterans Cemetery Benefit Correction Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DONNELLY. Madam President, as we observe National Police Week, I rise today to honor our fallen law enforcement officers and to discuss some of the ways we are working to make it safer for officers to do their jobs and protect our communities.

Together, we honor and remember the lives of the law enforcement officers we have lost in the line of duty. These men and women put their lives on the line to protect our neighborhoods so that a Hoosier senior can safely sit on his porch and watch his grandkids play in the front yard or to ensure that working families can go to and from their jobs in peace. They are on the frontlines battling the devastating opioid epidemic that has plagued our State. Our police are the ones who work with our communities and local leaders to help stem violence and to help fight crime in our neighborhoods. They are the ones putting themselves in harm's way every single day.

These officers are heroes. To their families, they are even more. They are moms and dads, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands, and their families pray that they come home safely at the end of every shift. Sadly, as we know, that doesn't happen every time.

When we lose an officer, that loss is felt deeply, particularly by their family and those who know them and love them. It is a grief that is also shared throughout the entire law enforcement community and throughout our State.

Since I began serving in the U.S. Senate in 2013, the Hoosier State has lost nine officers in the line of duty. I want to take a moment to pay tribute to these fallen heroes.

In September of 2013, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer Rod Bradway was shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute call in a northwest Indianapolis apartment complex. A veteran officer, he had served with the Wayne Township Fire Department for 10 years before working for 5 years on the IMPD force. Officer Bradway is credited with saving the life of a domestic dispute victim and her baby before losing his life protecting them.

In June 2014, Tipton County deputy sheriff Jacob Calvin was killed in a car crash while responding to an accident. Deputy Calvin served his community and our country in more ways than one. He was with the department for 2\1/2\ years and had previously served his country in Iraq in the U.S. Air Force and volunteered at the Kempton Fire Department as a firefighter and EMT.

In July 2014, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer Perry Renn was responding to reports of gunfire when he was shot and killed. Officer Renn served more than two decades in the force. He was a two-time recipient of the IMPD's Medal of Bravery Award, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor and Purple Heart posthumously. Officer Renn was also a U.S. Army veteran.

Also, in July of 2014, Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield of the Gary Police Department was found fatally shot while on duty in his patrol car. He was killed on his 47th birthday. Patrolman Westerfield had served the Gary Police Department for 19 years and, prior to that, in the U.S. Army.

In September of 2014, Merrillville Police Department patrolman Nickolaus Schultz was shot when investigating reports concerning an evicted tenant. Patrolman Schultz passed away 2 days later due to his wounds. Patrolman Schultz was only 24 years old and had been on the Merrillville police force for 13 months.

In March of 2016, we lost Howard County sheriff's deputy Carl Koontz, who was shot and killed while serving arrest and search warrants in Russiaville in connection with a narcotics case. Deputy Koontz was just 26 years old. He had served more than 2 years with the Howard County Sheriff's Department.

In July of 2017, Lieutenant Aaron Allen of the Southport Police Department was shot while responding to a crash involving an overturned vehicle. Hours before he was killed--and there is a picture of this which tears your heart out--he walked his 5-year-old son to the bus for his first day of kindergarten. He was a 6-year veteran with the Southport Police Department and had previously been named the Officer of the Year for saving two Hoosiers' lives. He also previously served in the U.S. Air Force.

Tragically, this year we have lost two Hoosier police officers in the line of duty. Boone County deputy sheriff Jacob Pickett was shot and killed in March during a vehicle pursuit in Lebanon, IN. As the suspect fled on foot, Deputy Pickett and Brick, his K-9 partner, followed in pursuit. Deputy Pickett was shot as he rounded the corner of a building. He served with the Boone County Sheriff's Office for 3 years and previously with the Tipton County Sheriff's Office and the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Earlier this month, just a few weeks ago, Terra Haute police officer Rob Pitts was shot and killed while investigating a homicide. As Officer Pitts and other detectives approached the suspect's apartment, the suspect opened fire, fatally injuring Officer Pitts. Officer Pitts had served with the department for 16 years and with the Sullivan Police Department for 6 years prior to that.

These nine brave officers embodied values that should make their loved ones, their fellow officers, and every Hoosier incredibly proud. We remember their sacrifice and their courageous service, and we are thinking of their families, not only today, not only this week, but year round.

As we pay our respects to those we have lost, we also have a solemn duty to support the family members of those officers who never had the chance to return home. We also must work to ensure that our officers and law enforcement agencies have the resources needed to do their jobs and keep our communities safe. Over the last few years, I have been honored to introduce and to get signed into law bipartisan legislation to help support law enforcement agencies and officers and to help with grant efforts to provide our officers with necessary tools.

When officers and first responders are killed in the line of duty, they often leave behind beloved families, including school-age children. These families and children endure grief and trauma that we can't even begin to imagine. We must do all we can to help the families of our fallen officers and first responders, and this includes ensuring that their children get a good education. That is why I helped to introduce the bipartisan Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act. This allows the children of fallen first responders who pursue a college education to have access to the maximum level of Federal Pell grants authorized by law.

I was pleased to support the government funding bill that passed in March, which included a provision based on the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act.

Another critically important area we must continue to focus on is helping to equip officers with lifesaving equipment. It is no secret that our officers may face dangerous situations at any moment as they respond to calls and do their job. That is why I supported the bipartisan Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act. It was signed into law in May of 2016. It helps law enforcement agencies purchase bulletproof vests. Having those vests can prevent injuries for our law enforcement officers and can save lives.

We experienced this firsthand in 2014, when IMPD officer Greg Milburn was shot in the line of duty. He credits his vest with his survival. In the past 3 years, police departments across Indiana have received a total of more than $1 million to help purchase bulletproof vests for officers so they can all go home at the end of their shift every day.

Another essential role law enforcement officers play is working with our community leaders, elected leaders, and law enforcement agencies to tackle persistent crime and to improve neighborhood safety. I, along with many of my colleagues, have long supported robust funding for the Byrne Memorial JAG Program. This supports State and local law enforcement agencies in their efforts to address the specific public safety and criminal justice challenges facing our communities. This program also supports information sharing on terror and criminal threats, drug and human trafficking organizations, and sexual predators.

Lastly, as officers go to work every day, they can encounter horrific scenes and experience traumatic situations that are just impossible to leave behind once the day is done. Last year, I authored and introduced the bipartisan Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act with my friend and colleague from Indiana, Senator Todd Young. Our bill was signed into law by President Trump in January. It helps law enforcement agencies enhance or establish mental health services for officers. It provides tools to help officers deal with mental health challenges and to combat the stigma associated with addressing those issues. This legislation also includes funding that the Department of Justice can use to initiate peer-mentoring pilot program grants for local law enforcement agencies.

Our law enforcement officers deserve our support. They deserve it to ensure they can do their job safely and effectively. I will continue to work on bipartisan efforts to help our officers and their families.

In the meantime, this National Police Week--this special week we have here every year--let's take a moment to pray for those fallen heroes, for their families, and for their fellow officers. They own our hearts for all they do for us. They protect our families, our children, and our communities, and they put their lives on the line every day for us, not knowing if they are going to come home safely or not. But still they go forward. Still they go out. Still our officers who are our friends and who protect us keep us safe every day.

They earned and have always kept all of our respect and of everyone in our communities. They have our love. They have our devotion and our deepest appreciation for everything they do every day.

May God bless all of these officers. May God bless Indiana, and may God bless the United States of America.

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