Commending Chief Gary Ponthieux, Jr. Upon His Retirement

Floor Speech

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Mr. PALAZZO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the distinguished service of Chief Gary Ponthieux, who will retire this year after 28 years of service to South Mississippi.

Chief Ponthieux, from Bay St. Louis, MS, currently resides in Pass Christian, MS, where he lives with his wife, the former Kacey Edwards of Bay St. Louis and their children, Luci (12) and Max (9). Chief Ponthieux obtained his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with a double minor in Forensic Science and Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. In 1994, Chief Ponthieux attended the Hattiesburg Police Department Law Enforcement Academy and received the highest academic award.

Chief Ponthieux began his public service career in 1994 with the Gulfport Police Department as a police officer. Within a short period, he worked his way up to Narcotics Detective and served from April 1995 to January 2003. In January 2003, he was promoted to Criminal Investigations Detective Sergeant. He continued to serve the Gulfport community in this role until November 2017. Following his time as Criminal Investigations Detective Sergeant, he left the Gulfport Police Department to serve as Chief of Police of Bay St. Louis. Concluding his time in Gulfport, he spent a little over 23 years serving the Gulfport community and nearly five years serving the Bay St. Louis community. Chief Ponthieux has spent 28 years serving the people of South Mississippi.

For his service, Chief Ponthieux has been awarded numerous prestigious awards, such as the top academic award as a graduate of the Hattiesburg Police Academy, being named outstanding officer by the Gulfport Rotary Club, Gulfport Chamber of Commerce, and many more. Upon his retirement, Gary took a position with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, HIDTA, a DEA task force that targets high-intensity drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.

Chief Ponthieux has continuously gone above and beyond to answer the call of public service. I am grateful for his service and dedication to South Mississippi. Most importantly, he embodies the virtues of integrity, hard work, and selflessness that South Mississippians expect from their government officials. Chief Ponthieux leaves the City of Bay St. Louis better than he found it. On behalf of the Fourth Congressional District of Mississippi, I congratulate Chief Ponthieux on his retirement, and may God watch over him and his family as he continues to serve and protect.

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