Back the Blue: National Police Week

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, throughout my life, I have answered a call to public service. For 40 years I dedicated my career to serving in law enforcement--12 of which I led as sheriff.

I know from firsthand experience that every day law enforcement officers put their lives on the line when they put on their uniform and step out into their communities to keep us safe.

That kind of sacrifice is part of the commitment these officers make to protect citizens across the country and is essential to making our communities and neighborhoods safe.

Over the past few years, we have seen calls to defund the police sweep across this Nation, and we have heard Members of this very Chamber support efforts to demoralize and delegitimize the brave men and women who enforce our laws to keep us safe.

This has made it incredibly difficult for law enforcement officers to do their jobs--not to mention the liberal prosecutors and district attorneys who are failing to do their job to keep criminals off the street.

The results?

A spike in violent crime that has left cities less safe than they were 3 years ago.

I am proud that our House Republicans, led by Speaker McCarthy, are focusing on upholding law and order across America. House Republicans are committed to supporting our law enforcement.

That means helping agencies hire more police officers, opposing all efforts to defund the police, and cracking down on those prosecutors and district attorneys who have refused to do their jobs and prosecute crimes.

We recently voted to overturn D.C.'s soft-on-crime criminal justice reforms that reduced penalties for people who are committing crimes like carjacking and robbery.

Throughout my career in law enforcement, I have seen how failure to prosecute minor crimes leads to more serious violent crimes. We need to work with our leaders in law enforcement--work with them--not against them.

That is why I was proud to reintroduce the ` this week. This bill would provide small police departments, with fewer than 200 officers, the resources that they need to hire and retain the best officers, provide necessary training, and improve officer well-being.

Small law enforcement departments make up more than 96 percent of our local U.S. police departments. The Invest to Protect Act would simplify the grant process and give departments the flexibility to make meaningful investments in their officers and communities.

Part of making grants more accessible to law enforcement agencies is by removing strings to Federal money. I have been fighting against President Biden's efforts to empower the U.S. Attorney General to make training and policy decisions, moving local policing decisions from local sheriffs and local police chiefs to the Federal Government.

That is a very scary idea for someone who understands the importance of keeping policing local. The strength of America's domestic security lies in the diversity of our State and local law enforcement.

We can start by defunding sections 19 and 20 of the President's executive order on policing which require law enforcement agencies who receive Federal money to be accredited to standards that are set by the AG and to meet a list of policies, also decided by the Attorney General, before they are eligible for Federal grant money.

Any move to nationalize local law enforcement must be resisted at every turn.

Most importantly, we must do all we can to keep law enforcement officers safe while they are on duty. That is why I reintroduced the Protect and Serve Act again this year to strengthen penalties on criminals who violently target our law enforcement officers. We must hold these criminals accountable and show our officers that we have their backs.

As we mark National Police Week and remember those who gave their lives in service to their communities, we must come together to support policies that make our law enforcement officers' lives safer and more effective.

Together we can support law enforcement through sound policy and oversight and send the message that House Republicans are committed to passing critical legislation through the House, Senate, and the White House.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, 246 officers from the State of Florida: Officer Christopher Gibson, Detective Joseph Anthony Tripoli, Deportation Officer William Hayes, Trooper John Sumter Horton, Deputy Sheriff Bryan Vannatta, Officer Bart Lane Arnold, Officer Jesus Delaluz ``Chuy'' Lara III, Officer David Leroy Ingle, Officer Franklin Joe, Officer Bruce Eckhoff, Officer Richard Lynn Tostenson, Captain Reginald Kamal Smith, Sergeant Gerardo Morales, Deputy Sheriff Michael Queeney, Detention Sergeant Janell L. Visser, Officer Fernando Uriel Arroyos, Officer Diane Gonzalez, Corrections Officer V Mark A. Loecken, Officer Brian R. Shields, Deputy Sheriff Brian Dennis Moore, Chief Michael E. German, Deputy Sheriff Joseph Robert Tinoco, Captain Jeffrey Allen Pierce, Investigator Steven Ray Finley, Deputy Sheriff Terrance Nicholas Bateman, Sergeant Malek Z. Majzoub, Corrections Officer Melissa M. France, Detective James M. Ward, Corporal Ernest M. Robinson, Officer Ramiro ``Ray'' Perez, Sergeant Kenneth J. Thurman Sr., Officer Daniel J. Sanchez, Chief Don Riffe, Officer Corille Cortez Jones, Officer Tyler Lenehan, School Resource Officer Johnny Patterson, Detective Jason Rivera, Special Agent Anthony Salas, Lieutenant Kevin Pounders, Deputy Jailer Gregory L. Means, Corporal Charles Galloway, Sergeant Ramon Gutierrez, Detective Wilbert D. Mora, Officer Christopher Wayne Berry, Deputy Sheriff John L. Grampovnik, School Resource Officer Travis Hurley, Master Trooper Vince Arnold Mullins, Deputy Sheriff Noah Rainey, Deputy Sheriff Lorin Marie Readmond, Officer Donald Sahota, Senior Correctional Officer Robert F. McCormack, Master Patrolman William Daniel Kelley, Sergeant William Shibley, Sergeant Burke N. Hannibal, Officer Chris Bardwell, Deputy Sheriff Laquintin J. Wilson, Officer John Painter, Master Police Officer David J. Nieves, Sergeant Arthur Duron, Deputy Sheriff Steve Bobbitt, Correctional Officer Helen Mae Smith, Sergeant Chris Jenkins, Captain Collin Birnie, Chief Richard Leslie Stephens, Deputy Sheriff Brian J. Norton, Sergeant Robert M. Miller, Officer Leonard Swanson, Special Deputy Marshal Jose Elizondo Gomez, Patrolman David Glen Evans, Detective Michael W. Godwin, Sergeant Joshua Caudell, Lieutenant Scott Brandon Owens, Correctional Officer Jose Ruiz, Deputy First Class Kenny Olander, Senior Officer Robert Eric Duran, Trooper Tamar Anoush Bucci, Officer David A. Mathura, Correctional Officer Lonnie D. Johnson Jr., Corporal Benjamin Lee Cooper, Officer Jake Alexander Reed, Officer Freddie Wilson, Officer Caleb D. Ogilvie, Deputy Sheriff Dominique Calata, Officer Lane Anthony Burns, Sergeant Barbara Majors Fenley, Trooper Martin Francis Mack III, Trooper Branden Tyler Sisca, Officer Dan Rocha, Officer Jeffrey Herndon Carson, Deputy Sheriff Douglas Warren Sanford, Investigator Donald Richard Crooms, Agent John Dale Stayrook, Corrections Employee Darrell Avery, Correctional Officer Braxton Hofman, Officer John Mestas, Correctional Officer John Baron Broadaway, Corporal Sheli Godbold, Corporal Michael R. Springer, Deputy Sheriff Aubrey Phillips, Corporal James Michael McWhorter, Correctional Officer Kay W. Zeger Jr., Officer Lonnie Sneed, Corporal Michael Keith Morgan, Sheriff Robert P. Craft, Captain Frank Keith Rezac Jr., Deputy Sheriff Jarett Oroszi, Corrections Deputy Bridgette Lachelle Hunter, Police Officer Nicholas Vella, Lieutenant Jason T. Dumlao, Sergeant Matthew Horton, Deputy Constable Neil Adams, Sergeant John Joseph Donohue, Correctional Lieutenant Steve Taylor, Officer Jorge David Alvarado Jr., Major Rodrick C. Covington, Officer Dominic M. Francis, Lieutenant William David Lebo, Deputy Sheriff Darren Almendarez, Police Officer Trey Marshall Sutton, Sergeant Christopher Michael Vaughn, Deputy Constable Jennifer Lauren Chavis, Patrol Officer Brian Lee Sember, Officer Darryl Wayne Fortner, Sergeant Pedro ``Tony'' Candia, Deputy Sheriff James ``Jerry'' Critchelow, Police Officer Roy Andrew Barr, Corporal David P. Jones, Deputy Sheriff Nicholas D. Weist, Sergeant Nicholas W. Tullier, Deputy Sheriff Walter Donald Jenkins Jr., Deputy Sheriff Robert Adam Howard, Border Patrol Agent Daniel Humberto Salazar, Chief Deputy Sheriff Jody Wayne Cash, Police Officer Stephen Charles Plum Jr., Supervisory Police Officer Yiu Tak ``Louis'' Tao, Senior Correctional Officer Daniel Sincavage, Correctional Officer IV Jade Drennan.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source