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Floor Speech

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Mr. COTTON. Madam President, today, I join Senator Boozman in mourning the death of Stone County Deputy Sheriff Justin Smith.

On January 2, Deputy Smith was shot and killed in the line of duty while serving a warrant. With his passing, Arkansas has lost a selfless public servant, reflecting the very best in our State.

Deputy Smith grew up in Arkansas, and he worked in law enforcement for 24 years--first as a corrections officer and then at the Stone County Sheriff's Department, where he worked for the past 14 years.

Time and again, he went above and beyond the call of duty. Stone County Sheriff Brandon Long said of Deputy Smith:

There was never a time he was called to come in that he didn't show up. He was the type of person that when his shift ended, if he needed to stay over, no questions asked.

Deputy Smith was a gregarious and generous man who made friends and smiled easily. He enjoyed hunting and spending time with his large family.

Deputy Smith is survived by his wife Lori, 3 sons, 2 daughters-in- law, 3 stepchildren, 4 siblings, and 14 grandchildren, along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Our prayers and the prayers of all Arkansans are with his family in this time of pain and mourning.

One of his sons reflected:

Perhaps the hardest part of all of this is that my dad only exists in memories and photos, and that's all we'll have left of him.

Those heartbreaking words reflect the terrible danger that our men and women in blue and their families endure every single day. It is one of the many reasons our police deserve the lasting gratitude and support of their communities, States, and our Nation.

That gratitude was on full display at Deputy Smith's funeral, where leaders from across the State attended, including Governor Sarah Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin. In fact, so many people wanted to honor Deputy Smith's life that the service had to be simulcast into a second church.

On behalf of a grateful State, Senator Boozman and I want to thank Deputy Smith and his whole family for their service to Stone County and to Arkansas.

God bless them, and God bless Arkansas.

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