Supporting The Goals And Ideals Of National Correctional Officers And Employees Week
Floor Speech
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES WEEK -- (House of Representatives - May 07, 2007)
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Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 264, which recognizes National Correctional Officers and Employees Week, and honors the service of correctional officers and employees.
Few jobs are more dangerous and difficult than serving as a correctional officer. There are over 200,000 correctional officers in the United States who guard us from nearly 2 million criminals and maintain the safety of the Nation's correctional facilities. It is a job with high risk and often little recognition or reward. This resolution recognizes the important role that correctional officers play in maintaining public safety.
Correctional officers carry a heavy burden each day. They are surrounded by dangerous criminals and work in a stressful environment. We hear about but don't often stop to recognize the hundreds of correctional officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Last year in Maryland, two correctional officers were killed. On January 27, 2006, Correctional Officer Jeffrey Alan Wroten II was brutally shot and killed; and on July 25, 2006, Officer David Warren McGuinn was killed. What happened to these two Maryland officers unfortunately has happened to hundreds of other correctional officers in past years. Correctional Officer Jeffrey Alan Wroten left behind a wife and five children, the oldest, age 15, and the youngest, 5 years of age. This makes his loss and the loss of others like him even more heartbreaking.
So, it is appropriate that we take a moment this week to honor the contribution of all correctional officers, pray for their continued safety and dedicate ourselves to helping them carry out their mission.
We thank each and every correctional officer, their families and loved ones, and honor them for their valuable role in protecting the public.
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