David Reichert

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, during Immigration Heritage Month, I want to recognize the great spirit and desire for a better life that lives within our Nation's immigrants today and those before them. America's immigrants have started companies big and small, contributed to their local communities, and have been our friends, family, and neighbors. But our immigration system is broken. It is failing the many children who are brought to the United States outside of their own control. That is why I have sponsored and cosponsored the BRIDGE Act and the Recognizing America's Children Act to protect these children who only want to live the American Dream. I believe, Mr. Speaker, that we have to work together, we must work together to pass a long-term immigration reform bill that secures our borders, yes, but just as importantly, protects our children, protects the families and the workers who want nothing more than to be a part of this great country and live the American Dream.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call Nos. 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, and 299 I was absent due to personal illness. Had I been present, I would have voted yes. On roll call No. 293 I was also absent due to personal illness. Had I been present, I would have voted no.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 299, I missed the vote due to a personal illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.'' Stated against:

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, today I am here to talk about a bill that should be a fully bipartisan bill supported by all Members of this body. It gives our probation officers the tools they need to defend themselves, but also, at the same time, protect the people who are on probation that the probation officers are trying to help and protect and keep on track and get them back on a path to productive citizenship in this country. Sometimes they are impeded from doing their job, not just verbally. I was a cop for 33 years. I was verbally abused thousands of times. I have lost track. Those bounce off the badge, and that is what probation officers do. Verbal abuse is verbal abuse. You deal with it, you handle it, and you go about your day. But when somebody puts their hands on you, or they spit on you, that is physical. That is assault. Probation officers should be able to protect themselves and take actions in those instances when they are assaulted. You don't need an arrest warrant. You don't need a search warrant to arrest someone who has just assaulted an officer. This is common sense. So to say you need a search warrant or an arrest warrant to arrest someone who has assaulted you is the wrong way to look at this law. The person who is being supervised lives in a residence, and the probation officer has the authority to go to that residence and has the authority, by the way, Mr. Speaker, to walk into that residence. They have the authority to force their way into that residence if it is known to be owned by the person who is on probation. And if they are obstructed in doing that, it is a violation of the law. Furthermore, if they are assaulted, it is another violation. In the past, what has happened is that the probation officers had to step away, walk away, and say: Oh, well. The guy just spit in my face. He punched me in the face. He pushed me. He obstructed me. I guess I will go back to my car and get on the radio, and 30 minutes from now when police officers can finally show up--because we are shorthanded across this Nation as far as police officers go. We have hundreds and hundreds, thousands, of vacancies across this Nation in every police department, every sheriff's office. So we are going to just step away, we are going to call for backup, and we are going to wait for a half an hour and see what happens. I think this not only puts the probation officer at risk, but it also puts the person who is on probation at risk. What is happening in that house that that person doesn't want us to come in and see? I have worked with, as you might guess, probation officers from the local level, Federal level, all across the spectrum. They are well trained. They have an academy that they go through. They raise their right hand and swear to uphold the Constitution, all the laws of this country. They are trained. Every year they have a minimal amount of training, 40 hours. That is the minimum. They have additional training on top of that on specific issues on how to handle situations where it escalates to a physical event. They know how to de-escalate verbal events. These are professional people who are doing a job that a lot of people don't want. And already States across this country have recognized that their State probation officers need this sort of authority. In some States, for example, they have given them full police authority. I repeat, full police authority. In this case, it is very limited. It is limited to the obstruction. It is limited to the physical obstruction of the probation officer doing their job that we have asked them to do on behalf of all of us in this country. The least we can do, as we wrap up National Police Week, is to say we support law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, there are Members in this body who have found a way-- decided that there is a way that I can vote ``no'' on this instead of standing up and saying--there are Members here that have had police officers added to the memorial wall this past week; in some cases, five people from one State. Those Members have decided to find a way to not support law enforcement, and they are going to vote ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, we can yak all we want about supporting cops, but if we don't show it with this vote, it is all talk. When I was a cop, you had to walk the talk. And today, Members of this body, if you support law enforcement, you better walk the talk.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of this Special Order.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, on Monday this week, hundreds of families, friends, colleagues, and loved ones from every corner of the country gathered at the United States Capitol for the 36th annual National Peace Officers Memorial Day. They were here to honor all of those names at the memorial, 21,000 names, Mr. Speaker. And this year, 394 more were added. Now, some of those are over past years--not this past year, but prior years--but 394 additional names were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Their names will ever be etched in our hearts and on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, and, as I said, with 21,000 others who came before them. People who walk by and view these names may not recognize the names or may not know all of the names. They may have a special loved one whose name appears on those hollowed walls. But the thing to remember here is that these are brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and some even grandfathers. They are real people who sacrificed their lives. Some were ambushed and executed, and some lost their lives responding to a call to save a life or someone who called for help. These are the men and women who gave their lives so we could, in many cases, keep ours. I have a lot more to say on this, and we have some time. I am going to yield to other Members, Mr. Speaker, who arrived here tonight to share their stories and remember the officers who served their communities. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Chairman Goodlatte, chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. I thank him for all his hard work in his committee to support law enforcement across the country. I look forward to working with him on some of the law enforcement reforms that his committee is looking at. I appreciate it. It is an honor for me, Mr. Speaker, to lead this Special Order. I am very humbled at the response that we have received tonight by the Members who want to be here and talk about their law enforcement officers in their communities. Another one of our Members who wants to share his thoughts and feelings is the son of a State trooper from Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins).

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia. As he shared his story about his father, it reminded me of my own story of coming home to my three young kids and my uniform being torn and bloodied, in some cases. I never really thought about what my kids or my spouse was thinking when I came home. I was still wrapped up in the shift that I had just come from and the struggles that I had been through on the streets. I served for 33 years in the King County Sheriff's Office, and I would do that job all over again, Mr. Speaker. I loved it. But I wanted to share another story, too, of Officer Jake Gutierrez from the Tacoma Police Department, which is a city just south of Seattle. Officer Gutierrez tragically died in the line of duty. He lost his life while protecting a woman from domestic violence. Jake was supposed to exchange wedding vows with his fiancee just a few weeks later. Instead, his fiancee, his three daughters, and his granddaughter attended his funeral. They struggled--and I am thinking they are still struggling today--to picture a life without him. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Gowdy). Our U.S. Attorney, prosecutor, knows law enforcement well, and he has a story to tell about one of his officers.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Gowdy, I have a feeling that Kevin knew anyway when he left that courtroom how you felt. Thank you for sharing that powerful story. I think it really clearly points to a lot of things: One, the job is tough and you have got to make those split decisions, and they are life and death decisions; Two, that the human side of the police officer is not very often recognized; that the connection to their family--as I said in my opening statement, these are people that are fathers, they are sons, they are sisters, they are mothers, in some cases they are grandparents. Sometimes we see a person just wearing a uniform, but there is a human being inside that uniform wearing that badge and carrying that gun to make sure that we can get home to our families and enjoy our families. I lost a best friend and partner in 1982. It still hurts today. If I can get past the emotional part, I might share that story a little bit later. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Judge Poe for his words. When he mentioned police officers don't do this for the money, I always considered it a calling. And I think if you talked to any police officer or deputy out on the street today, I think they would tell you that they felt called to serve, and called to serve in the uniform, and called to put their life on the line and to risk their life for others. I was going to share the story of my partner, Sam Hicks, who was killed in 1982. He left behind five sons. He was ambushed and shot in the chest and killed instantly. The killer was a man who was already wanted for murder. One of the hardest things I ever did--I was the only homicide detective at the scene when they captured him--was to sit in the back seat with this killer, advise him of his rights, and get him a glass of water and something to eat because he had been on the run for 3 days. I spent an hour in the back seat of that cop car with this killer, knowing that Sam's five sons no longer had a father. Thank you for your words tonight, Judge. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Jacksonville, Florida (Mr. Rutherford), the second sheriff in the House.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the sheriff for being here tonight honoring those who fell in his community and under his command. I thank him for his 40 years with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. I am proud to serve with him in Congress. We need more sheriffs in Congress, by the way. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Ferguson).

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. DesJarlais).

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Kustoff).

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks).

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings), the former police chief of Orlando.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chief. It is an honor to serve with the gentlewoman. I know the gentlewoman has a special quality about her now that I heard her husband was a sheriff. The gentlewoman is all thumbs up on my team, and I thank her for her sincere, thoughtful comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. O'Halleran) who is a former Chicago police officer.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize Ms. Lisa Cohen, Executive Director of the Washington Global Health Alliance, in light of her retirement. During a CODEL to the Middle East I visited Afghanistan as a freshman in Congress and visited an abandoned school meant for female students. Yet unfortunately, it was not used for very long due to rule of law that girls are not allowed to be educated. Since then, I made it a mission to serve as a Co-Chair on the Global Health and Poverty Caucus and fought for the opportunity that girls can and should be educated. And I could not have done this without the extremely important and valuable partnership of Ms. Cohen. From day one, Ms. Cohen has never said no in helping me fight for human rights around the world, and in fact, she has taught and encouraged me to take on other global issues that we must stand for today. Ms. Cohen has been such a wonderful force in the global community, and not just in the Seattle area, but around the country, as she has been diligently working to form an alliance in the Atlanta region too. With more alliances for global health, we can someday have a world where polio no longer exists and every woman can give a healthy birth to a child in a fully-functioning hospital. I will truly miss working with Ms. Lisa Cohen of the Washington Global Health Alliance, but am delighted to know that we shall remain friends. I thank Ms. Cohen for everything that she has done to make this world a better place for every single person.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, due to an illness I was unable to vote on the following: Roll call No. 60 Roll call No. 61 Had I been present, I would have voted yes.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, today is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Behind me are the faces of 135 men and women. They are the faces of those who paid the ultimate price serving and protecting us this past year so that our families and our children can live safe and enjoy our freedom. As you can see, freedom isn't free. You may not know or recognize these faces, but you know the faces of others who have served or that are serving today. They are the faces of our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and friends. Some were ambushed and executed. Some lost their lives responding to a call to save a life, someone who called for help. Tacoma police officer Jake Gutierrez, from my home State of Washington, is one of the faces behind me. He lost his life in the line of duty just last month while trying to protect a woman from domestic violence. Jake was supposed to have exchanged wedding vows with his fiancee in just a few weeks. Instead, she and his three daughters and granddaughter attended his funeral and tried to picture a life without Jake. Tragically, again last month, a time meant for celebration was filled with another Washington family's sorrow. Veteran officer Mike McClaughry from the Mount Vernon Police Department was shot in the head while responding to a call for help. Today his children, wife, friends, and family sit by his hospital bed and his life now hangs in the balance in the hands of God and his doctors. This feeling of loss is one that I am also familiar with. In 1982, my partner and best friend, Sergeant Sam Hicks, was shot to death attempting to arrest a murder suspect. He left behind his wife and five sons. That was over 30 years ago, but the loss of a loved one is a pain that cannot be forgotten, cannot be erased. This national day of appreciation is not only a day to reflect and appreciate the service of those who have served, but those that are serving today. They are driving, walking, patrolling your neighborhoods, keeping us safe. They are ready to put their lives on the line, yes, but every day they do so much more for us that goes unnoticed: The officer that took the stolen bike report on Christmas Day and the next day delivered a new bicycle to that little boy's home; How about the officer who anonymously buys groceries for a needy family; The officer who counseled a little girl who was being bullied because of the clothes she wore and then bought her a new set of clothes; How about the officer who went to a call where he had to cradle a 2- month-old baby in his arms, giving CPR to his little, fragile blue face, hoping for the best news, fearing the worst--and getting the worst--and then headed off to his next call; The officer that held the hand of a dying man after a motorcycle accident and then sharing his last words with his family; The officer who was spit on, ridiculed, and insulted by a man threatening to kill the officer and his wife and then minutes later saving that same man from taking his own life with a butcher knife. These men and women are coaches, volunteers, and mentors, helping people find jobs, feeding the homeless, helping them find homes, and sometimes even taking them into their own homes. These are real people. They are your neighbors, they are your friends, and they are us. This is not a job for them. It is a calling. They serve because they want to help. They want to make a difference. They serve with the heart of a servant. On this day, let us take a moment to appreciate all members of the law enforcement community across this Nation and their families by putting a blue light in your window or on your front porch. This is not just a sign of appreciation for law enforcement across this country, but a sign, a small symbol of unity for us all. We need that now in our Nation more than anything. Help us remember that we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Most people don't know, but I am a big James Brown fan and I really like the way he puts it in a not so well-known song from the sixties about America. He says: America is the greatest country in the world. America is the greatest country in the world . . . Now Black and White they may fight, but when the enemy comes, we get together and we run `em out of sight. This is a Black man in the sixties with these positive words about our country. Mr. Speaker, I say this: That we take James Brown's words, we take his advice, and we get together. The enemy is here. That enemy is hate. We get together and we run them out of sight. Now, Mr. Speaker, I would like to observe a moment of silence, please, for two officers who were killed in Florida just today on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. These are two more officers killed today, just hours ago.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, my home state of Washington and the region I represent are known for their breathtaking natural treasures. Visitors from around the world come to take in the view of Mt. Rainier and hike the beautiful trails in the North Cascades. But we cannot talk about Washington's natural treasures without thanking the man who's been instrumental in maintaining and protecting them for future generations. Former Washington governor and U.S. Senator, Dan Evans, had an unwavering commitment to preserving our state's national parks and forests throughout his distinguished 50 years as a public servant. From the 1984 Washington Wilderness Act to the Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988, Senator Evans' initiatives have had a lasting impact on every person who had or will get the opportunity to experience Mother Nature's gifts. It is only fitting that the name of the Olympic National Park Wilderness recognizes the efforts of the man who fought so hard to preserve it. As someone who remembers the excitement of exploring our national forests as a kid, it has been one of my greatest pleasures as a father--and now as a grandfather--to pass the experience on to new generations. Senator Evans understood this. He understood that even man's greatest feats of architecture could not compare to the magnificence Mt. Rainer's over 14,000 foot summit or the hidden pristine lakes in the North Cascades. He understood we only have one chance to protect these gifts. And as a Republican from Washington State, he showed us that conservation did not have to be a partisan issue. It is a duty that falls on all of us, regardless of party or region. Senator Evans deserves to be recognized for the contributions he made to my home state and to our country. I ask my colleagues in the House to please join me in supporting the Daniel J. Evans Olympic National Park Wilderness Act.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, late in the afternoon on Wednesday, Officer Reginald ``Jake'' Gutierrez of Washington State's Tacoma Police Department responded to a domestic violence call. Despite the potential danger he knew lay ahead, he went forward with courage and a resolute focus on saving lives, sadly sacrificing his own life in the end. Tragically, he was 1 of 133 law enforcement officers this year to die in the line of duty. That is a 20 percent increase, Mr. Speaker, over last year. Officer Gutierrez has served in law enforcement 17 years, and he is one of the few who accept the calling to serve. The men and women who wear the badge like Officer Gutierrez have continued to show resilience during difficult times and have maintained an unshakeable commitment to perform their critical mission of keeping our families safe and protecting our freedoms, whether we are relaxing at home or protesting in the street. Wednesday was no exception. During what became an 11-hour standoff with the suspect, the Tacoma Police Department was assisted by many of its neighboring partners to ensure the surrounding area was secure. What is exceptional about this demonstration, Mr. Speaker, of bravery is that it is not exceptional at all. Men and women every day in this country walk out of their home wearing the badge and the uniform to protect our children, protect our communities, protect our kids at school. I ask all of us to keep our law enforcement officers in their prayers, Mr. Gutierrez's family, and the Tacoma Police Department.

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 568, my vote was recorded as an ``aye''; it should have been recorded as a ``no.'' personal explanation

Mr. REICHERT

Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, on roll call Number 522, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted yes.