Extending condolences to the families of Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens, and Officer Greg Richards.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First of all, I want to thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith) for sponsoring this important legislation, and I rise in support of House Resolution 939. This resolution extends our condolences to the families of Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens, and Officer Greg Richards. These four police officers were members of the Lakewood, Washington, police department and were ambushed by gunfire in a murderous act of violence on November 29, 2009.

These four officers were in uniform and sitting at a table in a coffee shop near their patrol area. They were preparing for their upcoming shift when a gunman with an extensive criminal record who was out on bond for another criminal offense entered the location and suddenly fired gunshots at these officers. Two of the officers were killed immediately, another was shot when he stood up from the table, and the fourth was shot after struggling with the gunman in attempting to prevent his escape. The gunman fled but not before one of the wounded dying officers had shot him.

The gunman was found 2 days later in Seattle after he challenged yet another police officer who approached him. That police officer was a 7- year veteran of the Seattle police force who noticed a parked, stolen car that was running but unoccupied. The officer approached the suspect outside the car and asked him to show his hands, but the suspect refused and started to run around the car. The officer shot and killed the suspect to prevent his escape. The officer had recognized the gunman from photographs and identified him as the main suspect in the murders of these other officers. The gunman was carrying a service weapon taken from one of the slain officers that he had murdered.

Unfortunately, police officers and law enforcement officials sometimes go unnoticed and unappreciated by communities that they protect. So far in 2009, 111 American police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty, protecting the rest of us. These noble men and women deserve respect and gratitude from our entire Nation. Peace officers, like Sergeant Renninger, Officer Griswold, Officer Owens, and Officer Richards perform their jobs every day with the knowledge that there is a possibility that they may give their lives in service to the communities that they protect. That's an awesome sacrifice, Mr. Speaker.

As a Nation, we are grateful to peace officers who readily accept such a tremendous burden and to their families

who accept that burden as well. In the wake of this vicious tragedy, we come together in support of the law enforcement community and the families of these individuals.

Sergeant Renninger was a 13-year law enforcement veteran. He is survived by his wife and three children. Officer Griswold, a 14-year police veteran, is survived by her husband, a former deputy sheriff, and two children. Officer Owens, a 12-year veteran, is survived by his daughter. Officer Richards, an 8-year veteran, is survived by his wife and three children.

The four officers were original members of the Lakewood Police Department, which was founded just 5 years ago. They are the first officers from this department to be killed in the line of duty. As the resolution so aptly states, Members of Congress stand with the people of Lakewood, Washington, the men and women of the Lakewood Police Department, and members of the law enforcement community as they honor the lives and mourn the loss of these four dedicated public servants and law enforcement heroes.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert), who's familiar with this law enforcement agency and, as a sheriff, represented much of this area.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, next year on May 15, right here on the Capitol grounds, we will pay tribute and honor to peace officers that have been killed this year in the line of duty. Until this event in Washington State, there were 111 peace officers killed in this country in the line of duty. Now there are 115, and they will be honored and their families will be honored next year.

Having spent most of my career at the courthouse in Houston as a prosecutor and then a criminal court judge, I saw a lot of police officers come down to the courthouse. And sometimes they didn't return, and the reason was because some criminal had decided to take their life. But that is the occupation that they chose, to risk their lives for the rest of us. And we should always be mindful of the men and women that wear the uniform, those who wear

the uniform at home to protect us from domestic criminals and those who wear the uniform overseas to protect us from international criminals.

Peace officers, Mr. Speaker, are the last strand of wire in the fence between the people and the lawless. Every day they put on their uniform and they put above their heart on their chest a badge, which is really a shield, a shield that's symbolic of protecting the community from the evildoers. It goes back centuries ago. And yet they wear that shield proudly to protect us from people who wish to do us harm. And when individuals make the decision to harm those that protect us, it is an American tragedy, and the whole country mourns with the families who have lost a police officer.

So I urge that we mourn the loss of these officers, that we honor their lives and their bravery, and that we pass this resolution immediately.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 939) extending condolences to the families of Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens, and Officer Greg Richards.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous matter on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This resolution extends condolences to the families of four Lakewood, Washington, police officers, Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens, and Officer Greg Richards, who were senselessly slain by gunfire in the line of duty on Sunday, November 29, 2009. These brave and honorable Lakewood Police Department officers were ambushed as they sat in a local coffee shop, catching up on paperwork at the beginning of their Sunday morning shift.

By way of this resolution, the House of Representatives honors the lives and mourns the loss of these Lakewood police officers. We join the city of Lakewood and the entire State of Washington in celebrating the lives and grieving the deaths of these police officers.

Sergeant Mark Renninger was described as a ``tough guy'' who excelled at his job and was regarded as a leader and teacher in the close-knit Lakewood police force. He was married with three children.

Officer Tina Griswold liked to cook, ride her dirt bike, and was a certified diver. Her father is a retired police officer. She began working in law enforcement as a dispatcher and came to Lakewood 5 years ago as an officer. She leaves behind a 21-year-old daughter and a 7- year-old son.

Officer Ronald Owens, known to friends and family as Ronnie, was described as having a fun-loving personality and as someone who made everyone around him feel positive. Officer Owens leaves behind a daughter.

Officer Greg Richards enjoyed music in his spare time, playing drums in a rock band. He liked nothing better than spending time with his wife, Kelly, and his three children.

By passing this resolution, we want the families of these police officers to know that they are not alone in mourning the loss of the Lakewood officers. My first job, Mr. Speaker, was as an attorney for the police department. I served 3\1/2\ years as an attorney for the Memphis Police Department, and I relate to the loss that the department and this Nation have suffered.

I urge all my colleagues to support this important resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as the gentleman shall consume to Mr. Smith from the State of Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I join with my friend from Texas in urging that we pass this resolution and that we do mourn these brave officers who lost their lives and stand with the people of Lakewood, Washington.

But I would also ask us to think about what happened, why these people lost their lives. And we may never know, but we do know that the person who killed them should have been behind bars. He was a criminal who was released from prison in Arkansas through executive clemency. And while there are certainly people who committed victimless crimes who are unnecessarily kept for long periods of times in incarceration and should have clemency or some type of executive relief, people who commit crimes of violence, as this person did, they should not be released unless there are some extra circumstances that are beyond anybody's thought that it was appropriate.

This gentleman was not reformed. He committed other crimes. He still should have been in jail.

And you've got to think about mental health. The man was a criminal, but he was also mentally ill. He had delusions that he was some type of religious figure. And we've got to think about the mental health laws that we have up here and the opportunity to fund mental health institutions and to get mental health so that people can be treated before they commit some act out of a delusional aspect of their disease.

So there are a lot of other areas we need to look into as we mourn these officers and remember 9/11 and the fire people and the police people who were killed there. And we've got to remember the issues with guns and how this man got access to a gun to commit this crime. So there are other issues that need to be looked at.

I join all the Members of the House and ask that we pass H. Res. 939 and join in morning the loss of these four fine law enforcement officers, but also that we continue our research into the causes of this heinous crime.

I want to thank the Speaker and this Chamber for so quickly bringing this resolution to the floor.

As we have now heard of the tragic events of last Sunday, we are here to offer our condolences to the families, also to honor the lives and the service of the four officers who were so brutally slain, and to express our grief over their loss. They were ambushed early on Sunday morning, simply getting ready to go to work. It is a tragedy that has had a deep impact on our community. And I want to also offer my condolences to all the people in Lakewood, especially their police force and the city officials, who have been so impacted by this tragic event.

The four officers who were killed were part of the police force and all of the police officers in this country who so selflessly serve and protect all of us.

They were Sergeant Mark Renninger, who was a 13-year law enforcement veteran. He started out with the Tukwila Police Department before moving on to Lakewood. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.

Officer Tina Griswold served 14 years in law enforcement, starting with the Lacey Police Department before moving to Lakewood. She is survived by her husband and two children.

Officer Ronald Owens, who has served 12 years in law enforcement, started off with the Washington State Patrol before moving to Lakewood. He is survived by a daughter.

Officer Greg Richards served 8 years in law enforcement. He began with the Kent Police Department before going to Lakewood. He is survived by his wife and three children.

It is very appropriate that Congress makes clear to the families and to all members of the law enforcement community that we stand with them in grieving their loss and honoring their service. And it is also important that we remember as often as possible what our law enforcement personnel do for us.

I had the opportunity to serve as a prosecutor for a few years and work with many of the members of our law enforcement community, and what a lot of people forget is the constant danger that they are in and the courage that it takes to do their job every day. It's easy to see a police officer on a patrol or on the beat, see them driving around, and think of the job simply in that context. But every second of every day, people who serve as police officers know the risk and danger that they are taking. And the impressive thing is they take it every single day and they do it to protect us, to give us a sense of safety and security in our community despite the danger that they face.

The tragedy in Lakewood makes that all too clear. They were simply sitting down for a cup of coffee to get their paperwork together before going on shift. That makes it clear just how much our officers are always at risk and how willingly they take that risk and protect us.

I thank the House for pausing for a few moments today to remember the service of these four officers, to honor them for that service, to grieve over their deaths, and to express condolences to their families, to all of the people in Lakewood, and to the larger law enforcement community that does so much to protect us and show so much courage in doing so.

I thank the judge for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I know that most of the people in Washington, D.C., don't know these families that we're talking about today. The people here in Washington, D.C., don't know the children that these officers will no longer be able to parent.

But we do know police officers in Washington, D.C. We do know police officers here, the Capitol Hill Police Department and the D.C. Police Department, and we recognize the job they do every day to protect us.

Sometimes it's hard to make that connection between the men and women who wear the uniform and the sacrifices they make until it happens in your neighborhood, until it happens in your communities, until it happens to one of your neighborhood police officers, until it happens to your mother, your father, one minute sitting having coffee at a coffee shop, the next minute gone. Three fathers and a mother coming to work to protect all of us. It happens every day on the streets of America. They put on the uniform. They know the risk.

So with this resolution today, I think it's right that we pause and think about the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform make here serving our police departments in our communities across this country, to honor the service of Mark Renninger, Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens, and Gregory Richards. We should also mention Timothy Brenton, who was killed 30 days before this event, before this tragedy. He was also assassinated in the city of Seattle and he was sitting in his police car. This can happen at any time, at any moment, to any police officer across this country.

So pausing to honor and to mourn the loss of these four Lakewood, Washington, police officers who were brutally murdered Sunday morning just after Thanksgiving, spending the week with their family, I think it's just and right that all of us here today extend our deepest sympathy, to stand in solidarity and in grief with the families, their fellow officers, their friends, and their community. The entire Nation mourns and our hearts are broken.

To those involved in the hunt for the suspect, we commend you for your hard work and your bravery. Your thorough and effective work saved the lives of other citizens and other officers from harm.

Moving forward, I hope all of you understand how hard this will be for the families. I, unfortunately, have had the duty to notify family members of their loved ones lost. It's pain and emotion that you can't imagine. These families are devastated. So, please, I would ask all of us to remember the families, and don't forget they need your support, your help, your prayers, and your love.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memories of the four brave officers whose lives were needlessly cut short this past week in Washington State.

All four officers were members of the Lakewood Police and were slain while preparing for their shift by Maurice Clemons, a career criminal who had been paroled from prison earlier this decade and was later killed by a Seattle police officer after a long manhunt.

We stand with all the police officers in Washington State who despite losing four of their own served with distinction and bravery to bring this killer to ``justice.''

I have long maintained that our first responders are the first line in our country's national defense. They are out there on the streets every day keeping our communities and our children safe from harm.

This resolution describes violence against law enforcement officers as ``particularly heinous,'' which I think is an understatement. This kind of violence against these brave community servants is not only heinous, it's unimaginable, horrific, and unacceptable.

The Federal Government must do more to protect our police officers from these kinds of violent and malicious criminals.

Congress must look at the ways we can strengthen the penalties for these kinds of horrific crimes committed against our heroes.

Our police officers are out there every day sticking their necks out for us, and we owe it to them to do everything in our power to protect them as well.

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