Sandy Adams

I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Herrera Beutler).

I rise today in support of H.R. 6185, the Local Courthouse Safety Act of 2012, because it will give local courthouses the resources to enhance their security, and to do so at no cost to the Federal taxpayer. My bill would allow for surplus metal detectors to be provided to local courthouses to enhance security.

Like other regions throughout our Nation, central Florida has seen its share of courthouse attacks. Shortly before I joined the Orange County Sheriff's Office as a deputy sheriff, a courthouse shooting occurred. An armed gunman by the name of Thomas Provenzano walked into the Orange County Courthouse with a 12-gauge shotgun, an assault rifle, and a .38 revolver, all loaded with live ammunition. Bailiff William Wilkerson, a 60-

year-old veteran who retired from the Navy as a lieutenant commander, was killed on that day. Bailiff Harry Dalton, a 53-year-old father of six, was shot in the face and left paralyzed from the shooting. He died 7 years later. Correctional Officer Mark Parker was only 19 years old at the time of the shooting. He survived the shooting but was paralyzed from the shoulders down and had to spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair.

I introduced the Local Courthouse Safety Act because the things this bill does are important to me and to most Americans. I know the families of Bailiff Dalton and Bailiff Wilkerson, who lost their lives as a result of the violence that day in the Orange County Courthouse, and remained friends with Officer Parker until he passed away a few years ago. I am deeply aware of the grief they've had to live with all of these years.

Since September of 2010, there has been about one shooting per month at a local courthouse. So even though the shooting in Orange County happened 30 years ago, courthouse shootings are still happening all over this country and innocent people are still dying.

Those who are exercising their constitutional right of seeking justice in our courtrooms should not have to fear for their safety, and neither should our law enforcement officers, judges, advocates, and court personnel. It is my hope that this bill will help to prevent horrific and senseless incidents of violence like this from happening in our local courthouses.

I want to thank my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee for recognizing that we need to take courthouse security seriously and for joining me in this bipartisan effort to help prevent violence in local courthouses across this country. We need to give sheriffs and local courthouses access to the training, equipment, and resources they need to improve security, so I urge support for the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Adam Hawkes for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

For his Eagle Scout project, Adam constructed picnic tables for a local soup kitchen. Throughout the history of the Boy Scouts of America, the rank of Eagle Scout has only been attained through dedication to concepts such as honor, duty, country and charity. By applying these concepts to daily life, Adam has proven his true and complete understanding of their meanings, and thereby deserves this honor.

I offer my congratulations on a job well done and best wishes for the future.