WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies – today recognized National Police Week and honored fallen Kansas law enforcement officers on the Senate floor. During his remarks, Sen. Moran also recognized staff member and ATF Special Agent Matt Beccio.

“During National Police Week and throughout the year, we are reminded that law enforcement needs our support,” said Sen. Moran. “We must provide them the resources they need to do their job. As the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Department of Justice, and particularly those local law enforcement grants, I’m committed to doing so.”

“We know we must provide the tools that law enforcement needs to build and strengthen the bonds of trust with those they serve, and provide our best efforts to address the underlying challenges, the challenges of our society, of our country, that face each and every community,” continued Sen. Moran. ”We honor the service and sacrifice of our nation's fallen law enforcement officers, not only for the sake of those that have departed, but as a reminder to all of us that remain. May God bless our law enforcement officers, protect them from harm as they faithfully perform their duties each and every day.”
 

Click Here to Watch Sen. Moran’s Full Remarks

 Remarks as delivered:

“Mr. President, this week, as we know, our Nation observes National Police Week, a time where we pay tribute to our law enforcement officers, especially those who died in the line of duty. Today, I rise to honor their dedication and their significant and tremendous sacrifice.

“On Monday evening, thousands of people gathered on the National Mall to pay tribute to the 371 officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. Four officers from Kansas were among those memorialized on Monday.

“Last June, Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Deputies Theresa King and Patrick Rohrer were shot and killed while preparing to transport a prisoner.

“Theresa King joined the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office in 2005. A working mother of three children, Theresa, or “TK,” was known for coming to work every day with a smile, a willingness to help out in any way she could. She was a founding member of the Kansas City-based Lancaster-Melton Peacekeepers Civitan Club, a group of law enforcement officers and their families dedicated to honoring slain officers.

“Patrick Rohrer, a husband and a father of two children, joined the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office in 2011. Patrick was known as a dedicated deputy that never lost his sense of humor and often peppered his colleagues with his favorite "Star Wars" quotes. He was also known for his competitive spirit. Patrick had been a varsity letterman on the swim team at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. And his family's motto was "Keep on Swimming."

“I will echo Wyandotte County Sherriff Don Ash’s words in memorializing the deputies:

“Theresa and Patrick were heroes in every sense of the word” when they put “their lives between a cold-blooded killer and the citizens they swore an oath to protect.”

“In September, Deputy Sheriff Robert Kunze was fatally shot during an encounter with a suspect in a stolen vehicle. He, too, was a husband and father who had served with the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office for 12 years and had previously served with the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office for six.

“Robert Kunze’s impact on the department was made apparent when Sedgwick County Sherriff Jeff Easter referred to his death as a loss of a ‘family member.’ Robert was known as an exceptional law enforcement officer and has been remembered by his colleagues as having a contagious laugh that always made others feel welcome.

“This year we also memorialize Jefferson County Undersheriff George Burnau, who died in the line of duty on April 29, 1920. His dedication set an example for generations of law enforcement officers in Kansas and around the country, those that followed him.

“I would like to honor one law enforcement officer who is serving on my staff as a Department of Justice fellow. ATF Special Agent Matt Beccio has become an integral part of our team over the past year, giving me sound advice on issues related to Justice and traveling to Kansas to meet with local law enforcement officials.

“His firsthand enforcement experience and passion for bettering the lives of law enforcement officers across the country has been a tremendous asset to our office. And this week, Matt led members of my staff in participating in Police Week’s 5k Memorial Run, alongside Kansas law enforcement and their colleagues from across the country.

“Thank you, Matt, for your dedication to using your role in our office to better support your colleagues in law enforcement.

“During National Police Week and throughout the year, we are reminded that law enforcement needs our support. We must provide them the resources they need to do their job. As the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Department of Justice, and particularly those local law enforcement grants, I’m committed to doing so.

“We know we must provide the tools that law enforcement needs to build and strengthen the bonds of trust with those they serve, and provide our best efforts to address the underlying challenges, the challenges of our society, of our country that face each and every community.

“We honor the service and sacrifice of our nation's fallen law enforcement officers, not only for the sake of those that have departed, but as a reminder to all of us that remain.

"May God bless our law enforcement officers and protect them from harm as they faithfully perform their duties each and every day.”

Click here to watch Sen. Moran’s full remarks.
 

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