WASHINGTON – During National Police Week, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies – spoke on the Senate floor to honor Fairway Police Officer Jonah Oswald and all the law enforcement officers who have passed away in the line of duty.

“During this week, we will memorialize the 282 heroes who during the last year gave their lives serving their community,” said Sen. Moran. “One of those heroes is Kansas Officer Jonah Oswald. In August of last year, Officer Oswald was fatally shot while responding to another department’s request for help. Officer Oswald was just 29 years old and was a husband and father to two young boys. He served for four years in the Fairway Kansas Police Department.

“Now more than ever, it takes a special kind of person to be a law enforcement officer,” said Sen. Moran. “Whether sheriff’s deputies or detectives, local police, tribal police or highway patrol officers, beat cops or Federal agents, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, we hold up those who wear the badge and honor them today as we should every day. To them, we say our respect is for you, for the extraordinary examples of how you see America at its best. May God bless our law enforcement and their families. May they be safe from harm as they defend and protect the communities in which they serve and live.”

Click HERE to Watch Sen. Moran’s Floor Remarks Honoring Jonah Oswald

Remarks as delivered:

This week, every year, we pay tribute to those who serve in uniform and as a result of that service, come to a tragic death.

In my role as a senator, I have been the Vice Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds our national law enforcement officers – the DEA, ATF, FBI. It is an honor and privilege to be associated with those who are willing to sacrifice so much for the benefit of all of us and in particular those in the community in which they life. We honor that honor that sacrifice, dedication and service to our communities.

We know police officers put their lives at risk, their families know they put their lives at risk daily to protect our communities and country. While this week is a time to remember those who have passed, it is also important to also thank those who currently serve.

During this week, we will memorialize the 282 heroes who during the last year gave their lives serving their community. One of those heroes is Kansas Officer Jonah Oswald.

In August of last year, Officer Oswald was fatally shot while responding to another department’s request for help. Officer Oswald was just 29 years old and was a husband and father to two young boys. He served for four years in the Fairway Kansas Police Department. Fairway is a small suburb in Kansas City with a population of 1,170.

He knew the importance of serving his community. He knew his community.

This morning, Ben Overesch spoke at the National Police Week Memorial ceremony in Kansas and said this about Officer Oswald, “Jonah understood the danger before him and without hesitation he showed up, over and over again, to meet it. Jonah policed with an enthusiasm that was hard to match. He was always vigilant. He was always eager for opportunities to help, citizens of Kansas and Officers alike. He was employed by Fairway, but the citizens of Prairie Village, Mission Hills, Westwood, Roeland Park, Mission, and others around us were helped by Jonah more than they’ll ever know. He was not so enthusiastic out of vanity, or want of glory, or aggression. He believed in service, and in the nobility of the profession. He believed in right and wrong. He was filled with the hope that good will triumph over evil. We must remember not only his sacrifice, but his example daily.”

Thank you, Officer Overesch, for those remarks and thank you to Officer Oswald for your service to Kansans.

All too often we forget about the many important roles that our police officers have within our communities. This extends beyond relationships between police officers and individual citizens. It is about the relationships between law enforcement and key institutions in our communities, such as churches, hospitals, schools and businesses.

During this National Police Week and throughout the year, we must remember that law enforcement needs our support and not just during tough times.

It is our duty, as citizens, as lawmakers, as members of the Senate. to support our officers, provide them with resources and acknowledge the incredible sacrifices they make every day.

Now more than ever, it takes a special kind of person to be a law enforcement officer.

Whether sheriff’s deputies or detectives, local police, tribal police or highway patrol officers, beat cops or Federal agents, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, we hold up those who wear the badge and honor them today as we should every day.

To them, we say our respect is for you, for the extraordinary examples of how you see America at its best. May God bless our law enforcement and their families.

May they be safe from harm as they defend and protect the communities in which they serve and live.

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