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May 9, 2005

Remarks for the 2005 Pennsylvania Police Memorial
Harrisburg, PA

Thank you and good afternoon everyone.

I am honored to be here today, to join with all of you in this special tribute to the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of peace and order in Pennsylvania.  I can think of no place I would rather be, or should be today, and I would like to echo the words of those who have preceded me here to the podium.

We also gather to thank all of the officers, past and present, who have worked so hard to make our communities safer places to live, work and raise our families.

Webster's dictionary defines "Police" as the regulation and control of the affairs of a community, especially with respect to the maintenance of order, law, health, morals, safety and other matters affecting general welfare.  But in our hearts and minds, when we hear the word "police," we think of the men and women in blue - the human face of law enforcement - and that goes far beyond "regulation and control of the affairs of a community."

Law enforcement, guaranteeing public safety, is a mission that is at the very core of our society.  There is no more important service that government can provide than to ensure that our streets, our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces and our communities are free from fear, free from threat and free from danger.

I have been blessed throughout my career to be able to work closely with law enforcement professionals on every level; local, state and federal.  And I chose the word "professional" intentionally, because it truly is a profession.  As a result, I think I understand, somewhat, the difficult nature of the job, and the dangers and obstacles you face each and every day when you walk out that door.  And I have been privileged to stand beside you in our courtrooms, prosecuting and convicting those who would murder and rape, those who would molester our children, drug traffickers and members of organized crime.

One of the highlights of my career was prosecuting and convicting a death penalty against cop-killer Stanton Story, who murdered Pittsburgh police officer Patrick Wallace in 1974.  I will never forget that day, trying that case and working closely with the City of Pittsburgh Police.

There is no place in our society for those who would harm our peace officers.  An attack on an officer is an attack on the very fabric of our society. We are forever indebted to every man and woman who carries a badge in this great country of ours.  They are the guardians against lawlessness.  They protect and defend the peaceful society that most of us take for granted on a daily basis, and they risk injury or death to come to our aid in times of emergency.

We are equally indebted to you, the families of our peace officers, who support and encourage their work, despite your awareness of the dangers involved in this profession. Too often, we only come together to honor one of our fallen comrades.

I can still clearly remember a day in September, now more than 20 years ago, when I gathered with friends and colleagues in Pittsburgh to bid a final farewell to Detective Norm Stewart.  Norm was a good cop, a good man and a good friend.  He was someone you could talk with, someone you could work with, someone you could share a drink with and someone you could always count on.  Norm was shot and killed on September 16, 1983, by a young man making a wrong choice with a gun, while raiding a drug house in Pittsburgh.

I remember that day and I remember that loss.  I am sure that almost each and every one of us here today has a similar memory, of friends and good men and women, taken from us too soon.

870,000 police officers put on a uniform and a badge every day, risking their lives to protect our lives, to protect our families, to protect our property and our freedom.

That freedom comes at a very high price:
- Every nine minutes a police officer somewhere in this country is assaulted.
- Every 27 minutes an officer is injured in the line of duty.
- And every 53 hours a peace officer somewhere in the United States is killed.

Despite our best efforts, 153 officers died in the line of duty last year. Seven of those deaths touched Pennsylvania communities, including:
- Sergeant Joseph LeClair, from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
- Bradford County Sheriffs Deputies Michael VanKuren and Christopher Burgert.
- Upper Dublin Police Sergeant James Miller.
- Lititz Borough Police Chief Doug Shertzer.
- Reading City Patrolman Michael Wise II.
- And East Lick Township Police Chief Sheridan Caton.

In addition, we mourn for Easton Police Officer Jesse Sollman, killed while training in March of this year.

We grieve for these officers and their families.  We remember their names, their faces, and their dedication to duty and their commitment to their communities. We gather to memorialize fallen officers from the past so that they never slip from our memory.  And we strive to make our society even safer, so that this scene is repeated less often, and hopefully we add fewer names to police memorials in future years.

The National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. bears the names of more than 16,500 officers killed in the line duty, stretching back to 1792, when New York Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith was shot and killed - the first American peace officer to die in the line of duty.  Over the years, 645 Pennsylvania lawmen and women have made that same sacrifice.

Still, new men and women take up the badge and the mission: To protect and serve.  In many ways that is the best possible tribute to our fallen colleagues because it ensures that their work will continue and live on.

We carry on with that work, to be certain that our communities are governed by law and order, not crime and violence. We carry on with the mission, to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens and ensure safe streets and safe homes. Most of all, at times like these; we vow to never forget the people behind the badges. Today, we salute the valor of all these brave officers and dedicate ourselves to the hope that no more names will be added to memorials in the future.

Engraved in stone, on the East Wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., is a simple inscription:  IN VALOR THERE IS HOPE.

All of these officers had hopes and dreams for the future, as did their families.  Still, they accepted the risk of their chosen profession and continued their work until their last breath. That is the true mark of valor, and bravery.

The national memorial also bears the following quote:  "It is not how these officers died that makes them heroes, but how they lived."

Let us remember their lives and their commitment, and carry on with their work to make our communities, our state, our country and our world a better place.

Thank you for joining me here today and thank you for the opportunity to speak.  May God bless you all.