Jane Harman: “Officer Down.'' The two most dreaded words in law enforcement. In the last several months, the communities in…”

“Officer Down.'' The two most dreaded words in law enforcement. In the last several months, the communities in California's 36th Congressional District have been rocked by the tragic and unprecedented murders of Officers Martin Ganz of Manhattan Beach and Mike Tracy and Tom Vanderpool of Palos Verdes Estates. At the moving joint service for Tracy and Vanderpool which I attended yesterday, their colleagues and relatives described ``Trace'' as a dirt bike racer with a pet nickname for everyone and ``Vandy'' as an incurable romantic who touched the hearts and lives of many as the Christmas Santa over the years. I cannot bring these officers back, but I can lend my voice and all my conviction to the effort to deter our young from lives of crime and punish swiftly and severely those who commit violent crimes or any crimes using a firearm--with the ultimate penalty for those who kill our law enforcement officers. I stand 100 percent behind the peace officers in my district. They risk their lives to make my family and our community safe. We must find the way to make them safe.”