Jeff Crank: “Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here today on National Police Week to honor the great men and women who protect us…”

“Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here today on National Police Week to honor the great men and women who protect us every single day, who wear the badge, and who protect our communities. Mr. Speaker, I thank specifically our El Paso County Sheriff's Office and our Colorado Springs Police Department and all of the local law enforcement in Colorado. They put themselves on the front lines every single day. I have had the pleasure of doing ride-alongs with our sheriff's office and our Colorado Springs Police Department. I say to my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, that if you haven't stood in their shoes, don't be critical of the job that they do because if you take the time to go do it--and many times we have people who come and want to shadow a Member of Congress for a day--it is a great opportunity to do that. Take a minute and shadow a police officer for a day. Go on a ride-along and learn what they do. I have, as I said, had the privilege to do that many times. I recall being on a ride-along in the middle of the night, total darkness, walking up on a car. The police officer has a flashlight, and had I not been there, that police officer would have been there by themselves, and essentially they were there by themselves. I wasn't armed. Imagine doing that for a living day in and day out.”