Political Quotes

“this is an important topic. As a former police officer in Duluth, Minnesota, one of the worst calls an officer can get is an overdose. When they go there, the individual is deceased. They make sure that it was an overdose, that nothing else took the life of that individual. Then, they have to formulate a plan on how they are going to notify mom or dad or the next of kin. That is the most gut-wrenching thing a law enforcement officer can do. It is like rock slag. It is very hard to do that, to knock on that door. They are about to give a loved one the worst news ever. The officer knocks on a door, and a loved one opens the door and sees a police officer in full uniform. They know something is up, and then, the officer has to tell them, has to be straight up with them, that their son or daughter or their loved one died. The first question is how. Mr. So-and-so, Mrs. So-and-so, we believe it was a drug overdose. The toxicology test will confirm, but we believe it was a drug overdose. Then, all holy you-know-what breaks out in the house, from crying tears to frustration at the individual who delivered the worst news in their lifetime. They never forget that police officer, what he or she looked like, the demeanor he or she had, what they smelled like, what time of day it was, how hard the knock was, how many times you rang the doorbell. Mr. Speaker, it is tough. This is a very good bill to stop drug overdoses.”