James Traficant: “Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution. I would like to say that I will be introducing legislation that will make the…”

“Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution. I would like to say that I will be introducing legislation that will make the murder of a law enforcement officer a Federal offense, and the punishment shall be the death penalty. I think we put too many names on memorials, and, for some reason, we have yet to truly protect the law enforcement community in America. Now, this National Peace Officers' Memorial Day Service always has a special meaning for me. During my time as sheriff, one of my deputies was gunned down. He was transporting a prisoner. The MO is very simple: A car ran up in the back of him, forced him out, and an individual with a shot gun at close-range took his life to help that prisoner escape. That murderer is still on death row being paid by the taxpayers of our valley and the family of Sonny Litch. This is stupid. This is ridiculous. I want to read since 1980 the names of eight officers in just my Congressional District that have given their life in service to their fellow people: John R. 'Sonny' Litch of the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office; John Utlak, Niles Police Department; Richard Elton Becker, Poland Police Department; Charles K. Yates, Poland Police Department; Ralph J. DeSalle, Youngstown Police Department; Paul Joseph Durkin, Youngstown Police Department; Millard Williams, Youngstown Police Department; and Carmen J. Renda, Youngstown State University Police.”