Marilyn Strickland: “I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership in holding this Special Order on such an important issue.…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership in holding this Special Order on such an important issue. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize our law enforcement officers across Washington State and to honor those killed in the line of duty. I want to personally thank our law enforcement officers who work tirelessly to keep our community safe despite staffing shortages and, increasingly too often, at the expense of their own safety. We live in challenging times. We are coming out of a pandemic. Our social safety net has been frayed. People are anxious. Mental and behavioral health issues are prevalent. Gun violence is on the rise. As my colleagues and I gather here to thank and acknowledge the contributions of law enforcement across our State, I also stand here in honor of those officers and deputies injured and killed in recent weeks in the South Puget Sound. For those not familiar with our community, it is a special place, a tight-knit community of veterans, seniors, military families, educators, and, yes, law enforcement professionals who come together to serve and help each other every single day. The past 3 weeks have been rough in our community. We lost one officer and have had at least three more officers and deputies injured. Just this past Thursday evening, two Olympia police officers were stabbed after pursuing a suspect. Thankfully, both are recovering and will be okay.…”