Congressional Recognition of Sgt. John Pohlman
Floor Speech
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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to seek posthumous Congressional Recognition for former Houston Police Sergeant John G. Pohlman, who passed away at the age of 77 on October 12, 2020, after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Sgt. Pohlman was a dedicated father and husband, who is survived by his beloved wife of 30 years, Lenora Sorola-Pohlman; his two children, Jason Pohlman and Robbin Pohlman; his four grandchildren, Greg, Austen, Wren, and Jonathan; and his two great-grandchildren Kathrine and Max.
For 49 years, Sgt. Pohlman proudly served the great city of Houston as a peace officer who never once received a complaint by a citizen he served. Sgt. Pohlman cared deeply about education; he earned both his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Criminal Justice from the University of Houston-Downtown. Sgt. Pohlman joined the Houston Police Department (HPD) in January 1968 and was assigned to the Radio Patrol Division. While in Radio Patrol, he worked as a criminal investigator taking crime scene photos and fingerprints. He was then promoted to Sergeant and assigned to the Narcotics Division in 1975. Eventually, he was placed in charge of investigating that division's internal complaints until his retirement in 2017.
Throughout his remarkable career in law enforcement, Sgt. Pohlman was truly a respected and recognized leader. He was the first Uniform Tactical Unit officer to serve as both a patrolman and a Sergeant; the first Narcotics Division Survival School Firearms Instructor; the first supervisor of the Narcotics High Risk Arrest Team; and a supervisor in the first combined U.S. Customs, IRS and HPD Money Laundering Initiative.
Even on his death bed, Sgt. Pohlman continued to exercise his civic duty. His dying wish was to vote one last time, and in his final moments before departing this world he asked his wife to bring his mail-in ballot to his hospital bed and insisted on completing it in time for the 2020 election. He then had his wife take a photo of his completed ballot hoping to inspire others to fulfill their democratic duty and vote. Moments after casting his final ballot, Sgt. Pohlman passed away.
I am honored to recognize the legacy of Sgt. Pohlman, a true American hero, and his nearly five decades of service to the city of Houston and to this great nation.
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