Honoring Tyler Herndon

Floor Speech

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Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I am here today to honor the life of Officer Tyler Herndon, a member of the Mount Holly Police Department in North Carolina, not far from where I live. He tragically lost his life in the line of duty last week, just days before his 26th birthday.

Officer Herndon will be laid to rest today, and I want to take a moment to honor his life, his service to his community, and speak about the noble profession he chose.

Officer Herndon was responding to a report of a break-in on Friday morning, and upon his arrival, he was murdered on the scene. He had been a police officer at Mount Holly for less than 2 years. He is described by his colleagues on the Mount Holly Police Department as ``the guy you just couldn't help but like.'' He was active in his community, not only as a law enforcement officer but as a volunteer in local schools. His goal was to become an FBI officer, and he was just approaching the 2 years he needed as a police officer to become eligible to apply for the FBI.

Officer Herndon's life and promising career were senselessly taken away. His tragic death is a reminder of the dangers our men and women in blue face every single day that they go to work to protect our communities.

In 2020, this year, we have lost 47 police officers who have been killed in the line of duty across the United States. Of those, 8 were ambushed in premeditated attacks, 2 were victims of an unprovoked attack, and 37 officers were killed in the line of duty. These gruesome killings are in addition to the hundreds of officers who have been shot and injured this year.

These 47 Americans are not only law enforcement officers--they are somebody's parent; they are someone's spouse; they are someone's child. That is a point that has unfortunately been neglected by some, especially given the shameful effort to not only minimize the work of law enforcement but to also demonize it.

Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to keep us safe every single day. Our debates in Congress should not be about whether to defund or abolish the police; they should be about how we can respect and support law enforcement through greater investments and commonsense reforms.

I will never turn my back on the brave men and women of law enforcement who protect North Carolina and protect communities across this great Nation.

Congress needs to start showing more support and respect for law enforcement, not only through our words but through our actions, and we must hold violent criminals who target them accountable. That is why I and several other Senate colleagues have introduced the Protect and Serve Act. It is legislation that would create Federal penalties for individuals who deliberately target local, State, and Federal law enforcement officers with violence.

Next Congress, I plan to reintroduce this legislation and work to build support until its passage because, with increased penalties like those proposed in the Protect and Serve Act, criminals may start thinking twice before targeting an officer, and if they choose to do it, they are going to regret it.

There is no doubt that being a law enforcement officer is one of the hardest and most dangerous jobs in this country, but it is also one of the most noble and honorable professions. They run to danger to protect others. They are fully aware of those dangers as they go through the police academy and begin their career as officers. Yet they do it every single day.

Tyler Herndon is an officer who answered the call, ran into danger to protect others, and lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with Officer Herndon's family, the Mount Holly Police Department, and the community he served. I want Tyler Herndon's family and law enforcement across the State of North Carolina to know that we will never forget the sacrifice he made and they make every day and that we are going to work hard to get them the respect and the resources they deserve.

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