Yellowstone Times

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) recently gave a speech on the Senate floor in support of law enforcement across the country.

The speech followed his co-sponsorship of a Senate resolution that expresses support for the men and women in law enforcement and condemns those who carry out and celebrate targeted violence against those men and women.

While calling them heroes, Daines said they put their lives on the line every day to protect the citizens of their cities.

“They don’t do it for the pay or accolades,” Daines said. “They do it to serve their communities – to keep us safe. The men and women wearing that badge accept every time they leave home to go to their shift and give their loved ones a kiss goodbye, they may never come back home. That is courage.”

Daines praised the recent efforts of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Department, led by Sheriff Brian Gootkin, to save citizens near Daines’ hometown of Bozeman. Members of the department went into the area while smoke covered the area to rescue residents.

The wildfire claimed 28 homes, but because of the law enforcement employees’ efforts, Daines said, nobody died.

“And I can tell you why,” Daines said. “It was the actions of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Department and firefighters and other agencies. This courage is something we should celebrate every day. This is something we should defend every day, including right here on the floor of the United States Senate.”

The topic is important to Daines because of some of the rhetoric and actions around the country surrounding law enforcement officers.

Daines noted the recent incident in which two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in Compton were shot in their patrol car by a suspect who ambushed them and fired from point-blank range. As the deputies were treated at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, protesters chanted “We hope they die,” the sheriff’s department said on Twitter.

Daines also noted that 37 police officers have been killed in the country this year – a 20% increase in the number killed by this time last year.

Then he called on elected leaders to join him with their actions in support of law enforcement officers rather than slashing budgets – or even eliminating police departments altogether – as some communities already have done.

“That talk is crazy,” Daines said. “We had some of this crazy talk in Montana, where some of our communities were looking to take school resource officers out of our schools. Thankfully, the community rose up and they pushed back. In most cases, they stopped it. But that’s happening right in Montana in some communities. The Senators standing before you today will not accept it.”