Recent Losses Remind Us to Honor Our Law Enforcement Officers

It is with a heavy heart that I write this.

Two weeks ago, Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputy Dominique "Dom" Calata, a 35-year-old Army veteran who had been with the force for the past six and a half years, made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting his community. While assisting the South Sound Gang Task Force in serving a warrant for second-degree assault, Deputy Calata was shot and killed.

Deputy Calata leaves behind his wife and 4-year-old son.

Tragically, during his memorial service this past Friday, Everett Police Department Officer Dan Rocha was killed during a run-in with a suspect who shot and killed him before running over his body while fleeing the scene.

Officer Rocha leaves behind his wife and two children.

Our nation has seen an alarming spike in the targeting of law enforcement officers—and it is happening in our own backyard. In 2021 alone, 593 officers across the nation lost their lives in the line of duty.

Let me be clear: nothing justifies the targeting and murdering of law enforcement. Whether on regularly scheduled patrol duty or answering a call for help, law enforcement officers put on their uniforms every day with no guarantee they will return home safely. They swear an oath to protect and defend their communities, and they do so with pride.

Our law enforcement officers deserve nothing less than our full support. I am deeply concerned with the anti-police policies the State of Washington has implemented and continues to consider. While there have been positive steps taken to overturn some of this legislation, I urge the men and women in Central Washington to continue to contact their state representatives to let them know that you do not support these absurd policies—and that you want our police officers to be able to do their jobs.

Over the past several years, I have had many opportunities to meet with police officers, sheriffs, and first responders across Central Washington. I formed a Law Enforcement Working Group so I could speak with representatives from departments in our district about how we can ensure safety throughout our neighborhoods, cut down on violent crime, and increase trust within the communities.

I’ve participated in ride-alongs with officers from Pasco and Sunnyside to see firsthand how they interact with their neighbors and local businesses, and I regularly meet with law enforcement officers in each of our counties to learn how I can help them in Congress to make their policing efforts more effective.

I am constantly in awe of the work these officers are doing to engage with families in need, at-risk children and students, and individuals in danger. They do all of this with the goal of making our Central Washington communities a better, safer place to live and work, and for that, I am grateful.

Police officers around the country are dedicated to protecting us and defend the liberties we hold dear. Law enforcement officers selflessly put themselves in harm’s way to protect Americans, preserve the peace, and maintain law and order. They are truly heroes in blue, and we owe them our respect and support

Today, I remember Deputy Calata and Officer Rocha, and offer my sincere condolences to the family, friends, and departments that they left behind too soon. I commit to continuing to fight for the men and women in law enforcement and their families who sacrifice so much to keep our communities safe.