WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) spoke on the Senate floor to honor the life of Tyler Herndon, a Mount Holly Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty last week.

Watch a video of the speech here.

Transcript:

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 who 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 wanted 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 an officer with the Mount Holly PD for less than two years.

He is described by his colleagues on the Mount Holly Police Department as “the guy you just can’t help but like.” He was active in his community as not only a law enforcement officer, but as a volunteer at local schools. His goal was to become an FBI officer, and he was just approaching the two years he needed as a police officer to become eligible to apply.

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 each and every day they go to work to protect our communities. 

In 2020, there have been 47 law enforcement officers killed in the U.S. Of those, eight were ambushed in premeditated attacks, two were victims of an unprovoked attack, and the other 37 officers 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 were not only law enforcement officers. They were someone’s loving parent. They were someone’s spouse. They were someone’s child.

That’s 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. Our debates in Congress should not be about whether to defund or abolish the police. It should be 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 in blue who protect North Carolina. Congress needs to start showing more support and respect for law enforcement not only through our words but our actions. And we must hold the violent criminals who target them accountable.

That’s why I and several of my Senate colleagues have introduced the Protect and Serve Act, legislation that would create federal penalties for individuals who deliberately target local, state, or federal law enforcement officers with violence.

Next Congress I plan to re-introduce this legislation and work to build support until 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 still choose to – they’ll regret it.

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

Tyler Herndon is an officer who answered the call and ran to danger in order to protect others. 

My thoughts and prayers are with Officer Herndon’s family, the Mount Holly Police Department, and the residents of the community he served.

We will never forget the sacrifice he made to protect the community he loved.

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