Officer Down: Miosotis Familia

As fireworks boomed in the sky above the Bronx, 48-year-old law officer Miosotis Familia sat in a mobile command unit. She was a good officer.

Known for her no-nonsense approach to law enforcement, she was friendly with the neighborhood, spoke Spanish, and was always quick with a smile and a wave. But suddenly, an evil outlaw appeared at her window and, with a heart fatally bent on mischief, pointed a .38-caliber revolver through the window and pulled the trigger, cold-bloodedly murdering Officer Familia.

She wore the uniform with the badge, the shield over her heart. Officer Familia was one of 10 siblings from an immigrant family from the Dominican Republic, and she had three children of her own.

Our men and women in blue are being targeted, gunned down for simply wearing the uniform, gunned down by the scourge that prey on the police. Congress should take action and protect those who serve our Nation every day, all day, on the streets of America.

Senator Cornyn and I have introduced the Back the Blue Act of 2017, which increases the penalties for the soulless criminals who intentionally target the law enforcement community. Peace officers are the last strand of wire in the fence between the law and the lawless, between good and evil. 

Taps has been played for the end of watch for Officer Familia. Her life maybe gone, but her service and sacrifice are a reminder of those who give their lives to the thin blue line. So back the blue, back the blue.

And that is just the way it is.