October 14, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today spoke on floor of the U.S. Senate about fallen Las Vegas police officer Milburn “Millie” Beitel.  Officer Beitel died in the line of duty last Thursday morning and will be laid to rest this morning.  Below are Reid’s prepared remarks.

“Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Milburn Beitel will be laid to rest this morning.  His friends called him “Millie.”  He was just 30 years old.

“Officer Beitel died early last Thursday morning, just hours after his patrol car crashed near the intersection of Washington Avenue and Nellis Boulevard in Las Vegas.  The officer who was with him, a 25 year old man, remains in serious but stable condition.

“My thoughts and those of the United States Senate are with Officer Beitel’s family, his friends and his fellow officers.  Our thoughts are also with the second officer, whom we wish a full and speedy recovery.

“We also share the grief of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.  This is the second time in five months that the department has lost one of its own.  This past May, Las Vegas Police Officer James Manor – a husband and a new father – was responding to a call in the same Las Vegas community where he grew up.  He was struck by a drunk driver and killed.  Officer Manor was 28 years old.

“Terrible events like this one make us appreciate the selfless police officers who have fallen in the line of duty – and we think of their loved ones, people whose father or mother went to work one morning and never came home; those who know the terrible experience of mourning their son or their daughter; those whose husband, or wife, or best friend was taken from them too soon.

“This morning we are reminded of the bravery of those who go to work every day and put their lives at risk to protect people they don’t know.  We remember and honor Officer Beitel, and we thank all his fellow officers and their families for their service and their sacrifice.”