[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 150 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)] [Senate] [Page S7955] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO RAYMOND M. KIGHTMr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I recognize the outstanding career and service of Raymond M. Kight, who is the longest-serving elected sheriff of Montgomery County. Ray Kight was an Army veteran when he joined the Montgomery County Police Department in 1963. He was sworn in as deputy sheriff in 1967 and was elected sheriff in 1986. During his tenure, Sheriff Kight transitioned the office into a modern, professional law enforcement agency. In addition to the traditional role in the service of legal process, protecting the courts, transporting prisoners and apprehending fugitives, the Sheriff's Office now provides responsive services to the community, including a family law unit that provides immediate law enforcement and social service intervention in domestic violence situations. Sheriff Kight was part of the strategic planning responsible for designing and implementing the interagency Montgomery County Family Justice Center, which opened in May, 2009, and has since served over 2,000 domestic violence victims. Under Sheriff Kight's administration, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office became the first Sheriff's Office in Maryland to be nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, CALEA. Sheriff Kight has also brought professionalism and recognition to the office by requiring uniforms for all deputies, marked Sheriff's office vehicles, and standardized training. He established the Sheriff's Office SWAT team, K-9 explosive detection teams, and hostage negotiators. These units are deployed throughout Montgomery County in cooperation with the Montgomery County Police Department. The sheriff's deputies maintain partnerships and serve in major regional Federal, State, and county law enforcement task forces, including the U.S. Marshal Service's Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, CARFTF, as well as the Firearms and Gang Task Forces. I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Sheriff Raymond Kight for his 50 years of public service. I ask you to join me in thanking him for his dedication to the safety of the residents of Montgomery County, MD, and in sending him best wishes for a well-deserved retirement. ____________________