Under many current state laws, minors who have been victims of trafficking are charged as criminals and go to juvenile detention as offenders.

I did not want to lose sight of the fact that for every criminal I have to deal with, no matter how big or small the crime, there is a victim involved. Those victims are the ones that I will strive to serve as an [police] officer.

The more laws that are written, the more criminals are produced.

Imagine having all of your freedoms taken away, being forced to work against your will, and constantly living under the threat of violence - in short, being forced to live as a slave. Sadly, this situation is a reality for millions of children, women, and men each year as part of the global human trafficking industry.

We as a Congress have a moral obligation to bring justice to the families of these victims. Furthermore, as a society based on laws, we have a responsibility to ensure that criminals don't go unpunished.

I think it's long overdue, and I believed that Doris Miller should have been honored a long time ago.