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[Pages S4724-S4725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO TIMOTHY McCARTHY
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, Timothy McCarthy has had an amazing career
in law enforcement where he was at the right place when needed. Whether
it was protecting Presidents or his hometown of Orland Park, Tim has
been where people needed him most. After 48 years, he will be retiring,
and today, I lend my voice to the many who honor him.
Tim dared to try out for the University of Illinois' football team as
a walk-on in 1967, even though he had not played the sport at Leo High
School in Chicago. However, he was so impressive that he was given a
full scholarship the next year, playing strong safety for the Fighting
Illini. Injuries cut his football career short, but he found himself on
another career path, the Secret Service.
With a father who served in the Chicago Police Department as a
sergeant, law enforcement was a natural draw for him. He started out as
an investigator in the Chicago field office for the Secret Service in
1972. Tim moved to the Presidential protection division for President
Jimmy Carter.
On March 30, 1981, Tim was protecting President Ronald Reagan in
Washington. A coin toss with a fellow agent put him into duty that
fateful day. He remembers wearing a brandnew blue-gray suit when John
Hinckley, Jr., stepped out from a crowd with a handgun and attempted to
kill the President.
In 1.7 seconds, John Hinckley, Jr., fired six bullets. The first
bullet hit Press Secretary James Brady. The second hit Washington, DC,
police officer Tom Delahanty. The third was set to hit President
Reagan, but Tim, with that extraordinary courage, stepped in front of
the President and took the bullet in the chest. Another bullet
ricocheted, hitting the President under the arm. Hinckley might have
killed President Reagan, but that day, we were lucky to have Tim
McCarthy doing his duty to protect the Gipper.
Tim spent 2 weeks in the hospital and was back on the job that June.
He would never be able to do the 5 to 7-mile runs he used to do, but he
continued in the Secret Service. Tim received the National Collegiate
Athletic Association Award of Valor in 1982 for his heroic deed. He
remained in touch with President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, for the
rest of their lives. Tim also served in the Presidential protection
division for President George H.W. Bush before returning to Chicago to
run the Secret Service office there.
In 1994, Tim accepted the position of the Orland Park police chief in
Illinois. Often, police chiefs serve 3 to 5 years, but Tim stayed on
for 26 years. He led the development of new policing strategies,
including bike patrol officers, cookouts with police, and community
meetings with beat officers. Under his leadership, the police
department launched villagewide initiatives, addressing mental illness
through a crisis intervention team that focuses on responses to mental
health-related incidents.
Tim was a hands-on leader, whether it was back up for a search
warrant or reporting a crime scene at early hours of the morning or
packing sandbags
[[Page S4725]]
during a flood. In 2016, he received the very first Chief of Police of
the Year Award from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.
This month, Tim is retiring to be with the center of his life his
wife, Carol, his three kids, and seven grandchildren. He has more than
earned it.
Tim McCarthy did more than make history in saving the life of
President Reagan. He has dedicated his life to making America a safer
nation. We were fortunate to be blessed with his courage and his
amazing record of public service.
____________________
