HONORING OFC. ELIJAH K. SHABAZZ AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

HONORING OFC. ELIJAH K. SHABAZZ AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 35 (Friday, February 21, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 35 (Friday, February 21, 2025)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E149] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING OFC. ELIJAH K. SHABAZZ AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH ______ HON. DARREN SOTO of florida in the house of representatives Friday, February 21, 2025 Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, Ofc. Elijah K. Shabazz was born in Albany, Georgia, and his mother and father are from Valdosta, Georgia. Ofc. Shabazz has two brothers and one sister. He is the youngest of his siblings. His family moved to Orlando in the early 70s when he was very young. However, he spent a lot of his childhood in Georgia with his great-grandmother and great-aunts and uncles, which were some of his fondest memories in his formative years. Ofc. Shabazz's mother was a physical therapist for the Orange County School Board working with special needs children, and his father worked in Central Florida for the Tri-County Transit Authority, which is now Lynx Transport. Ofc. Shabazz has always had a special place in his heart to serve. When he was young, he was in the Boy Scouts of America, learning values and discipline to become productive in the community. He was also in the ARMY JROTC while in high school. Ofc. Shabazz would spend time with his mother in the historic town of Eatonville, Florida, volunteering at festivals and community events. As time went on, after getting married and having children of his own, he decided to pursue his dreams of going into law enforcement. Ofc. Shabazz attended the Seminole State College School for Public Safety, where he earned his Florida Law Enforcement Certification. Ofc. Shabazz obtained his degree in the Science of Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia College and became a police officer in Eatonville, Florida, where he served for eight years. While there, he also became a school resource officer at Hungerford Elementary School and resurrected the school safety patrol to give students a sense of meaning, purpose, and integrity, as well as assisting families living in poverty in the community. Ofc. Shabazz also received a letter of commendation before joining the Belle Isle Police Department. Besides conducting his duties as an officer, he assists in new officer field training and as the police department's mental health liaison and senior citizen public relations officer. Ofc. Shabazz received a lifesaving award and a Distinguished Officer of the Year award for 2024 from the Belle Isle Police Department. Ofc. Shabazz continues to serve with pride and self-agency. ____________________