National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
38°53′48.28″N 77°1′3.19″W / 38.8967444°N 77.0175528°W | |
Location | 444 E Street, NW, Washington, DC, United States |
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Designer | Davis Buckley |
Type | Memorial Wall |
Material | Marble |
Length | 304 ft |
Beginning date | 1984 |
Opening date | October 15, 1991 |
Dedicated to | Law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty |
Website | www.nleomf.org |
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is in Washington, D.C., at
History
Donald J. Guilfoil, a detective with the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association, initiated the federal legislation to establish a National Police Memorial in 1972. Representative Mario Biaggi, formerly a highly decorated police officer, then took up the cause and joined forces with U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI) to establish the national memorial to honor all of America's fallen law enforcement officers.
The legislation to authorize the memorial was enacted in October 1984.
Later developments
Seven years after passage of the authorizing legislation, on October 15, 1991, the memorial was officially dedicated. At the time of dedication, the names of over 12,000 fallen officers were engraved on the Memorial's walls. Currently, there are 23,229 names on the memorial. Each year, during National Police Week, the Memorial Fund hosts a candlelight vigil to formally dedicate the names added to the memorial walls that year; it is normally attended by more than 40,000 visitors.
Design and location
Designed by architect Davis Buckley, the memorial features a reflecting pool which is surrounded by walkways on a 3-acre (12,000 m2) park. Along the walkways are walls that are inscribed with names of all U.S. law enforcement officers—federal, state, and local—who have died in the line of duty. One entrance of the
While the memorial sits on federal land, the monument was constructed and is maintained with private funds, not taxpayer dollars. Public Law 104-329
Sculpture
The memorial features four bronze lions—two male and two female—each watching over a pair of lion cubs. The adult lions were sculpted by Raymond Kaskey, the cubs by George Carr.[4]
Below each lion is carved a different quotation:
"It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived." —Vivian Eney Cross, Survivor
"In valor there is hope."[5] —Tacitus
"The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are as bold as a lion." —Proverbs 28:1
"Carved on these walls is the story of America, of a continuing quest to preserve both democracy and decency, and to protect a national treasure that we call the American dream." —President George H. W. Bush
Gallery
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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial (detail)
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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial lioness statue
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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial lion statue
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The sides of the memorial's walkways are inscribed with the names of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.
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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Candlelight Vigil
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General view
See also
- List of national memorials of the United States
- National Police Memorial in the United Kingdom
- National Police Memorial Australia
- Peace Officers Memorial Day
- The Officer Down Memorial Page
- Blue Mass
References
- ^ Biaggi was wounded in the line of duty over 10 times before retiring in 1965. American Police Officer Hall of Fame and Memorial Archived 2012-07-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Biaggi, Mario (October 19, 1984). "H.J.Res.482 - A joint resolution authorizing the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund to establish a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs". Congress.gov. United States Congress. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
Authorizes the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund to establish the National Law Enforcement Heroes Memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty.
- ^ "Public Law 104–329 104th Congress" (PDF). Congress.gov. United States Congress. October 20, 1996. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
Title II—National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Maintenance Fund
- ^ Carr, George (March 5, 2024). "Collections". George Carr Studio.
- ^ From www
.nleomf .org, The Memorial as archived at Wayback Machine, May 24, 2008