Memorial logo
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Location within Washington, D.C.
Location within Washington, D.C.
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Coordinates | 38°53′48.28″N 77°1′3.19″W / 38.8967444°N 77.0175528°WCoordinates: 38°53′48.28″N 77°1′3.19″W / 38.8967444°N 77.0175528°W |
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Location | 400 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC |
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 in Washington, D.C., at Judiciary Square, honors 21,183 U.S. law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty throughout history. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) was established by former U.S. Representative Mario Biaggi (D-NY), a 23-year New York City police veteran who was wounded in the line of duty over 10 times before retiring in 1965.
The mission of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is to generate increased public support for the law enforcement profession by permanently recording and appropriately commemorating the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers; and to provide information that will help promote law enforcement safety.
Donald J. Guilfoil, a detective with the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association, initiated the federal legislation to establish a National Police Memorial in 1972. Rep. Biaggi then took up the cause and joined forces with U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI) to establish the national monument to honor all of America's fallen law enforcement officers.
The legislation to authorize the memorial was enacted in October 1984. Fifteen national law enforcement organizations were responsible for the passage of the legislation, along with designing the memorial, finding the site to build the memorial, and raising the funds to build the memorial. The following police groups comprise the board of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and continue to oversee operations of the memorial: Concerns of Police Survivors; Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association; Fraternal Order of Police; Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary; International Association of Chiefs of Police; International Brotherhood of Police Officers; International Union of Police Associations/AFL-CIO; National Association of Police Organizations; National Black Police Association; National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives; National Sheriffs' Association; National Troopers Coalition; Police Executive Research Forum; Police Foundation; and the United Federation of Police. In 2009, a 16th member was added to the NLEOMF board: the Police Unity Tour, an organization of law enforcement officers who ride bicycles hundreds of miles to the memorial each May during National Police Week to honor and raise awareness of officers killed in the line of duty. In 2012, three additions were made to the Board including representatives from DuPont, Motorola and Target. There are also four honorary board organizations: the FBI National Academy Associates; the Federal Criminal Investigators Association; the International Association of Women Police; and the International Conference of Police Chaplains.