Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 4836 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: OCTOBER 2016 by Craig W. Floyd T his year marks the 25th anni- versary of the dedication of the National Law Enforcement Officers Me- morial. The importance of that monument has never been greater. At a time when the char- acter and conduct of our officers is being questioned by some, the Memorial re- minds us that more than 20,000 members of the law enforcement profession have laid down their lives for the protection and safety of oth- ers, and another 900,000 willingly face that same risk every day serving and pro- tecting their communities. In 1972, Detective Donald Guilfoil of the Suffolk Coun- ty (NY) Police Department first proposed the idea for a national memorial honoring fallen peace officers. The cause was then cham- pioned by a Congressman from New York City named Mario Biaggi, who had served for 23 years as a New York City policeman, retiring in 1965 as the Department’s most decorated officer. In 1984, the law he au- thored to establish the Na- tional Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was passed by Congress and signed by President Ron- ald Reagan. I had the very good fortune of serving as Congressman Biaggi’s legislative assistant for the first 10 years of my professional life, and it was 32 years ago that he appointed me to the po- sition I am so privileged to hold today as found- ing CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. The Memorial Fund, a nonprofit organization, was formed to select a proper site and design for the Memorial, and raise all of the money to complete the project. Congressman Biaggi in- vited 15 national law en- forcement organizations to sit on the Board of Directors, ensuring that this National Memorial represented every officer, family member and survivor of the fallen across America. After two years, little prog- ress had been made and so we turned to someone who knew something about building a national memorial — his name was Jan Scruggs and he was the person re- sponsible for getting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial built. Jan became our first full-time employee. After more than two years of effort, Judiciary Square was selected as the site for the National Law Enforce- ment Officers Memorial. Thanks to the brilliance of our architect, Davis Buckley, and our sculptor, Ray Kas- key, a world-class design was soon approved that would turn an ill-kempt park into what is now the crown jewel of a major historical space in our nation’s capital. One of the toughest chal- lenges was finding the names that belonged on the Memo- rial walls. The FBI had records that dated back to 1961, but no one had ever documented all of the officers who had made the ultimate sacrifice throughout history. We canvassed every one of the roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies na- tionwide with multiple let- ters and phone calls. The response was mixed — some had their doubts about our legitimacy. To calm the skep- tics, we sent a letter signed by the Attorney General of the United States, Dick Thornburgh, which con- vinced them all that this Memorial effort was indeed for real. The Memorial cost $11 million to build. Every dol- lar came from private dona- tions. No taxpayer money was ever used and when we dedicated the Memorial, all of the bills had been paid and we had incurred not a single dollar of debt. More than a million citi- zens, along with corporate America, teamed up to en- sure this monument was built. Law enforcement officers across the land certainly contributed more than their fair share, but in the end, I always felt that the National Memorial was truly a gift of appreciation from the American people to the of- ficers who served them so well. There are so many won- derful examples of the gener- osity that went into building the National Memorial. The New York City PBA gave $500,000, more than any other single organization. Corporate titans like Du- Pont, Mag Instrument, Ford Motor Company and Mo- torola all gave similarly Continued on next page National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial at 25 National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial at 25 A gift from the American people to the officers who served them so well At the dedication ceremony, with more than 25,000 people in attendance, President George H. W. Bush, pictured below with his wife Barbara, said, “They valued the law. They valued peace – the peace of a civilized community that protects children at play, families at home, and storekeepers at work. They valued human life – so much that they were prepared to give their lives to protect it.”