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 48AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: OCTOBER 2016 37 impressive amounts. But no donation was any more generous than the elderly woman who sent in three 25-cent stamps — say- ing it was all she could af- ford, but she wanted to help build a monument for our officers. The groundbreaking for the Memorial occurred on October 30, 1989. Two years later, on October 15, 1991, we dedicated law en- forcement’s national monu- ment. The dedication ceremony was preceded the day be- fore by a procession of law enforcement officers and survivors, who walked from the U.S. Capitol to the Me- morial grounds, symbolizing the Memorial’s journey from the Halls of Congress to Ju- diciary Square. Leading the procession was disabled police officer Mark Frye, who had walked 100 miles on crutches from his Delaware home to attend the dedication. Once at the Memorial grounds, 160 readers read all 12,561 names that were inscribed on the Walls of Remembrance. The read- ing continued through the night and took 24 hours to complete. At the dedication ceremo- ny, with more than 25,000 people in attendance, Presi- dent George H. W. Bush spoke eloquently about the Memorial and the people it honors. “They valued the law,” he said. “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.” But the story did not end there. Instead, the Memo- rial’s dedication was only the beginning of an odyssey that continues to this day. By remembering and honoring the fallen, the Memorial has inspired an effort of historic proportions to promote of- ficer safety and wellness. As a result, the last three years have recorded fewer law enforcement fatalities than at any time since the 1950s. The Police Unity Tour, an annual bicycle ride to honor our nation’s fallen officers and to support the Memorial Fund, was formed in 1997. Over the past 20 years, the thousands of participants, along with founder Pat Mon- tuore and executive director Harry Phillips, have raised $20 million to care for the Memorial and support the Memorial Fund’s many im- portant programs. And, now, construction is underway on a museum that will finally and fully tell the story of American law enforcement. The National Law Enforcement Museum will open in 2018 and when it does millions of visitors will know what I have come to know after meeting thou- sands of officers and hearing their stories of courage and compassion — we owe our law enforcement profession- als a huge debt of gratitude. Craig W. Floyd is President and CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and is a regular contribu- tor to AMERICAN POLICE BEAT. Visit www.nleomf.com for more information about law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Celebrating 25 Years of Honoring and Remembering