A WALKING TOUR OF THE MEMORIAL

HISTORY

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was authorized by an act of the United States Congress and was dedicated seven years later by President George Bush, on October 15, 1991. It honors all of America's federal, states and local peace officers. Inscribed on the Memorial's blue-gray marble walls are the names of more than 18,200 men and women who have been killed in the line of duty, dating back to the first known death in 1792.

Designed by Washington, DC architect Davis Buckley, the Memorial sits on three acres of federal park land called Judiciary Square, located on the 400 block of E Street, NW. The site has served for some 200 years as the seat of our nation's judicial branch of government. A glance around the space finds plush carpets of grass, nearly 60,000 plants and 128 trees decorating the Memorial grounds. Each year, around the first of April, some 14,000 orange and yellow daffodils make the Memorial one of Washington's most spectacular attractions. The total cost of the Memorial was $11 million, all of which was raised through private donations.

The Memorial is flanked on the east and west by DC Superior Court buildings and to the north by the Old Pension Building (now the National Building Museum), which was designed by General Montgomery Meigs and dedicated in 1887 to serve the Civil War pensioners.

POINTS OF INTEREST
*Use the map to follow the tour.

3. Lion Statuary - Bordering the Memorial's beautifully landscaped park are two tree-lined "pathways of remembrance", where the names of the fallen officers are engraved. Each of the four pathway entrances is adorned with powerful statuary grouping of an adult lion protecting its cubs. Raymond Kaskey, a local artist, sculpted the bronze statues. They symbolize the protective role of our law officers and convey the strength, courage and valor that are the hallmarks of those who serve the law enforcement profession. Each adult lion figure weighs approximately 2,500 pounds.
   
   
4. The Names - The names of the fallen officers are sandblasted into marble imported from Canada. Both walls containing the names are 304 feet long. There were 12,561 names on the Memorial when it was dedicated in 1991. New names are added in May, just prior to National Police Week. The walls are more than half filled. Facing the grim reality that more officers will be killed, Memorial organizers left space for more names to be added. There is room for 42 lines on each panel, or a total of 29,233 names. If the current rate of death continues, the walls will be filled around the year 2050.
   
   

   WEST WALL

5. The deadliest day in law enforcement history was on September 11, 2001 when 72 officers were killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on America. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department lost 37 officers, more than any other agency ever for a single year or incident. The New York City Police Department suffered 23 deaths, the second highest fatality figure ever recorded by a law enforcement agency for a single year or incident. In addition, the following departments also lost sworn law enforcement officers in the terrorist attacks: the New York State Department of Taxation & Finance (5), the New York Court Administration (3), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1), the New York City Fire Department (1) and the United States Secret Service (1). The United States Fish & Wildlife Service lost one officer who was on board United Flight 93 which was hijacked by terrorists and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The names of the 72 officers are located on panel 9W, line 23 beginning with Donald McIntyre through panel 22W, line 23 ending with Ronald Bucca.
   
   
6. Officers Killed by Billy the Kid and Other Notorious Outlaws (panel 13W, line 3) - William H. Bonney, also known as "Billy the Kid" built his legend on crime and violence. Between 1878 and 1881, Bonney was responsible for murdering six law enforcement officers in New Mexico. Five of those six names, Deputies James W. Bell, James Carlysle, George Hindman, Robert Olinger and Sheriff William Brady appear together on this panel. The sixth officer killed, Robert Beckwith, was not linked to Billy the Kid until after the Memorial was built. His name is located on panel 29E, line 19.
   
   Many other officers died at the hands of notorious outlaws:
   John Dillinger and his gang murdered nine officers during the 1930's: Officer Howard Wagner, Trooper Eugene Teague, Sheriff Jesse Sarber, Patrolman William O'Malley, Patrolman Martin O'Brien, Officer Francis Mulvihill, Patrolman Edward Mulvihill, Chief Franklin Culp and Undersheriff Charles Cavanagh.
   
   Lester Gillis (aka Baby Face Nelson) killed three FBI agents in 1934: Special Agents W. Carter Baum, Samuel Cowley and Herman Hollis.
   The Bonnie and Clyde gang was responsible for the deaths of nine officers between 1932 and 1934: Constable William Campbell, Deputy Malcolm Davis, Constable J.W. Harryman, Marshal H.D. Humphrey, Detective Harry McGinnis, Deputy Eugene Moore, Patrolman H.D. Murphy and Patrolman Edward Wheeler.
   
   
7. Walter A. Schroeder and John D. Schroeder (panel 16W, line 1) - The names of two brothers appear on the Memorial. Officer Walter A. Schroeder was killed on September 24, 1970 during a bank robbery in Boston. Twenty-three years later an accomplice to his murder, former student radical Katherine Ann Powers, surrendered to federal authorities. On November 30, 1973 his older brother, Detective John D. Schroeder was shot and killed during another attempted bank robbery. John and Walter Schroeder collectively served 41 years with the Boston Police Department and left behind a total of 13 children.
   
   
8. Leslie W. Coffelt (panel 23W, line1) - On November 1, 1950, U.S. Secret Service Officer Leslie W. Coffelt was shot and killed by Puerto Rican nationalists during an aborted assassination attempt on President Truman. The attack occurred at Blair House, which was the temporary home of the President while the White House was being renovated. Officer Coffelt is one of 28 Secret Service officers to have died in the line of duty; however, he is the only one from its Uniformed Division to make the ultimate sacrifice.
   
   
9. Robert Forsyth, First Federal Officer Killed (panel 36W, line1) - On January 11, 1794, U.S. Marshal Robert Forsyth became the first federal officer to be killed in the line of duty. His shooting death occurred in Augusta, Georgia when he went to a house to serve two brothers, Beverly and William Allen, with court papers in a civil suit. It appeared to be a fairly routine matter, but when Marshal Forsyth asked to speak to the two brothers they ran upstairs and locked themselves in a room. When Marshal Forsyth and his two deputies approached, Beverly Allen fired a pistol shot through the door striking Forsyth in the head and killing him instantly. Although the two deputies promptly arrested the Allen brothers, they later escaped and were never brought to justice. Marshal Forsyth is one of the 13 original U.S. Marshals appointed by President George Washington, and was long thought to be the first officer killed in the line of duty. There are 951 Federal Officers honored on the Memorial, 219 of them from the U.S. Marshal Service.
   
   
10. Charlie A. Batts, youngest officer killed (panel 40W, line 25) - On April 22, 1879, Jailer Charlie A. Batts, of the Bastrop County, Texas, Sheriff's Office, was on guard duty at the Bastrop County Jail when he was struck by lightning. Jailer Batts was 17 years old at the time of his death. The average age of all officers killed on the Memorial is 38.
    
    
11. Until September 11, 2001, Most Officers Killed in One Incident (panel 41W, line 10) - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Police Officer Edward Spindler was one of nine officers from his department to be killed in a bomb blast on November 24, 1917. An unsuspecting citizen turned in a suspicious package that had been left at a neighborhood building to police headquarters. The bomb blew up before it could be inspected killing Officers Frank Caswin, Frederick Kaiser, David O'Brien, Charles Seehawer, Stephen Stecher, Albert Templin, Paul Weiler and Keeper Henry Deckert. That same day, in an unrelated incident, Detective William Rourke, was fatally shot while attempting to question a suspect in Columbus, Ohio, making November 24, 1917 the deadliest in U.S. law enforcement history prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
    
    
12. Anna Hart, First Female Officer Killed (panel 47W, line 21) - On July 24, 1916, Jail Matron Hart, of the Hamilton County, Ohio, Sheriff's Office, became the first female law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty. Matron Hart was walking through a section of the county jail she believed to be secured. An inmate, Reuben Ellis, had hidden behind a curtain holding an iron bedpost. He struck her in the head as she walked by in an attempt to secure her keys and escape. Matron Hart was 45 years old at the time of her death. Today, the names of 223 female officers appear on the Memorial. Only nine of those deaths occurred prior to 1970. Fourteen female officers were killed in 1998, more than in any other single year.
    
    

    EAST WALL

13. Young Brothers Massacre, the Single Deadliest Law Enforcement Gunfight (panel 16E, line 17) - On January 2, 1932, six lawmen - Sheriff Marcell Hendrix, Deputy Ollie Crosswhite, Deputy Wiley Mashburn, Chief of Detectives Tony Oliver, Detective Sidney Meadows and Officer Charley Houser - were killed in a shootout in Greene County, Missouri as they attempted to apprehend two barricaded suspects wanted for the murder of Marshal Mark Noe.
    
    
14. Officers Killed in the Attica Prison Riot (panel 20E, line 3) - On September 9, 1971, inmates took over the Attica State Prison in upstate New York. Thirty-nine hostages were taken and after four days of stalled negotiations, Governor Nelson Rockefeller ordered New York State Troopers to move in and quell the riot. In the ensuing bloodshed, 32 inmates and 11 hostages died, including seven Correctional Officers who are listed together on this panel: John D'Archangelo, Edward D. Cunningham, Richard J. Lewis, William E. Quinn, Carl W. Valone, Ronald Werner and Harrison Whalen. Today, there are 527 correctional officers listed on the Memorial.
    
    
15. William Johnson, First African American Officer Killed (panel 24E, line 23) - On April 10, 1870, Officer William Johnson of the Jacksonville, Florida, Sheriff's Office responded to a disturbance call and became involved in a struggle with an extremely strong and intoxicated male. Officer Johnson was picked up by the suspect and slammed to the ground. Officer Johnson died two days later of internal injuries. Officer Johnson is the first African-American officer known to have died in the line of duty.
    
    
16. Isaac Smith, First Officer Killed in the Line of Duty (panel 30E, line 21) - Only recently were Memorial researchers able to confirm that the first line of duty death took place in New York City, when on May 17, 1792, Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith was shot and killed while attempting to serve a warrant for disturbing the peace. As Deputy Smith approached, the suspect produced a revolver and shot Deputy Smith at close range. Deputy Smith left a wife and two young children. There are over 2,000 Deputy Sheriffs honored on the Memorial.
    
    
17. Supra C. Woodroof, Oldest Officer Killed (panel 44 E, line 25) - On February 29, 1908, Virginia Department of Corrections Guard Woodroof died of a fractured skull when he fell from the wall of the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond. Guard Woodroof was walking up the stairs to the parapet of the outer wall when he stumbled, lost his grip and fell forty feet onto a pile of lumber. Supra C. Woodroof was 85 years old at the time of his death, making him the oldest law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty.
    
    
18. J. D. Tippit, Killed by Lee Harvey Oswald (panel 63E, line 9) - Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald soon after President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Officer Tippit attempted to question Oswald after he saw the assassin walking along a Dallas street. Oswald pulled a .38 revolver and shot Officer Tippit four times. Oswald hid in a local movie theater, but was arrested a short time later for the murder of the officer. Officer Tippit's name appears next to that of a fallen officer named John Kennedy to help recall his special place in history. Three other officers named John Kennedy are also inscribed on the Memorial walls.
    
    
19. Central Plaza - The Memorial's beautiful central plaza features intricate paving patterns, the Memorial and American flags, a metal pergola and gazebos, and at the very center of the Memorial space a bronze medallion that bears the Memorial name and logo. The logo depicts a blue shield with a red rose draped across it. The shield is the universally recognized symbol of law enforcement. The blue color is representative of the "thin blue line" of protection that our officers provide between the lawless and the lawful. The red rose is a sign of everlasting remembrance, and the love, honor and respect our nation feels toward our officers.

TOURS AVAILABLE