32nd Annual Washington Area Police Memorial Service

Today, at the Washington Area Law Enforcement Memorial Fountain outside the DC Metropolitan Police Headquarters, dozens of law enforcement officers, honor guards, and surviving families gathered to pay tribute and honor the officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in years past. The 32nd Annual Washington Area Police Memorial Service is organized each year by the Metropolitan Police Department, the Fraternal Order of Police DC Lodge #1, and the DC Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.).

Introductory remarks were given by Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier, followed by guest speaker Terrance Gainer, Senate Sergeant-at-Arms of the United States Senate. Vincent Gray, Mayor of the District of Columbia and Rob Baechtel, President of the DC Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors expressed their gratitude to the officers, who were killed in the performance of duty and highlighted the sacrifices made by their surviving family members.



In 2010, the Washington metro area lost six officers, who were honored at today’s service:

• Corporal Thomas Paul Jensen, Prince George’s County (MD) Police Department
• Sergeant Hector Ismael Ayala, Montgomery County (MD) Police Department
• Trooper First Class Wesley Washington John Brown, Maryland State Police
• Police Officer James Early Folwer, III, Baltimore City (MD) Police Department
• Police Officer Thomas Russell Portz, Baltimore City (MD) Police Department
• Police Officer Paul Michael Dittamo, Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, DC

Agency heads from the corresponding departments paid special tribute to each of the fallen heroes lost last year. Following the tributes, Mirella Arroyo, Fraternal Order of Police DC Lodge #1 solemnly recited the names of all of the region’s fallen heroes over the past 32 years—a grand total of 120 officers representing 29 different agencies. During the roll call, law enforcement officers, survivors and supporters walked to the fountain to place a flower, while DC’s Ballou High School Choir sang Gospel hymns in the background.

All six of the officers honored today will have their names formally dedicated on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial this Friday, May 13th, along with 310 other officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Next up: the Police Unity Tour Arrival Ceremony – 2 pm at the Memorial on May 12, 2011. For more information about National Police Week 2011, including a complete schedule of events, visit www.LawMemorial.org/PoliceWeek.

16th Annual LawRide

“We ride in memory of those who paid the ultimate price for their dedication to service and duty. We place the wreaths in honor of their supreme sacrifice,” said Gary Lyons, LawRide Founder.

This Mother’s Day, in the wee hours of the morning, law enforcement officers and motorcycle enthusiasts gathered at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC to prepare for the 16^th Annual LawRide to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Hundreds of riders past the U.S. Capitol, down Pennsylvania Avenue, and up 6^th Street on their way to the Memorial.

Immediately following the ride, a ceremony was held and four ceremonial wreaths were placed at the Memorial’s center medallion, to honor all the fallen heroes of American law enforcement.

Sadly, 10 of the 316 newly engraved names belong to motorcycle officers – six from 2010 and four other officers from dates as far back as 1921. Over 1,250 motorcycle officers have their names inscribed on the Memorial.

It has been over 100 years since the first recorded motorcycle officer death: John Slade of the Pasadena, CA, Police Department was killed on June 1st, 1909, when his department-issued motorcycle was struck by a train.

As usual, LawRide served as the kick-off to National Police Week 2011.

Upcoming on the National Police Week Schedule:

Monday, May 9th: 32nd Annual DC Area Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service, organized by the Fraternal Order of Police DC Lodge #1 Auxiliary. Begins at 11 AM at the Metropolitan Police Department Memorial Fountain, 300 Indiana Avenue, NW.

For more information about National Police Week 2011, including a complete schedule of events, visit www.LawMemorial.org/PoliceWeek.

20th Annual Corrections Officers Wreath Laying Ceremony and Honor Guard Competition

“The problem is that too many Americans take our correctional officers for granted.  Because they work primarily outside of the public view, most citizens simply never give much thought to the more than 500,000 men and women working so valiantly inside our prisons and jails—the incredible dangers they face, the sacrifices they endure, and the contributions they make to the safety of our communities and our nation.”

Today, those brave correctional officers were honored at the 20th Annual Corrections Officers Wreath Laying Ceremony and Honor Guard Competition, hosted by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund on the final day of National Correctional Employees Week.



Craig W. Floyd, Chairman & CEO of the Memorial Fund, was the guest speaker at the ceremony, along with Paul Quander, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety of the District of Columbia. Mr. Floyd read a roll call of corrections officers who died in the performance of duty, while officers marched to the center medallion and placed a single rose. A bell chimed after each name and at the end of the roll call, white doves were released into the skies above the Memorial as a symbolic tribute to the fallen heroes.

The names of 571 correctional officers now grace the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. These courageous heroes are forever remembered, and their light continues to shine through their memory, and through the selfless men and women who continue to serve each day.

17th Annual Blue Mass

Today marks the unofficial start of National Police Week, as public safety and law enforcement officers from the Washington, DC metropolitan area converged at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, to honor and pray for law enforcement and fire safety officers fallen in the line of duty and those currently serving today.

As representatives from Federal and local law enforcement and public safety agencies entered the church, they were flanked by honor guards and pipe and drum corps units.

Blue Mass began in 1934, when police officers gathered to pray for their fallen comrades and seek God's blessing for their own safety. The tradition stopped in the mid-1970s but has since resumed in grander fashion than ever. The name "Blue Mass" comes from the traditional color of many officers' uniforms.

The principal celebrant and homilist for the Blue Mass was Reverend Monsignor Salvatore Criscuolo, Chaplain, D.C. First Responders.

Engraving Day 2011: Remembering Trooper Wesley Brown

Growing up in a rough and oftentimes dangerous area, Maryland State Trooper Wesley Washington John Brown experienced a great deal of violence in his young life — he was once stabbed and even shot in the leg. These experiences taught him the importance of safety and public service. Trooper Brown wanted to make a difference, which is why he took pride in becoming a law enforcement officer.

But Trooper Brown didn’t end his service there —as an adult, he created the group “Young Men Enlightening Younger Men,” to mentor teenagers to live a life free of violence and drugs. To help finance his mentoring program, Trooper Brown took a department-approved part-time job, working security at a local restaurant.

On the night of June 10, 2010, Trooper Brown, working his part time job, escorted a customer who refused to pay his bill to the parking lot outside the restaurant, when the suspect opened fire and fatally shot Trooper Brown. He died in the early morning of June 11th. He was only 24 years old and served with the Maryland State Police for four years.



Today, Trooper Brown’s colleagues, friends, and family gathered to formally unveil his name on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial as part of the annual Engraving Day ceremony.

In his opening remarks, Craig W. Floyd, Chairman & CEO of the Memorial Fund said, "As I look around these grounds, I see so many of his colleagues from the Maryland State Police and from surrounding agencies. That, to me, is the greatest tribute of all. These men and women will now be following in Wesley’s footsteps.”

Maryland State Police Col. Terrence B. Sheridan lamented, “…Wesley was 24 years of age. We don’t know what he would have accomplished in his lifetime but we do know in a very short time he accomplished a lot. More than most people do in a life time… He was one of those Troopers that everyone enjoyed working with and being around.”

After a short ceremony, the Maryland State Police Honor Guard led his friends and family over to panel 19-E. Two Troopers removed a blue curtain from the wall, and Trooper Brown’s mother, Patricia Bell, approached the wall, teary-eyed, to do an etching of her son’s newly engraved name followed by Trooper Brown’s father Sylvester Brown.  Also on hand were the Trooper’s sisters and brother.

As a testament to Trooper Brown’s life, several of the young men he mentored attended today’s ceremony. Eugene W. Grant, Mayor of Seat Pleasant, MD — Trooper Brown’s hometown — was also present to extend his well wishes, as was Ebony Norris, Trooper Brown’s fiancée, who currently serves with the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC.

Six-Year-Old Shea Supports Law Enforcement

When it comes to making a difference in your community, there are no age limitations. Shea, a motivated and driven six-year-old entrepreneur, is a prime example. According to The Official Lemonade Day Blog, she began making plans for her Lemonade Day stand when she learned about others who are less privileged. Shea decided she wanted to do something to help them.

Lemonade Day, held on the first Sunday in May each year in cities across America, is a fun, entrepreneurial and experiential learning program that teaches youth not only how to start their own business by operating a lemonade stand, but fundamental lessons about life, success and themselves.

After explaining her ideas for a Lemonade Day stand, her family members were quick to offer their support. Her mother agreed to help her with marketing, fundraising, and other logistics, while her grandmother helped her design a logo to print onto aprons, and her father lent a hand in building the stand.

While difficult to choose just one cause to support, Shea finally settled on The Twin Towers Initiative, which honors the 72 police officers killed on 9/11 and raises funds for the National Law Enforcement Museum, set to open in Washington, DC in 2013.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund recognizes and thanks Shea and all of our loyal supporters for their dedication to America’s law enforcement officers. It is thanks to the generosity of others that the National Law Enforcement Museum is being built to honor the admirable law enforcement profession and its heroes, both fallen and living.

For more on this story, go to:
http://lemonadeday.wordpress.com/
http://www.lemonadeday.org/home
http://www.facebook.com/lemonadeday

Race to Remember 2010 Raises $10,000 for National Law Enforcement Museum

On Monday, Memorial Fund Chairman & CEO Craig Floyd was presented with a $10,000 check by the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC. The funds were raised at the 3rd Annual 2010 Race to Remember, held four months prior on Sunday, October 17, 2010.

Nearly 700 runners gathered at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to race around the nation’s capital, showing their support for law enforcement officers by raising awareness and funds for the Memorial.

Chief Cathy Lanier thanked Memorial Fund staffers Mary Brown and Anne Kringen for their efforts in putting together the race, along with Assistant Chief Pat Burke and Officer Greg Alemian from MPD, and Marcello Muzzatti, President of the DC FOP Lodge #1.

After three years, the Race to Remember has raised over $30,000 to help build the National Law Enforcement Museum.

The Memorial Fund would like to thank each and every Race to Remember participant, all of our generous sponsors and supporters, the DC FOP Lodge #1, and the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC for their continued efforts in honoring America’s peace officers.