The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund held a wreath laying ceremony on Tuesday, October 15, to commemorate the Memorial's dedication 11 years ago. All officers who have been killed in the line of duty were honored, as well as their families.
The Memorial was dedicated in 1991 by
President George Bush. Its construction was authorized by the United States Congress and more than a million Americans donated the funds to build it.
There are nearly 16,000 names inscribed on the Memorial's marble walls, representing the federal, state and local officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice so others could be safe.
The recent ceremony gave special tribute to eight officers who lost their lives recently in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore area:
Kevin Joseph McCarthy (Baltimore City Police Department);
John David Platt (Baltimore City Police Department);
Mark Frank Parry (Baltimore County Police Department);
Kristin M. Pataki (Maryland National Capital Park Police);
Hakim Farthing (U.S. Park Police);
Crystal D. Sheffield (Baltimore City Police Department)/
James Arnaud (Prince George's County Sheriffs Department);
Elizabeth L. Magruder (Prince George's County Sheriffs Department).