With strong backing from America's law enforcement, corporate and philanthropic communities, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) announced today that it will break ground in October on the first-ever National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, D.C.

Groundbreaking will take place Oct. 14. The museum will be built on federal land across the street from the existing National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in historic Judiciary Square, the symbolic seat of the nation's criminal justice system. A gala celebration is planned for that evening at the National Building Museum. The National Law Enforcement Museum is scheduled to open in late 2013.

"Almost 10 years after Congress authorized this project, and following a lot of hard work, planning and generosity from the law enforcement community, corporate America and caring citizens, we are very excited and eager to get shovels in the ground later this year," said Craig W. Floyd, chairman and chief executive officer of the Memorial Fund. "Law enforcement officers have been serving and sacrificing for our nation dating back to the earliest days of American history. Their story needs and deserves to be told," he declared.

The non-profit NLEOMF, which built and maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, is also leading the effort to build the National Law Enforcement Museum. The NLEOMF's governing body is composed of top officials from 16 national law enforcement organizations.

The 55,000-square-foot, mostly underground institution will be a world-class experiential museum with high-tech interactive exhibitions. The Museum will include a vast collection of law enforcement artifacts and dedicated spaces for research and education.

Funds for the construction and development of the Museum are being raised privately by the NLEOMF, which has launched an $80 million capital campaign called "A Matter of Honor." To date, law enforcement organizations, corporations, foundations and individuals from across the country have donated nearly $40 million toward that goal. The District of Columbia Government has also been a strong supporter of the project, authorizing up to $80 million in industrial revenue bonds and providing a 20-year sales tax credit for the Museum worth up to $10 million.

The mission of the National Law Enforcement Museum is to tell the story of American law enforcement through exhibits, collections, research, and education. For more information, visit www.LawEnforcementMuseum.org.