The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) will host a commemorative event that begins the sacred process of engraving the names of fallen law enforcement heroes who lost their lives in 2022, and years prior, upon the walls of the National Law Enforcement Memorial. The first of 556 names will be engraved immediately following the ceremony.

The Monday, April 10 event begins at 10 a.m. EST and will be livestreamed on NLEOMF’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NLEOMF.

Bill Alexander will open the event and then be followed by Msgr. Sal Criscuolo with a brief prayer. NLEOMF CEO Marcia Ferranto and Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis will provide brief remarks.

Prior to National Police Week each year, the names of the officers who died in the line of duty in the preceding year and years prior are engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. As the leading authority of line-of-duty deaths, NLEOMF strives to ensure that every name engraved on the Memorial is thoroughly vetted and authenticated to maintain its integrity for perpetuity. The 556 fallen heroes, including 224 killed in the line of duty in 2022, will be formally added to the Memorial and their names read aloud during the 35th Annual Candlelight Vigil, scheduled for Saturday, May 13.

The engraving process starts as a stencil of names laid on the panel to ensure engravings will be made at the proper distance, then surrounded by protective material and sandblasted from multiple angles to create each individual letter until an entire line of names is complete. This repeats until all names are fully engraved, which can take several weeks to complete.