National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial reflecting pool, with the National Building Museum in the background.

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial showing lioness guarding her cubs and the wall with the names of 17,500 officers killed in the line of duty since the first recorded death in 1792.

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

Location:	Washington, D.C., United States
Coordinates:	38°53′48″N, 77°1′3″W
Established:	1984
Governing body:	National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, in Washington, D.C. at Judiciary Square, honors fallen law enforcement officers.

The memorial was established by an Act of Congress in 1984, and dedicated on October 15, 1991. Designed by architect Davis Buckley, the memorial features a reflecting pool which is surrounded by walkways on a 3 acre park. The site chosen has served for over 200 years as the seat of our nations judicial branch of government. Along the walkways are walls that are inscribed with names of all American law enforcement officers — federal, state, and local — who have died in the line of duty. One entrance of the Judiciary Square metro station is on the memorial site. A visitor center is nearby at 605 E Street Northwest.

Public Law 104-329 (October 20, 1996) created a memorial maintenance fund, managed by the United States Secretary of the Interior and funded by the sale of commemorative coins and donations.

In 2000, Congress approved legislation authorizing the construction of a National Law Enforcement Museum (PL 106-492) to honor the over 17,500 officers who have given their lives in the line of duty. The bill, signed into law by President Clinton on November 9, 2000, authorized the planning for the museum and the adjacent research library, which will be the premiere source of information on law enforcement in the United States. The museum will be built immediately across from the Memorial.