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Michigan Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial
Site Dedication
The
winning design for the Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
Monument was unveiled at a press conference in Lansing on February 8,
2007.
“Moving the monument to the design stage is an historic milestone,”
said police
survivor Kathy Cole, Chairperson of the Commission. “It represents
years of hard
work, hundreds of hours of preparation, and the hopes of many survivors
that this
Memorial would become a reality.”
Against a backdrop of uniformed police officers in the Atrium of
Constitution Hall,
Michigan’s Attorney General Mike Cox remembered three Detroit Police
Department officers—Officer Jerry Philpot, Officer Michael Scanlon, and
Officer
Neil Wells. All three officers had previously helped Attorney General
Cox in his
investigations, and all three lost their lives in the line of duty.
Other speakers included Lt. Colonel Timothy Yungfer from the Michigan
State
Police, representing Governor Jennifer Granholm, and Lansing Mayor Virg
Bernero. Larry Julian, former State Representative, who sponsored the
legislation for the Memorial Commission in 2004, said, “This memorial
will serve
for eternity, the memory of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for
the safety of
each of us, our families and our great State.”
Lt. Kevin Sommers from the Warren Police Department presented the
Commission with a $2000 check from the Christopher M. Wouters Family
Foundation. D/Sgt. Wouters, killed in the line of duty in 2000, was a
friend and
co-worker of Lt. Sommers.
Commission Vice Chairperson and police survivor Lin Emmert introduced
the
design finalist and said, “We feel strongly that the chosen design
recognizes,
honors, and respects the ultimate sacrifice made by our fallen law
enforcement
heroes.” David Milling, of David Milling & Associates/Architects of
Ann Arbor, was
then called upon to present his winning design, called “Sentinel.” It
is composed
of 21 sentinels—4’ X 8’ glass panels engraved with the names of fallen
officers—
‘standing vigil over the memories of those lost.’ The panels march from
west to
east and will be lit from below. The transparency of the panels
provides a sense
of strength and stability due to their scale, allows for
security/visibility of the site,
and permits visibility of the Vietnam Memorial from Allegan Street. It
is planned
that names will be added at random so that no panels are empty, while
allowing
for the inclusion of officers newly-discovered from the past.
David Milling donated his first prize check back to the Memorial
Commission.
Todd Perry, of Chesaning, took both third and fourth place in the
competition.
Gilbert Olds of Lake Orion and Mary Johnson of Okemos took second place
in
this statewide competition for the Memorial design, which ended in
December,
2006. Four finalists were chosen from the submissions, and the winning
design
subsequently selected in January, 2007.
This monument will celebrate and honor the lives of 529 law enforcement
officers
who died in the line of duty while serving the citizens of this state.
The memorial
site is located within the Michigan Capitol Park, at the corner of
Allegan Street
and Butler Boulevard, and directly south of the Vietnam Memorial, near
the State
Capitol in Lansing.
The Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument Fund Commission
was created by Public Act 177 of 2004. The Commission includes four
survivors
of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, a police
chaplain, a
representative of the Attorney General, and a representative of the
State
Treasurer. The legislature directed the Commission to oversee the
financing,
design, and construction of a memorial monument dedicated to law
enforcement
officers who have died in the line of duty.
A major fundraising campaign is about to begin for construction of the
Memorial.
It is estimated that the Memorial will cost up to $3 million. According
to
Chairperson Cole, a 2008 groundbreaking is anticipated. |
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