National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

The memorial on Judiciary Sq commemorates US police officers killed on duty since 1794. In the style of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, names of the dead are carved on two marble walls curving around a plaza; new names are added during a moving candlelight vigil each year in May. Peeking over the walls, bronze lion statues protect their sleeping cubs (presumably as law enforcement officers protect us). The nearby visitor center houses several exhibits about the history of the memorial and the law enforcement officers it honors. Plans are underway for a National Law Enforcement Museum, which will open across from the memorial on an as-yet-to-be-determined date.