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Attorney General Michael Mukasey to Join Officers and Families in Marking 17th Anniversary of National Law Enfocement Officers Memorial

Jennifer Thacker, national president of Concerns of Police Survivors, will help honor fallen officers during Wreathlaying Day ceremony on October 15

Washington, DC — U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Jennifer Thacker, national president of Concerns of Police Survivors, will join law enforcement officers, supporters and surviving family members of officers killed in the line of duty in commemorating the 17th anniversary of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. The annual Wreathlaying Day ceremony, which begins at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15, pays special tribute to law enforcement officers from the DC area and federal agencies who made the ultimate sacrifice during the past 12 months.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was dedicated on October 15, 1991, by President George H.W. Bush. The Memorial includes the names of all known U.S. law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty, dating back to the first recorded officer death of New York City Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith in May 1792. At the time of its dedication, 12,668 names were engraved on the Memorial’s walls. Today, 18,274 officers are remembered there.

This year’s Wreathlaying Day will honor 17 officers from Maryland, Virginia and several federal agencies who have died in the line of duty since the October 2007 Wreathlaying event. During the ceremony, Attorney General Mukasey and Ms. Thacker will pay tribute to the fallen officers, and surviving family members will place roses at the Memorial’s center medallion of in honor of their loved ones.

The names of officers who have died in the line of duty during 2008 will be engraved on the Memorial next spring, and they will be officially dedicated during the 21st Annual Candlelight Vigil on May 13, 2009.


WHAT: 17th Annual Wreathlaying Day Ceremony
Commemorating the dedication of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — remarks, laying of a commemorative wreath and placing of roses by officers’ survivors.

WHEN: October 15, 2008 - 1:00 pm
Honor Guard units will stand watch at the Memorial until the late afternoon.

WHERE: National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
400 Block of E Street, NW

WHO: U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey
Jennifer Thacker, National President, Concerns of Police Survivors
(Her husband, Investigator Brandon Thacker, of the Kentucky Department of Alcohol Beverage Control, was killed in the line of duty on April 16, 1998)
Craig Floyd, Chairman and CEO, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

Surviving family members, law enforcement colleagues and supporters of DC-area and federal officers killed in the line of duty over the past 12 months

Note: Family members of the fallen officers will attend but may not wish to speak with the news media. Please respect their wishes.

The following law enforcement officers from Maryland, Virginia and federal agencies who died in the line of duty since October 2007 will be recognized during the 2008 Wreathlaying Day ceremony:

• Maryland State Police: Trooper First Class Mickey Lippy, September 28, 2008
• Maryland Transportation Authority: Corporal Courtney Brooks, January 1, 2008
• Prince George’s County (MD) Police Department: Sergeant Richard Findley, June 27, 2008
• Smithsburg (MD) Police Department: Officer Christopher Nicholson, December 19, 2007
• Chesapeake (VA) Police Department: Detective Jarrod Shivers, January 17, 2008
• Fredericksburg (VA) Police Department: Officer Todd Bahr, June 6, 2008
• Stafford County (VA) Sheriff’s Office: Deputy Sheriff Jason Mooney, October 19, 2007
• Virginia Beach (VA) Police Department: Detective Michael Phillips, August 7, 2008
• U.S. Border Patrol: Senior Border Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar: January 19, 2008
• Bureau of Indian Affairs: Criminal Investigator Denise Phoenix, February 14, 2008
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Border Patrol Agent Jarod Dittman, March 30, 2008
• Drug Enforcement Administration: Supervisory Special Agent Thomas Byrne, August 30, 2008
• Federal Bureau of Prisons: Correctional Officer Jose Rivera, June 20, 2008
• Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations, U.S. Department of Agriculture: Officer Kristin Fairbanks, September 20, 2008
• Office of Special Investigations, U.S. Air Force:
• Special Agent Thomas Crowell, November 1, 2007
• Special Agent Nathan Schuldheiss, November 1, 2007
• Special Agent David Wieger, November 1, 2007

About the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
Founded in 1984, the non-profit National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund works to increase public support for law enforcement by permanently recording and appropriately commemorating the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers, and to provide information that promotes law enforcement safety. In 1991, the NLEOMF dedicated the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, on which the names of 18,274 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history are engraved. The NLEOMF is now leading the effort to build the first-ever National Law Enforcement Museum. For more information, visit www.nleomf.org.

To download NLEOMF banners, graphics and photos and to find important NLEOMF facts, please go to our online Media Center.

To schedule an interview with NLEOMF Chairman Craig W. Floyd, contact Kevin Morison at kevin@nleomf.org.


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