Funding has finally been received to erect the monument for fallen Michigan officers. The Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument (MLEOM) is set to go up in Lansing, MI as a way to remember the officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Purpose for the Michigan Fallen Officers Monument
Every day officers put their lives on the line by serving their communities. They are heroes dedicated to public safety. This monument would serve as a way to remember, honor, and celebrate the lives of the officers who died while protecting Michigan’s citizens.
The Design of the Lansing Monument for Fallen Michigan Officers
A commission was formed for the MLEOM to oversee funding, the design of the monument, and its construction. The commission is made up of four family members of fallen officers, a police chaplain, an Attorney General representative and a State Treasurer representative.
Designed by Ann Arbor architect David Miling, the monument will consist of 10 4X8 panels, or “sentinels,” featuring the engraved names of the more than 600 fallen officers. It will be lit up from the ground. Designed to promote the feeling of standing with the fallen officers, it will not overshadow the Veteran’s Memorial.
The site of the MLEOM was dedicated on October 18, 2006 by Governor Jennifer Granholm and Senator John Kerry. It will be built at the corner of Allegan Street and Butler Boulevard, just south of the Vietnam Memorial and close to the State Capital Building in Lansing,
Funding for The Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument
A fund to match donations up to $2 million dollars, The MLEOM was created by public Act 177 of 20024. Governor Rick Snyder signed law 2014 PA 252 in which the state offered a matching grant through October 2018, matching donations up to $2 million.
Michigan lawmakers have finally secured the rest of the funds needed to move ahead with this project. The idea has been in the making since 2004, but was put on the back burner due to the recession and other issues raising the funds. However, construction for the long-awaited $1.2 million memorial monument project won’t likely start until the fall of 2019.