Peace Officer Memorial proposed
Thursday, May 15, marked National Peace Officers Memorial Day. It is a day that we honor and remember law enforcement officers that have made the ultimate sacrifice or have been injured or permanently disabled in the line of duty. In the same significance as Memorial Day is for fallen veterans, flags are flown at half-staff on that day.
Although the origin of the day and the importance of May 15 are unclear, the day was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1962.
The City of West Haven has more than 120 sworn police officers. Since the creation of our police department, we have had two in-the-line of-duty deaths that have occurred. We have also had numerous in the line of duty disabilities and injuries.
Throughout our city, we have several memorial monuments dedicated to our veterans, commemorating many wars and battles. We also have three separate firefighter memorial monuments. There is a monument for each of the three fire districts in the city.
It is imperative that the people of West Haven continue to honor and celebrate the brave souls of our fallen military and fire department personnel. However, there is one monument of tribute that West Haven does not yet have. That is a permanent memorial monument to our men and women in blue that have died or have been injured or disabled in the line of duty.
I am proposing that Mayor Borer establish a committee of a cross-section of West Haven residents, Democrats, Republicans, civilians and uniformed personnel to come up with a location and a design for a permanent memorial monument dedicated to West Haven Police personnel that have died or became injured or disabled in the line of duty.
This committee should also have the authority to raise the necessary funds for said monument.
It is my hope that the committee would be put in place as soon as possible and erect the West Haven Police Memorial Monument and dedicate it one year from now, National Peace Officers Memorial Day, 2026.
Steven R. Mullin