Law and Order May 2016

ON THE JOB JUST HANDED DOWN

Recognizing Another Law Enforcement Icon

Make the Wall a must-see.

By J.T. McBride I Guest Commentator www.NLEOMF.org

W

henever criminal justice students are asked to name some of the ‘icons’ of American law en- forcement, they respond with names like Sir

Robert Peel (19th century founder of community policing) or Theodore Roosevelt (NYPD Superintendent from 1895 thru 1897 and historic police reformer). Perhaps they men- tion August Vollmer (early 20th century founder of the academic study of criminal justice) or Elliott Ness (famous federal investigator during the Prohibition Era who lead a team of agents popularly known as The Untouchables). The nod may also go to O.W. Wilson (Superintendent of police

in Chicago during the 1960s and the author of numerous crimi- nal justice textbooks); or the team of Jack Maple and William J. Bratton (who originated and developed the crime tracking system known as CompStat and who successfully synced that program with NYPD fi eld operations in the early 1990s); or Raymond W. Kelly (the longest-serving NYPD Police Commissioner in history). Unfortunately, many students are simply not familiar with

one individual who has arguably done more than anyone else in the nation in recent times to educate the public about the realities of our profession. Since May is National Law Enforce- ment Memorial month, it is only fi tting that his noteworthy

contributions be publicly acknowledged in the May edition of LAW and ORDER magazine. Craig W. Floyd is the Founding Father and Executive Director

of the National Law Enforcement Offi cer Memorial Fund and Mu- seum (NLEOMF.org) headquartered in Washington, D.C. Each May, and at other appropriate times, Floyd calls the world’s at- tention to the untimely deaths of more than 20,000 American law enforcement offi cers whose names appear on the granite walls of the National Law Enforcement Memorial at Judiciary Square in the national capitol. Since 1991, he has been building a loyal staff and a national

corps of volunteers while dramatically enhancing the public image of America’s Thin Blue Line. His projects (annual memo-

esanow@hendonpub.com Lt. Ed Sanow

rial week activities, national memorial, gift shop, public education, data sharing, and most recently a national museum) have led the way when it comes to honoring Our Fallen in respectful and cre- ative ways. Sustained by a number of highly dedicated support groups

(COPS, NCLEES, FOP, etc.) and private sector sponsors, Floyd’s programs have helped numerous grieving family members and fellow offi cers cope with the tragic loss of a loved one or a friend. At the same time, Floyd and the NLEOM staff have built sub-

stantial public support for more than 1 million peace offi cers who serve and protect Americans at the federal, state, county, local and tribal levels. While some are aware of the invaluable contributions made by Floyd and his team to the historical, cultural and demo- graphic aspects of law enforcement, the time has come to share the good news with the rest of the world. In a poignant poem entitled “Sea of Blue,” a personal testimo-

nial that documents the broad mix of emotions accompanying every line of duty funeral, the author notes, “We lay them down in our own special way” because of the unique customs and tradi- tions associated with the loss of a brother or sister in Blue. For more than a quarter of a century, Craig Floyd has consis-

tently shown respect for our need to honor fallen brothers and sisters in our own ways, and has even helped to standardize them and share them with agencies all over the world. Craig Floyd and his NLEOMF team continue to prove that Blue Lives do matter while teaching how to turn each tragic loss, over time, into rec- ognition of, the essential role which law enforcement plays in our society.

Chief J.T. McBride, M.P.A., C.L.E.E., teaches at Lakeland Community College (Ohio), is the co-author of K-PhD School and Campus Shootings Awareness and is a regular contributor to LAW and ORDER. He may be reached at chiefjtm@aol.com.

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“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” — Henry IV, William Shakespeare 6 LAW and ORDER I May 2016

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