Kansas
Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial
"TO THE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR THE PEOPLE OF KANSAS - MAY THEY AND THEIR
FAMILIES SACRIFICES NEVER BE FORGOTTEN"
(Inscription on memorial dedication plaque)
The
Kansas Peace Officers Association is a proud supporter of the Kansas Law
Enforcement Officers' Memorial located on the grounds of the Kansas State Capital in
Topeka, Kansas. KPOA honors the memory of all Kansas Law Officers who
made the ultimate sacrifice in the protection of others. The names of
all Kansas Law Enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of
duty are forever engraved in this memorial so their acts of unselfish
devotion to duty will never be forgotten.
The Kansas Peace Officers Association encourages your
continued financial support of the ongoing maintenance and enhancements
of the Kansas Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial.
Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) Director Ed Pavey is KPOA's representative on the Kansas
Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Committee. He also serves on the Kansas
Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization that
raises funds for the Memorial. Please contact
Director Pavey at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, phone
620.694.1400 with any questions, comments or concerns regarding the Memorial.
Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial
In 1866, Felix A. Boller was the City Marshal of Ogden,
Kansas. On December 12, 1866, Marshal Boller observed a group of soldiers
entering a private home while one of them stayed on the porch appearing to
guard the front door. Concerned for the safety of a female resident,
Marshal Boller ordered the soldier standing guard to come out, at which
point the soldier shot and killed the marshal.
Felix A. Boller is the first law enforcement officer in
the state of Kansas known to have been killed in the line of duty.
But not until 1976, almost 110 years after Marshal
Boller's murder, were any formal discussions held to propose creation of a
state memorial dedicated to those law enforcement officers who had paid
the ultimate price in their effort to maintain the safety of the citizens
of Kansas.
In 1983, representatives of the Kansas Fraternal Order
of Police organized the first Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial Service, and
joined forces with the Kansas Peace Officers' Association, the Kansas
Sheriffs' Association, the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, the
Kansas State Troopers' Association, and the Kansas Attorney General's
Office to promote construction of a Law Enforcement Memorial on the
grounds of the Kansas Statehouse.
In 1984, the Kansas Legislature and the governor
authorized construction of the memorial northeast of the Capitol Building,
and provided that the construction and upkeep of the memorial be financed
by private grants, gifts, contributions or bequests. At the same time, the
Kansas Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Advisory Committee began a
fund-raising drive that lasted just more than two years.
On October 14, 1986, the Committee held a special
ceremony to unveil the limestone monument which bore the names of 163
officers dating back to Marshal Felix Boller. The monument had been
completed at a cost of $71,596.78.
On May 8, 1987, former Kansas City Police Chief and
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Clarence M. Kelley was the
keynote speaker at the first Kansas Law Enforcement Officer Memorial
Ceremony to be held following the completion of the monument. For the next
15 years, the limestone monument provided the focal point of each of the
memorial ceremonies.
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