No matter the tenure any fallen law enforcement officer nobly served the citizenry, their name engraved in stone depicts undeniable bravery and courage under fire, willingly working in an increasingly volatile environment on behalf of people who do not necessarily know the cops’ names or anything about them…other than that they respond when summoned.
Annually, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial (NLEOM) in Washington, DC, hosts thousands of visitors at the monumental wall whose limestone surface hosts too many names of cops, each signifying having served bravely in the line of duty and fallen during actions to protect humanity.
The NLEOM wall details are made possible by a team of engravers who craftily carve granite by beveling letters until the full birth name of every fallen officer is permanently etched for all to see and “transferred” to paper as personal keepsakes.
(Photo courtesy of the Mooresville Police Department.)
It’s a place where police colleagues can go and spend moments in solitude, transposing the engraved names of their fallen comrades, posting the images in their squad room or ceiling of the patrol cruiser.
It’s a place where respective fallen officers’ loved ones can go as often as they wish, to convene in quiet repose.
It’s a place where folks congregate annually, to honor heroes who bravely wore the shield and succumbed to catastrophe.
It’s a place where Seattle Police Department fallen Officer Joselito “Lito” Alvarez Barber’s name is permanently etched into the limestone of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC.
Locally, law enforcement agencies construct the concept depicted at the national monument.
Seattle Police Fallen Officer Memorial Project
Municipal and county law enforcement agencies typically have public-facing memorial sites paying homage to their fallen officers, commonly attributed to homegrown accolades and close-knit proclamations.
These public safety sanctuaries are often made possible by donated funds to erect a stone emplacement and respectfully maintain its appearance.
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation.)
The Seattle Police Foundation (SPF), whose mission is to “raise support and awareness for the Seattle Police Department,” posted a letter of intent to expand an ongoing police commemoration construction, inviting folks to contribute funds to procure badge-shaped police memorial stones engraved with the badge numbers of brave Seattle cops who perished on duty.
A reporter with the local newspaper Lynwood Times graciously published details about the fundraiser for their fallen, widening the exposure of the Seattle Police Foundation’s honorable objective.
“This fundraising initiative is the 2024 iteration of the Seattle Police Fallen Officer Memorial Project, which honors one SPD fallen officer per year, traveling backward through time.
“Each badge-shaped granite memorial stone mirrors the granite mourning badge installed in honor of Officer Timothy Brenton in the Leschi neighborhood and features the fallen officer’s serial (badge) number, which is etched on its face.
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation.)
“Officer Barber’s memorial stone will be inscribed with his serial number, which was 6897.
In honor of Officer Joselito Barber, they are asking our community of supporters to donate $68.97 to help the foundation reach [its] goal of $16,000 to purchase the memorial stone.
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation.)
“The Seattle Police Foundation hopes to reach its goal by October 1, 2024, and plan to install the memorial in May of 2025,” Lynwood Times staff wrote.
“Huge thanks to our good friends at the Lynnwood Times for helping to spread the word about our fundraiser to purchase a new, public-facing memorial in honor of Seattle Police Department Officer Joselito ‘Lito’ Alvarez Barber.”
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP), Officer Barber “was killed when his patrol car was broadsided at the intersection of Yesler Street and 23rd Avenue at 4 a.m.
“The driver of a vehicle was traveling at an estimated 80 mph on a city street.
“The driver, a parolee, tested positive for cocaine and was wanted on four warrants, including a DUI warrant, when she ran the red light and struck Officer Barber’s patrol car. She pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in September 2007 and was sentenced to serve 20 years.
“Officer Barber had graduated from the police academy only five months earlier. He is survived by his fiancée, mother, father, stepmother, brother, and sister.”
When I first saw the Seattle Police Foundation’s post, inviting donors to fund the memorial stone initiative for all its fallen officers, my mind went to a zone of reminiscence…with a bevy of mental loops replaying police funerals I attended, each one portraying that stark moment when the fallen officer’s loved ones are somberly gazing at the LEO’s name engraved in stone.
A permanent loss. A permanent reminder. A permanent place to visit in repose and be with their family member who said Yes! to bravely joining the profession that meant potentially laying down their life for another.
Admittedly, witnessing unimaginable pain and a benthic-level depth of sorrow upon the surviving family members’ faces always compelled a lump-in-throat moment for me, without fail.
For a fallen officer’s agency to put action along the We will never forget mantra is heartrending, especially for their loved ones.
I’m certain Seattle Police Det. Antonio Terry’s loved ones gravitate to his memorial site enabled by the Seattle Police Foundation’s endeavors to remember. Slain in June 1994, Det. Terry stopped to help a stranded motorist and was shot in the back as he returned to his unmarked police vehicle.
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation.)
Every time a new or enhanced memorial site is initiated, police command staff authorize and often orate proclamations, host ceremonial proceedings, and embrace the fallen officer’s family at formal convocations in their honor.
Per the Seattle Police Foundation, “While we are grateful for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s important work as stewards of this tribute to our nation’s fallen heroes, we’d also love to honor Officer Barber here, in Seattle, in the city he called home. Barber was a Seattleite through and through.
“While Officer Barber’s time as a Seattle police officer was brief, his impact is forever. Please help us raise $16,000 to purchase a brand-new, permanent mourning badge memorial in honor of Officer Barber’s beautiful life and his lasting impact on our community.”
I know nothing about what it takes to erect a police memorial…but I know that fallen guardians of public safety are owed infinite dedication for the courage to pin a badge and navigate perilously violent environs they bravely swore to protect.
Exemplifying the words “We will not forget,” the Seattle Police Foundation endeavors to keep alive the memories of the fallen: “…these granite mourning badges will be installed once a year for each of SPD’s fallen officers, at key locations that hold a connection to that particular officer. The next memorial honors the loss of Officer Joselito ‘Lito’ Barber […] and will continue to move backward through time.
“We are honored to help preserve his memory and to give his friends and family a place to mourn, grieve, and celebrate his life.”
Mourning Badge Memorial Stone
It is unique that Seattle cops slain in the line of duty will have respective memorial stones emplaced at locations where (or proximal) to where their final breaths were taken before evildoers hatched heinous actions. (Ordinarily, local police memorials are on the official grounds of law enforcement HQ or within arm’s reach.)
These fallen officers were as solid as the stones marking their iconic bravery.
Each “memorial stone is a raised, 6-inch granite badge, that securely rests on top of a black granite foundation. To create the mourning band, the foundation was ordered polished, and then all but a narrow strip was sanded to grey.
“The result is a beautiful glossy black band stretching across the stone. The badge is installed on top of this sturdy base, positioned so that the black band can be seen between the two halves of the badge. The lower half of the badge is inscribed with the fallen officer’s badge number.”
I touched upon the “maintenance” of these police memorial sites available to the public. Natural elements engender hands equipped with equipment to beautify the landmark sites of fallen cops. I found a backstory that is poignant in policing culture.
“This project at its core exemplifies the often-uttered words ‘We will never forget,’ by giving the phrase a tangible and definitive form. More than anything else, [Seattle police Detective Britt Kelly] wanted to create beautiful, highly accessible spaces that anyone can visit, at any time of day or night, to grieve, mourn, remember, and give gratitude to the one fallen,” the Seattle Police Foundation website explained.
You see, Detective Britt (Sweeney) Kelly, was in the car [as a police recruit] with Officer Tim Brenton “when he was shot and killed in 2009. Kelly, still in field training at the time, was also shot in the ambush, but did not let the incident hinder her pursuit of a career in law enforcement.”
Det. Kelly envisioned keeping tidy the Seattle Police legacies of their fallen by aggregating cohorts routinely ensuring the beautification of each memorial site:
“…she [initially] recruited those in her Unit to join her in cleaning up the memorial. This sparked the idea of having SPD’s post-Basic Law Enforcement Academy recruits help her clean and maintain the memorial. The manual act of maintenance dovetails neatly with conversations about line-of-duty deaths.
“More than anything else, she wanted to create beautiful, highly accessible spaces that anyone can visit, at any time of day or night, to grieve, mourn, remember, and give gratitude to the one fallen.”
Turns out Detective Kelly is the brainchild for the Fallen Officer Memorial Project.
As I often reiterate, police personnel are a resourceful lot! The staff at the Seattle Police Foundation catalyze the notion…
The SPF launched the Fallen Officer Memorial Project fundraiser on August 13, 2024, seeking donations for Officer Barber’s granite memorial to cover expenses for a badge-shaped granite slab, its foundation, artisan etching, and installation at a relative memorial site.
If you would like to contribute to Officer Barber’s memorial, please visit the Seattle Police Foundation donation page.
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