Honoring the Fallen: Inside the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund

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The sacred walls of the National Law Enforcement Memorial bear 24,067 names—each representing an officer who made the ultimate sacrifice. Behind this powerful tribute stands an organization dedicated to ensuring these heroes are never forgotten.

We're joined by Bill Alexander, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, who brings over 30 years of law enforcement experience and a profound personal connection to the memorial. "We lost 16 of my peers from the Prince George's County Police Department," Bill shares, "all of whom have their names inscribed on the very sacred memorial which all of us in the profession hold so dear." Alongside him is Aaron Slater, board member and owner of Relentless Defender, whose passion for honoring fallen officers shines through in every word.

The conversation takes us deep into the organization's three pillars: the memorial that honors the fallen, the museum that tells American law enforcement's honorable story, and officer safety initiatives working toward "Destination Zero"—a future with no more names added to the wall. From the heart-stopping candlelight vigil during Police Week to the interactive museum exhibits that put visitors in officers' shoes, we explore how these experiences transform understanding and build bridges between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

What struck me most was learning how the memorial serves as sacred ground for healing. "There is something more than cathartic about seeing that name engraved," Bill explains. "It is absolutely part of the healing process." This isn't just about remembrance—it's about acknowledging sacrifice, processing grief, and celebrating service in ways that change both individuals and our collective understanding of what it means to wear the badge.

Whether you've experienced loss in the line of duty or simply want to understand the true story of American law enforcement, this conversation offers powerful insights into an organization ensuring that those who gave everything are honored for generations to come. Ready to learn more or support their mission? Visit NLEOMF.org or consider experiencing the memorial and museum for yourself on your next trip to Washington DC.

Produced by Phil Ewert Productions

Theme Music: Hero's Journey
Joel Loopez Tunepocket.com
Licensed by: Phil Ewert Productions

hometownherooutdoors.org

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the land of 10,000 lakes, a remarkable movement
was born.
Welcome to Hometown HeroOutdoors.
We are dedicated to honoringour military service members,
veterans and first responders byproviding them with
unforgettable outdoorrecreational opportunities.
We believe those who haveserved and sacrificed so much

(00:24):
for our country and communitiesdeserve a chance to reclaim
their spirit and find healing inthe great outdoors.
This is Hometown Hero Outdoors.
Welcome to the Hometown HeroOutdoors Podcast here is your

(01:00):
host, chris Tatro.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Hello everyone, welcome back to this week's
Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast.
As you all know, this year wedid a little bit of revamping on
our podcast and we're trying tobroaden our horizons who we
have on the show?
So I'm pretty excited fortoday's podcast.
Today I'm going to introduceyou to Bill Alexander and Aaron
Slater.
They are both representativesof the National Law Enforcement
Memorial Fund.
I'm just going to give you abrief synopsis about the
National Law EnforcementMemorial Fund.
I'm going to give you a briefsynopsis about the National Law

(01:27):
Enforcement Memorial Fund.
They are a nonprofitorganization dedicated to
honoring law enforcementofficers who have lost their
lives in the line of duty.
Established in 1984, theorganization oversees the
National Law EnforcementMemorial in Washington DC, where
more than 23,000 fallenofficers are commemorated.
The National Law EnforcementMemorial Fund also operates the

(01:47):
National Law Enforcement Museum,which educates the public on
the history and contributes tolaw enforcement through
interactive exhibits and eventsAlongside memorializing officers
.
National Law EnforcementMemorial Fund runs programs like
Destination Zero, which focuson improving officer safety and
wellness by promoting bestpractices in physical health,
mental wellness and communityengagement.
So thank you, gentlemen, forbeing here.

(02:08):
I'm going to introduce Bill.
Bill, you have not been on theshow yet.
Bill is currently the CEO ofthe National Law Enforcement
Memorial Fund, brings over 30years of law enforcement
experience.
So, bill, instead of goingthrough all that lengthy stuff
that I just told you aboutearlier, would you just want to
introduce yourself?

Speaker 3 (02:29):
So thank you very much, chris.
Thank you for having me andSlater and giving us the
opportunity to connect with youraudience.
So I'm the current CEO of theNational Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial Fund.
Before that, I spent more than30 years in law enforcement,
starting first with the AirForce as a military police
officer and then as a civilianpolice officer in Prince
George's County, which bordersWashington DC to the east, where
I spent 25 years and, much likeso many of my peers, we lost

(02:52):
officers.
While I served those 25 years,we happened to lose 16 of my
peers from the Prince George'sCounty Police Department, all of
whom their names are nowinscribed on the very sacred
memorial which all of us in theprofession hold so dear.
And, of course, this serves asthe backdrop picture for me
today, where today, right now,we have 24,067 names those
heroes in our profession whohave died in the line of duty.

(03:14):
So I'm incredibly humbled to bea part of the organization and,
you know, absolutely thrilledto be here to maybe tell your
audience a little bit about theamazing place and space where I
work.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Well, thank you for your service, thanks for the
time you did in the military, aswell as your public service and
law enforcement.
That's 30 years.
That's quite the career.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
I mean I'm humbled to have been a part of both
organizations, both the AirForce and the Prince George
County Police Department, and Ifind that you know I'm not alone
.
Every single member in lawenforcement that I have ever
encountered that I'm aware of ornot feel some calling, some
calling to give back to thecommunities in which they are
serving and the country in whichthey are lucky enough to call

(03:56):
home.
So I don't consider myselfunique in any degree, and
certainly not above any of theliterally hundreds of thousands
of men and women across thecountry who every single day,
even now, suit up, every singleday, knowing that there's a
chance that they might make ithome, but they do it anyways to
go out there to serve theircommunity.
So incredibly humbled.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Yeah, no, thank you very much.
No, it's great, especially whatyou're doing with the National
Law Enforcement Memorial Fund.
I had the honor of getting togo visit the wall for the first
time two years ago and it wasabsolutely amazing.
I wish I had done it sooner.
I have lost some partners inthe line of duty too, and it
definitely does give you a senseof community and the
camaraderie with those that youhave served with, and then being

(04:36):
able to see their name on thewall does give you a sense of
healing, and I wish I would havedid a lot sooner, to be honest.

Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah, every single person I know of that comes here
and know someone, particularlythe family members, obviously,
but certainly the coworkers aswell.
There is something more thancathartic about standing on
again what we view as verysacred ground to see that name
or those names engraved.
It is absolutely part of thehealing process and I'm
convinced that the memorialexists in part to facilitate

(05:04):
some part of that healing.
So it really is quite anamazing place.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yeah, you guys have done a wonderful job with
everything.
Aaron, welcome back to the show.
Owner of Relentless Defender.
Just want to introduce yourselffor the listeners again.
Let them know who you are andwhat you've done.

Speaker 4 (05:18):
And again, thank you for having me.
Again, I appreciate it andeverything that you guys are
doing through Hometown HeroOutdoors.
Again, I appreciate it andeverything that you guys are
doing through Hometown HeroOutdoors.
I started my law enforcementcareer in 1997, where I went to
the academy and I was ultimatelya police officer.
My entire career was about 22years total.
I did it right here in Texas,just outside of Houston, and

(05:42):
from there I started RelentlessDefender, which is an apparel
brand, and from there I alsohave a nonprofit and we do a lot
with law enforcement.
But ultimately one of my mostgreatest honors is being able to
be a board director forNational Law Enforcement

(06:04):
Memorial Fund.
So that's kind of a journeythat led me to where we sit here
today, honoring police officersthat have made the ultimate
sacrifice.
That's just one of the thingsthat I love about being on this
board is being able to representthem.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
No, and I appreciate your time and your service as
well and the relationship we'vebuilt over the years.
If you haven't heard RelentlessDefender you're listening to
this program then you obviouslyhaven't been following us for
very long, but we are veryingrained with Relentless.
They do all of our merchandiseand plus they support us in a
lot of different ways.
I had the pleasure of goingdown to the Relentless Defender

(06:42):
Foundation gala recently, whereI got to meet Bill briefly and
that was a fun.
I actually that was aphenomenal night.
It was very impressive andbeing able to be surrounded by a
bunch of heroes.
So do you want to talk aboutyour foundation super quick and
then we can dive more back intothe National Law Enforcement
Memorial Fund.

Speaker 4 (07:00):
I'll talk about a super quick man because I really
want to focus on the foundationtoday.
I'll talk about it super quickbecause I really want to focus
on the foundation today.
But yeah, what we focus on isin our mission statement is
assisting first responders inwhat we call chaotic life
changing situations.
So it could be anything from anofficer diagnosed with cancer

(07:22):
or their child diagnosed withcancer, or an officer that was
devastated by a tornado or ahurricane.
There's other organizationsthat do a way better job.
I think there's nothing betterthan the National Law
Enforcement Moral Fund thatmemorializes police officers and
tells their story.
And then there's anotherorganization that I work with
and that's Concerns PoliceSurvivors, and they do an
amazing job of the healingprocess for survivors, and then

(07:46):
we're kind of in thatintermediary that is a void and
that is injured officers andreally just kind of a catch-all.
We also have a scholarshipprogram that we work with to get
police officers.
In many states like ours, youhave to pay to go to the academy
, and I think that there's a lotof police officers that have a

(08:07):
lot of potential that may not beable to afford to go to the
academy.
We take care of that.
And then one last thing we nowalso run Humanizing the Badge.
So Humanizing the Badge is aproject under us now where we're
going to start expanding thatand help to bring and build
bridges and community policing alittle bit better throughout
the nation.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
That's awesome.
One of the main reasons I didbring those up is because how
intertwined all of thesedifferent organizations can be
for support for our lawenforcement officers Between the
foundation, the Law EnforcementMemorial Fund, there's just a
whole bunch of different thingsgoing on in the country and I
think it's fantastic and you doa very good job, both of you
with being able to work withother people, make the

(08:47):
connections and then also shareresources with others in order
to get the word out and how toassist our law enforcement
officers.
So I appreciate you both andSlater, thank you for being able
to work with us and help mewith connections and supporting
us.
So thank you.

Speaker 4 (09:02):
Well, thank you, I appreciate it.
And can I add to that too?
Yeah, one of the things that Ilove about Bill and National Law
Enforcement Moral Fund and thepeople that we work with is one
of the things that I've foundwith nonprofits is you can tell
a nonprofit that is sincereabout their mission if their
mission is always the missionfirst and ultimately.

(09:24):
Whenever they say that theirmission is to do X, y and Z for
law enforcement, but then theyturn and make it about them and
their organization instead ofhaving a synergy with all these
other organizations.
That may even be a competitiveaspect to raise funds, but if
you keep the mission in mind andsay, no, this is what we're

(09:44):
doing and we're going after theidea of making sure that law
enforcement is represented andtaken care of through the
mission that we have at hand,that, I think, is what's
important, and that's why Ithink it's cool to have a
podcast like this where you cantake people that run different
organizations and be willing tofeature that, because that's

(10:05):
exactly what National LawEnforcement Memorial Fund does
by far, I can tell you.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yeah, no very good points.
So overall, let's talk aboutthe National Law Enforcement
Memorial Fund.
You know, let's go back to thehistory of things.
How did the National LawEnforcement Memorial Fund begin?
How did it get started?

Speaker 3 (10:23):
Well it starts.
Actually, the idea of some partof the memorial starts in the
late 70s.
Actually A couple legislators,backed by law enforcement
certainly the seed of lawenforcement had thoughts to get
a bill passed which would allowfor the collection of monies and
then ultimately the designingand building of a memorial.
They couldn't gain momentum inthe late 70s but in the early

(10:45):
80s it did gain momentum andSenator Pell and Congressman
Biagi finally got the momentumthey needed to get what was then
known as the National LawEnforcement Officers Memorial
Fund bill through Congress andbasically that bill allowed for
individuals across the country,mostly related to or within law
enforcement, to donate money tothis new, brand new organization

(11:07):
which then allowed for thedesigning and ultimately
building what we now know as theNational Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial right here inWashington DC.
So it took a number of years toget that memorial designed and
built but it was dedicated in1991.
That initial batch of namesadded to the wall was just over
12,000 names.
At the time they thought theyhad captured most, if not all,

(11:31):
of the historical deaths whichhad occurred in the United
States across the broad stretchof US history.
Unfortunately, over time werealized they did not capture
all those names Every singleyear we add what we call
historical deaths.
But they had just over 12,000names and that left room for
about an additional 12,000 namesand there, in 1991, they

(11:52):
thought that they were going tohave enough space.
Those 12,000 empty spots wouldcover the memorial for 100 years
.
Just this past year, in thespring of 2024, we added what
will now be the last name towhat was the original memorial
walls.
So we have blown through thoseearly estimates.

(12:12):
In 2021, the Memorial Fundcompleted an expansion which is
18 inches of granite on top ofwhat was the original memorial
walls.
It looks very seamless.
If you go there now in person,you can't even tell that it
wasn't a part of the originalmemorial and that expansion now
gives us an additional amount ofspace for approximately 12,000
additional names Sitting herenow.

(12:33):
I wish I could tell you howmuch time that will buy us.
But every single year, as Iknow you know, chris, and
certainly Slater does as well wecontinue to add, historically,
hundreds of names to, again, ourvery sacred wall, that there is
a cost to maintaining andpreserving our democracy, and
that cost, of course, as I knowboth of you know is measured
every single year and hundredsof lives.

(12:53):
So I don't know when theexpansion will fill up, but it
certainly will and it will nottake 100 years.
I can assure you that.
So that was the origination ofthe Memorial Fund.
So that was the origination ofthe Memorial Fund.
Of course, our organization hasgrown over time, in part through
a world-class museum which wasbuilt and then ultimately opened
in 2018.
It really is, you know.

(13:14):
Of course, I know I'm biased,but it really is an amazing
place, just an absolutelyamazing place to help tell the
story of American lawenforcement, perhaps through a
lens, perhaps in a way that manypeople have not seen before.
It tells what I believe is thehonorable story of law
enforcement, how law enforcementhas been and continues to be
just an overwhelming force forgood for our community, for our

(13:36):
country.
And then we have a third pillarwhich we refer to internally
I'm sorry, no, you're good,you're fine.
Internally is officer safety andwellness.
It's where we try to, in part,take some of the data related to
those line of duty deaths,which we do track every single
year, and really does give us awindow into the how, where, why
men and women in uniform arefacing too many fatal outcomes.

(13:59):
So, in part, taking some ofthat data, but also us on our
own, thinking about talkingabout crafting, creating,
editing and amending programsand best practices and trying to
push those out in a meaningfulway across the law enforcement
community to make it safer forthe men and women who are doing
the job and, by extension, makeit safer for members of the
public that they are sworn toprotect.

(14:19):
So, at a very high level, thatis the Memorial Fund honoring
the fallen, telling the story ofAmerican law enforcement
through the museum and making itsafer for men and women who are
still doing the job todayno-transcript.

(14:53):
Destination Zero is sort of oneof the sub programs we have
under the officer safety andwellness umbrella.
So for those who don't know,Destination Zero, the idea is
that one year we would get tozero deaths, zero new names
being added to the wall, andthat is Destination Zero.
Zero deaths, zero new namesbeing added to the wall, and
that is destination zero.
So every single year, theofficer safety and wellness team
, they solicit programs and bestpractices from across the
country.
They ask police departments tosend in what they believe is

(15:15):
something new, somethinginnovative, something perhaps
the profession hasn't thought ofbefore, or expanding on
something that has been broughtbefore and really changing the
game in terms of officer safety.
And we select five of thoseprograms every single year to be
innovative, to be new, and wereally push those out in a big,

(15:36):
big way.
It's sponsored by Verizon.
We couldn't do it without thesupport of Verizon but those
programs inevitably matriculateout to the rest of the country
and we hope that policedepartments and agencies across
the country try to mirror thoseprograms or perhaps take them
and make them even better.
But I'm convinced every singleyear those destination awards
and the programs that theyrepresent are saving lives.

Speaker 2 (15:56):
It's interesting.
I've learned something today.
That's awesome.
That's a very good initiative.
You know and I've been thinkingtoo heavily about the last
couple years that I have beenout to police week, you know,
and we have covered a couplepodcast episodes about police
week itself and, um, it's kindof nice to have you both here
because you guys canspecifically speak to the inner
workings with police week andyou know I've explained in depth

(16:19):
what police week is.
But you guys have a differentuh purview for the whole police
week.
Um, with honoring our fallenand adding the new names.
Do either.

Speaker 4 (16:28):
We want to speak to about what that looks like for
that week well, I'll speak alittle bit on it, but by far the
responsibility of police weekfalls greater on bill than any
other human being on this planet.
So, ultimately, police Week isit has a lot of cogs involved in

(16:49):
it in order for it to, in orderfor it to operate.
And again, there's a synergythat happens during Police Week
with other organizations as well, and I've already named two of
them, being, of course, nationalLaw Enforcement Memorial Fund
and Concerns Police Survivors.
But then FOP also has a COG inthere that they're a part of
that as well, and those arereally the three main COGs, if

(17:12):
I'm correct in saying that, bill, am I right in saying that
Absolutely?
And then, of course, there'sother organizations that are
heavily involved in smallerpieces of it, because we've got
all the honor guard is therefrom agencies all across the
nation and they help represent.
There's agencies from all overthe nation that come.

(17:32):
It really is, and the best wayI could describe it and I've
done this for many, many yearsnow, I've been a part of Police
Week for many, many years If youhaven't been to Police Week, if
you haven't been to Police Week, even if you don't have a loved
one or partner or a familymember that is on the wall

(17:54):
participating in it by itselfwill give you an entire
different perspective of lawenforcement.
I've brought many people up whenwe come and there's people that
have never lost an officer.
There's people that arecivilians that I've brought with
us and they leave with anentire different understanding

(18:14):
of police officers, themagnitude of what police
officers do every single day,and I would highly encourage,
especially if you're a policeofficer or police officer family
, to go and understand and be apart of the entire week.
As far as what it takes, I'lllet Bill describe that because

(18:37):
with Bill's experience, he wasthe memorial, he was the
executive director of theMemorial Wall, who was also
burdened with the responsibilityof actually doing the
candlelight ceremony and nowbeing the CEO.
Ultimately he's still in chargeof the candlelight ceremony,
but that is we're talking abouttens of thousands of people
showing up and the logistics ofit I can imagine is not easy,

(19:05):
but I'll let Bill speak on that.

Speaker 3 (19:07):
Well, police Week, you know, for us the Memorial
Fund and the other tentpoleorganizations which Slater
referenced, notably FOP andConcerns of Police Survivors,
it's the Super Bowl event for us, which goes over the course of
multiple days.
It really kicks off for us onplus or minus May 11th with a
canine memorial service.
Every May 12th the Police UnityTour rides in to honor the men

(19:31):
and women most recently fallenin the line of duty and they
raise money specifically for thememorial fund.

Speaker 2 (19:37):
That's by bike, that's not just a motorcycle,
that's on bicycles yes bicycles.

Speaker 3 (19:42):
They ride hundreds of miles all up and down the East
Coast and they converge here atthe Memorial every May 12th.
And for anyone who has not beento Police Week or seen Police
Unitary Tour ride in, I promiseyou there are a few experiences
where you can feel such emotionas those men and women are
riding in, having reallysuffered and gone through a lot
of pain to ride those miles.
It really is quite amazing.

(20:02):
So that's May 12th, may 13th.
Every May 13th is ourcandlelight vigil, the Memorial
Fund's candlelight vigil.
It's where we read aloud thenames of every single man or
woman who has most recently beenadded to the memorial.
So that certainly captures theprevious calendar year line of

(20:24):
duty deaths, but it alsoincorporates again those
historical deaths which Ireferenced before, deaths which
I referenced before.
Then May 14th is the Concernsof Police Survivors Gala, and
then May 15th is the FraternalOrder of Police Memorial Service
, historically held at theCapitol.
So those are sort of the bigtentpole events.
But that barely scratches thesurface.
I mean, there is so much goingon in Washington DC for Police
Week, not least of which wouldbe Tent City, the networking,

(20:45):
the congregation, the fellowshipof police officers from not
just around the country butaround the world.
I mean, every single year I seepolice officers from Germany
and London and Austria and itjust runs the gamut that our
National Police Week has gonebeyond just the borders of the
United States of America.
It really does encompass andwelcome members of all stripes

(21:08):
of law enforcement from aroundthe world to come and, we hope,
pause with us, pause momentarilyfor those four or five days to
again recognize the terriblecost of protecting our democracy
and also allowing theprofession to again, perhaps for
a moment, be penned in theconsciousness of this nation, to
remind the men and women outthere that in part we are able

(21:31):
to live free lives.
A big reason why is because themen and women who are willing
to put their lives on the linefor us.
Slater is absolutely right Ifyou have not been to a police
week before, I cannot put intowords the emotion, the feelings,
the catharsis, the healing.
I cannot put into words theemotion, the feelings, the
catharsis, the healing, theabsolute camaraderie.
There is something very, veryunique to be in Washington DC

(21:53):
during a police week that isalmost indescribable.
You cannot put into words thefeelings that happen here and
the healing that happens hereand really in a big way, the
recognition of law enforcementand the job that the men and
women are out there doing.
If you have not been to apolice week I cannot express in
terms strong enough.
You should come at least oncein your life to see what happens

(22:14):
here every single year.

Speaker 2 (22:15):
I echo that very much so it's very eye-opening and
healing, no-transcript temp city.
But I would go to as manyevents as I could, but uh, the

(22:38):
candlelight vigil is justabsolutely breathtaking and
being able to uh see everyonethat comes together in their
uniforms and be able to holdI've, just when they light those
candles and how much it lightsup that entire national mall, is
just absolutely incredible.
Do you want to speakspecifically more about the
candlelight vigil and what thatthat night looks like?

Speaker 3 (22:59):
Sure, well, well, slater was very kind to me a few
minutes ago and puttingtogether the candlelight vigil,
putting all of the literallythousands of moving parts
whether it's the US Park Policewho assist, it's Metropolitan
Police Department who acts asmotors for the buses, concerns
of police survivors, gettingthose survivors on the buses and
getting them there the weeks inadvance of direct preparation

(23:20):
and literally months in advanceof thinking about and
constructing that event, it isan absolute ton of work and it's
work that we live to do.
I mean, it's work that'sdirectly impacting and honoring
those very same men and womenwho we are hoping to memorialize
for the nation.
But the candlelight vigil, wow,it is quite a bit to put on and

(23:42):
we hope that from the outside,looking in, it appears seamless,
but I can promise you, underthe covers there, it is quite an
adventure to put that event on.
And of course, slater is notwrong.
I mean, literally every singleyear, tens of thousands of
people come to our candlelightvigil, not just in law
enforcement, not just survivors,but again citizens from around

(24:04):
the country and even folks fromaround the world, to see that
sea of candles light up.
After we've read those names,to hear the songs being sung by
a few recording artists, to seethe surviving family members
watch and listen as they hearthe name of their loved one read
aloud.
I mean there's no way I couldput into words the emotion, the

(24:26):
strongest emotion, that is goingthrough the air at that
candlelight vigil.
Again and of course, again I'mbiased I think that the
candlelight vigil is thetentpole event for all of Police
Week.
So for anyone listening, if youcome to Police Week, please do
yourself a service, do yourcountry a service.
Come be a part of thecandlelight vigil.
Witness for yourself the really, really powerful emotion that

(24:49):
occurs every single year thereas we honor our heroes.

Speaker 2 (24:53):
Yes, yes, I agree, yeah, it's.
I brought my wife both yearsand just the emotions that are
flowing when you leave, you know, and having the surround and
the amount of people that youactually run into, that you know
, um, that are there.
You think that the world isreally big, right, but actually
in reality it's super small andthe different people that you

(25:13):
meet there, uh, like you'retalking about the networking
piece that's, there's just a lotof people there that you end up
um, either having some type ofuh, a connection with in some
realm throughout your lawenforcement career, or even if
you're not, where you canconnect with them.
There's several times where Iactually bumped into law
enforcement officers that havebeen on our trips, that are
there for HHO and unfortunately,they're there for not the

(25:38):
reasons we want, but they arethere for the healing piece of
it and being able to experiencethat with them is very moving.
So, also, I want to talk aboutthe museum a little bit more.
You touched on a little bitearlier.

Speaker 3 (25:51):
You said it was built in 2018 it was built in the
years before that, but it openedin the fall of 2018.
Okay, it opened right beforecovid hit.
So, uh, it's had a little bitof a rocky beginning here, but,
yes, opened in 2018 and you bothobviously had a part of the
curation of that museum.
That happened before my time,but I do believe that Aaron was

(26:13):
on the board when the museumopened.

Speaker 4 (26:15):
I was not.
I started on the board soonafter the museum was opened.
A lot of the curation hadalready happened for the museum
and I do believe that we'restill doing curation now.
Am I correct in saying that?
Sure, it's been?

Speaker 3 (26:33):
pretty steady here for the last year, but we do try
to bring in some new exhibitsperiodically, or new, larger
exhibits, like right now.
Just last month we opened whatwe're calling Officers as
Artists, where we solicited thenation.
We asked law enforcementofficers of all stripes hey, we
know that you're more than justpolice officers, many of you are
also artists in your own right.

(26:54):
Send us some artwork.
And we got just an amazingresponse and right now there are
about 60 pieces of artwork inwhat we call the DuPont Gallery
of every stripe.
Some of it's law enforcementrelated, but much of it is not
to really showcase that men andwomen in uniform are more than
just police officers.
It really does an amazing jobof humanizing the men and women

(27:15):
in uniform, but that's just asmall part of the museum.
Slater, you're absolutely right,we do curate and change the
museum, but one of the things Iwould say is that the museum as
it exists today exists mostly totell that honorable story of
law enforcement that Ireferenced before.
What visitors, when they comehere, will not see?
They will not see a civilrights violation exhibit.

(27:38):
They will not see a GeorgeFloyd exhibit.
They will not see exhibitshighlighting where police
officers maybe fell short orfaced a challenge that they
didn't overcome at the time, andit's not that there's not room
in the conversation to haveabout that in the broader law
enforcement sphere, but I mightargue that there are lots of
places where you can go to learnabout the potential failings of

(28:01):
law enforcement.
In fact, I might argue you canlook almost everywhere and
someone is voicing some concernabout law enforcement, often
unjustifiably, often in anunfair way.
But the museum as it existstoday exists to tell that
honorable story of lawenforcement and in my mind there
should be a place in this greatcountry that highlights the

(28:21):
good, the overwhelming good,that law enforcement has been
and continues to be.
And that is this museum.
Every single exhibit exists totell some portion, some chapter,
some honorable part of the menand women who have served now
for 250 years making theircommunities in this country
safer and protecting thatdemocracy.
So that is the museum to tellthat story of American law

(28:43):
enforcement in a way thathighlights, exemplifies and
honors the profession.

Speaker 2 (28:47):
And it's an absolutely beautiful building
too, just the way it's set upand designed when you walk in
and you go downstairs and youget the sub-levels going.
And one of the things thatstood out to me the most and I
learned about a lot thisscenario in my training is the
game warden truck that's there.
You know, that specificscenario was part of my training
when I was in the academy.
I was watching the video ofthat officer's involved shooting

(29:08):
, and to have it there and seeit in person really puts a lot
of pieces together.

Speaker 3 (29:14):
Yeah, you're talking about that game warden truck.
So as soon as you walk in, oneof the first things you see is a
big helicopter.
It's a prior US Park Policehelicopter.
And then you walk down themezzanine just a little bit
further and up on a raisedplatform is this truck where an
officer was the target ofbasically an ambush, and you can
see dozens of rounds having hitthe car and the windshield and

(29:35):
you just you know, particularlyas a prior law enforcement
officer your heart just goes outto whoever happened to be
inside that truck.
Absolutely both heartbreaking,but also highlighting the very
real dangers that men and womenin uniform face, both in the
past and, unfortunately,increasingly, I might argue even
through to today.

Speaker 2 (29:53):
There's some exhibits in there that do specifically
show some of the undercoveroperations that some officers
have done in the past, as wellas the 9-11 area.
There's a wall there regardingofficers that have been lost in
the last year.
There's just so many things tolook at and to take in, but it's
absolutely well done and I giveyou guys a round of applause
for how well it is done.
I got to bring some otherpeople who are non-law

(30:16):
enforcement with ourorganization there and just
absolutely took their breathaway, I think, and they're also
former military.
So I think it really helpedthem open their eyes to what
kind of camaraderie there is,our brotherhood or sisterhood,
amongst the people in theseprofessions by being able to
attend Police Week and check outthe museum and see all the
history there.
So you guys have done anabsolutely phenomenal job.

Speaker 4 (30:39):
Well, and I'll also add that if you've never been to
the museum and we've got a lotof interactive pieces too, a lot
of simulator aspects, so so, um, you know, bringing family
members, letting them go throughsome of that, the interaction,
the, the shoot don't shoot typestuff, the driving simulator,
the, all the differentsimulation type things that they

(31:02):
can partake in.
To me, me, that's anunderstanding of learning as
well.
So if your husband, your wife,whoever it is, that says I don't
want to go to a museum, sell itto that understanding, because
once they're through the door, Ican tell you right now it's a
museum that will open your eyesto the understanding of behind
the scenes of law enforcement,of behind the scenes of law

(31:24):
enforcement, and it allows themto see it through in many ways,
like many of the other museumsthat are of quality.
See it and feel it and youleave with a different
perspective of law enforcement.

Speaker 3 (31:44):
So it does a very, very good job of doing that.
360 or 360 degrees no, you're100% right, slater.
I mean the vast majority of theexhibits are to some degree
interactive.
And, of course, the use offorce simulator that many
officers will likely recall asbeing called originally shoot,
don't shoot, but it's morphedinto sort of a decision
simulator.
That is an incredibly powerfulpiece of technology for people

(32:04):
who have no law enforcementexperience to see just briefly,
very momentarily, how fastthings happen, how your tunnel,
your vision can narrow oncertain things, how your audio
senses sometimes get blocked.
I mean it's just an amazingpiece of technology to give
people a real sense of how fastthings happen and how much
pressure you can be under, evenin this completely benign sort

(32:27):
of training environment.
And the driving simulator doesthe same thing.
We have a bunch of exhibits on,say, crime scene collection,
blood spatter, I mean all of thethings that police officers do
every single day.
You can likely do yourself real, for real, in person, right
there in the museum.
And again, I might argue, Ithink it does just an amazing
job of helping to tell thatstory of our profession and

(32:48):
showcasing what men and womenare doing every single day to
protect us.

Speaker 1 (32:54):
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Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast.
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(33:16):
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Speaker 2 (35:04):
No, it's absolutely.
You guys are hitting it all inthe head.
No, I love it.
I'm glad you guys are here andtalk about this stuff.

Speaker 4 (35:09):
Well, and Chris and for listeners out there and I'll
speak on this, but I'll letBill finish it but one of the
things about the museum as wellis we do group rentals.
You can rent out aspects of themuseum.
So if you have a company party,you want to have a company

(35:30):
event, you have a POA event, youhave an agency event.
Out of a company event, youhave a POA event, you have an
agency event, you can contactthe museum and ask about renting
out the museum for your event,and that is something that we'd
really like to increase as faras rental sales and those types
of things, because, again,you'll get people through the

(35:52):
door that have maybe never evenheard of the museum or even knew
the museum, but because they'repart of that group event, that
brings a lot more exposure aswell, and then to have the event
there, it is truly an amazingplace as far as what it looks
like, the appearance of it andthe value that you're going to
get out of it.

(36:12):
So that's kind of a sales pitch, I'm saying but if you have an
event, rent the museum out foryour event.
It is an amazing place.

Speaker 2 (36:23):
I did not know that.
That's good information to know, and I wanted to ask, too,
about some other initiativesthat the National Law
Enforcement Memorial Fund has.
Are there any other types ofinitiatives that you guys are
engaged in that we can share?

Speaker 3 (36:38):
Well, those are the big tenfold things thinking
about honoring those who havefallen in the line of duty
through the memorial, tellingthat story of American law
enforcement, through the museumand officer safety and wellness,
where we do a number ofinitiatives.
One of them is Destination Zero, which we talked a little bit
about before.
We also have a couple of grantsunder NHTSA, so the National
Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration, where we again

(37:01):
look at part of that data.
Where are men and women inuniform dying in traffic-related
incidents and how can wepackage together information or
perhaps programs that again makeit safer for men and women out
on the roadways?
Earlier this year we did awhite paper that talked about
stop sticks, those devices whereofficers, if they have the time
and space and can deploycorrectly, can throw a device

(37:24):
into the roadway which they hopewill cause the fleeing vehicle
to be stopped.
But those over time have shownto be very, very dangerous for
the officers that are actuallydeploying them.
Unfortunately, almost everysingle year we lose one or more
person in uniform becausethey've been struck by the car
they're trying to stop.
So that would be one example.
We also work with SafeLeo, wherewe think about and talk about

(37:47):
and participate in classes thattry to educate not just rank and
file members but particularlythe supervisors, the commanders,
the men and women who areleading these organizations,
what to look out for.
What are the signs that one ofyour officers might be in
trouble in terms of mentalstress and that mental health
aspect?
How can we keep the men andwomen who are doing this job

(38:10):
safe, not just physically butalso mentally?
Because, chris, as I suspectyou know, and certainly the work
you're doing with HometownHeroes is trying to prevent,
this very thing is almost everysingle year, more men and women
in public safety and lawenforcement specifically die by
suicide than they arefeloniously killed.
So it's a big problem for ourprofession and it's part of our

(38:30):
mission to try to address thatand try to reduce those deaths.

Speaker 2 (38:35):
Yeah, there's far too many of those happening.
I know we've had several herein our state and unfortunately
hear about them every day.
Well, not every day, butunfortunately it's just
happening too often, you know,and it's a very difficult part
of the position.
I know like one of our locallaw enforcement agencies here
just started using a new devicethat actually deploys from the

(38:57):
front of a squad and puts a GPSin the back of the vehicle and
that's, I'm told, it's not cheapthough, but it's cheap Cheap.
Who cares?
If it helps get people homesafe and they're able to
identify the issue later, let'sdo it.
No, thank you, gentlemen, forbeing here.
So I do have a couple couple um.
Well, let me start here.

(39:17):
Actually, is there anythingelse that you guys would like to
add for the podcast um aboutthe national law enforcement
memorial fund?

Speaker 4 (39:24):
the only thing.
The only other thing I I wouldadd is um, there's also a video
that uh that when you're in themuseum that I encourage
everybody to go watch and it'skind of a behind the scenes.
It tells a lot of differentstories about different police
officers throughout the nationand it's very short.

(39:45):
So I think it's only about 20,25 minutes long, but ultimately
it is very, very impactful.
So when you're there, take thatmoment to do it, and I know a
lot of you guys that may bewatching this, go to Washington
DC and I know that there's a lotof museums to go visit and
those types of things, but ifyou're watching this podcast,

(40:06):
that means you have an interestin law enforcement, most likely
to begin with.
So when you go to DC, take themoment and put that on your
schedule to go visit the museum,check the schedule, go visit it
and make that as one of yourpriorities to go do with
everything else that there is todo in DC.

Speaker 2 (40:28):
Yeah, I would say, no matter what you're planning for
your trip length tack, two moredays onto it, there's just so
much to go and see and take inabsolutely that.
That was a part of my nextquestion too, and but I'll ask
that after bill, do you haveanything else you want to add
about the national lawenforcement memorial fund?

Speaker 3 (40:45):
well, piggybacking slightly on slater's comment,
that movie is the title of.
It is called service andsacrifice and it just does an
absolutely amazing job ofhumanizing the men and women who
are doing the job and I promiseyou even people in uniform to
watch it.
I suspect to one degree youwill come away slightly
emotional.
But also, particularly forpeople in your lives who are not

(41:06):
necessarily educated to thedegree you might be in terms of
law enforcement, I promise theywill come away feeling something
different.
And right now it's actuallyavailable to stream.
It's on Hulu and a couple ofother platforms.
So look for the title Serviceand Sacrifice.
Take 25 minutes and please gowatch that film.
It really is impactful.
Beyond that, I would say to youraudience we, the Memorial Fund,

(41:28):
exist and have existed since1984 entirely on donations.
There is no federal, state,local government money invested
in this memorial.
It's maintained, the new namesare engraved, the museum telling
those stories, our officersafety and wellness programs are
all funded mostly by people inand associated with law

(41:49):
enforcement who think that ourmission is worthwhile.
The only way we're able to dothat work, the only way we're
able to do that work, the onlyway we're able to do that
candlelight vigil is with peoplewho have very generously
donated to us.
And now I'm going to pause here, and he is too humble to say it
, but the reality is that one,aaron Slater, and his beautiful
wife, danny, are the very kindof people who put their money

(42:11):
where their mouth is Everysingle year.
I mean, I'm blown away, I'mstaggered by the level of
service and sacrifice and andhis generosity, both he and
Danny, in terms of their, notjust their time, not just
willing to help lead thisorganization and come up with
new ideas, but they actuallydonate so incredibly generously,
again, not just to us, butconcerns of police survivors and

(42:33):
other organizations and evenhis own foundation.
But we could not exist, we couldnot exist without the
generosity of men and women inuniform all across the country,
and mostly their family members,helping to support what it is
we're doing.
And so, for those who havegiven, I just want to very, in a
very, very heartfelt, genuineway, say thank you.
Thank you for helping us honorour heroes and tell their

(42:55):
stories.
And for those who are nototherwise aware of us, I ask
look, there's lots of greatcharities out there and I don't
want you to snub some othercharity for us.
But if you got a few sparebucks and you think this mission
is worthwhile, of course Iwould argue it is.
But if you think our mission isworthwhile in terms of honoring
and remembering our heroes andyou have a few spare bucks,

(43:16):
please consider donating to theMemorial Fund.

Speaker 2 (43:18):
Absolutely yeah, Thank you for saying that.
I was going to ask you is thereone of the best ways for people
to go ahead and do that?

Speaker 3 (43:24):
The easiest way is to just go to our website, which
is NLEOMForg.
That stands for National LawEnforcement Officers Memorial
Fund, nlomforg, and there's abig red donate right on the top
right.
Of course we'll take thedonation any other way.
You want to send me paypal orvenmo or evena regular old check
in the us mail.
Any way you would like to sendus money, we will happily accept
it.

Speaker 2 (43:43):
But the easiest way is online, right through that
donate button yes, and if you,like you said, if you guys have
any spare change or anything youwant to give over there, um,
please do so.
I have a few partners on thatwall myself, you know, and I
will tell you that, the healingthat I received from that and
being able to experienceeverything that they've put
together and curated, helps, andI'll add to that as well.

Speaker 4 (44:05):
One of the things about the wall that is unique
and compared to a lot of theother memorials period in
Washington DC is it's one of theonly memorials in the nation
that continues to grow.
You take the Vietnam wall, youtake a lot of these other
memorials and the names are set.
This wall continues to grow andit continues to be costly to

(44:30):
memorialize police officers.
That's the reality of things.
With that being said, there is,you know, a burden that the
memorial takes on every singleyear to make sure that that we
do it right and we honor the menand women that have sacrificed
everything you know to be onthat wall and do it right for

(44:53):
them, so that that, that thatthat does get costly, guys, and
that's the reason why we sithere and say you know, it's
because of you guys that areinvested in making sure that the
officers memorialized right,that we continue to exist.
So, again, thank you, and thankyou, bill, for for being so

(45:14):
kind to to to thank you andthank you, bill, for for being
so kind to mention us.
But, again, this has been whatwe do for a very long time and,
as you know, we're survivors aswell, so we take a very special
interest to it.

Speaker 2 (45:30):
Yes, oh, I do have one more question Is there an
ambassador program?

Speaker 3 (45:35):
Yes, oh, I do have one more question.
Is there an ambassador program?
There is.
It's under our officer safetyand wellness umbrella.
So what?
Who?
The person leading that rightnow?
His name is Matt Garcia andit's where we it just started
two years ago under one of ourcorporate partners, mission
Square.
They're funding it and we havetried to branch out to create
network connections with policeofficers all across the country
and try to have those men andwomen act as our ambassadors, to

(45:58):
to some degree, act as aconduit.
If a local agency were to have aline of duty death in terms of
what is the process?
What information does thememorial fund need?
How can I facilitate adding alocal hero's name to the
memorial wall?
So that's part of it but alsoacting sort of as a brand
ambassador for us to go outthere and help to tell our story

(46:19):
and to remind people exactlywhat it is we're talking about,
that this memorial fund existsonly by virtue of the people who
are willing to contribute andhelp support it, and we hope
those ambassadors are out thererepresenting us and helping to
spread this exact message thatyou are helping spread now,
chris.
So that ambassador program, ifanyone is interested.

(46:40):
you need to be a current orretired law enforcement officer,
but if you have an interest inhelping to tell our story, we
would love to hear from you.

Speaker 2 (46:47):
Awesome.
Yeah, aaron told me about thatprogram about a year and a half
ago and I'm still trying tothink I might just apply and not
tell my wife and see how thatgoes, I guess.
But I really do want to helpout with that.
I think it's very important,especially with how many
officers we lost here andcontinue to lose, and hopefully
that goes down or goes awaycompletely.
But in reality it's needed andI appreciate you having that

(47:11):
program put together pluseverything else that you guys do
so for fun.
At the very end here I have aquestion for you both about DC.
Dc is a very diverse area.
A lot of different thingshappening there.
What are the top two placesthat each of you would go to get
food?

Speaker 4 (47:28):
Well, if it's after 7 o'clock at night there's
nothing to go get.
There's very few restaurants togo uh to, uh uh at night for a
dc.
Um, I I honestly like that andbill, am I wrong?
Is the chop?
Is shop house still open?

Speaker 3 (47:46):
I was gonna say one of my favorites was the chop
house and it closed.
It closed earlier in uh 2024,just uh five or six months ago,
and I was devastated when itclosed.

Speaker 4 (47:54):
Yeah, I heard that.
But other than that, theChophouse was, to me, the best
place to go eat.
During Police Week it's adifferent environment, but
during Police Week I wouldprobably go to Dubliner.

Speaker 2 (48:12):
They are very good.

Speaker 4 (48:14):
Well, it's also where all the police officers go.
Yes, yes, dubliner, and theyare very good.

Speaker 2 (48:16):
It's also where all the police officers are.

Speaker 4 (48:18):
Dubliner and Kelly's.

Speaker 5 (48:19):
Is.

Speaker 2 (48:20):
Kelly's still open.

Speaker 4 (48:22):
They've been trying to sell it for years, but yes,
it's still open.

Speaker 3 (48:25):
Kelly's is still open , and another hot spot I would
recommend is the Irish Channel,which is not too far from the
memorial itself.
A very large police contingentthere and they play a ton of
Irish music and a great spot togo.
But if you're looking for arestaurant recommendation and of
course the Chop House is notone now Carmine's family style
Italian food is really good andit's very close to the memorial

(48:46):
you can walk.

Speaker 4 (48:47):
He's absolutely right on that.
It's great food.
So, yes, I would agree, and Ilove Italian food and that one
does it right.

Speaker 2 (48:57):
I always like hitting up the old Abbott.
I thought they had good food.
It's a little spendy but it'salso right across from the White
House and I think it's theoldest pub in DC.
I think it was one of the firstones, but it's moved a couple
times.
But yeah, the Irish Channel isabsolutely fantastic.
But I have not gone to theother place yet, but I know it
was kind of a random.
But sometimes I like askingthose things in this podcast and

(49:20):
people when they're out there,they get to go experience that
as well.

Speaker 4 (49:22):
But no, when it goes to, when it comes to police week
, you've got to know where to goeat.

Speaker 5 (49:35):
That's scary.
66% of Americans would struggleto pay for a thousand dollar
emergency.
We don't.
This one's scary.
66% of Americans would struggleto pay for a thousand dollar
emergency.
We don't keep any money in thesavings accounts, right?
The scary part about that is isthat eight out of 10 of us
watching this right now aregoing to experience a $5,000

(49:57):
whoopsie every 10 years.
Something's going to happen.
Kids are going to break a legand there's going to be
out-of-pocket max medical thatyear.
Right, there's going to be ahellstorm or a fire or some kind
of a natural disaster thatcauses us to have to write a big
old check for our deductiblefor the roof replacement or the
car.
Right, something's going tohappen.
I want you to think back to thelast time you had a financial
emergency.
Was it the event that causedthe stress, or was it trying to

(50:19):
figure out how to pay for theevent that caused the stress?

Speaker 2 (50:23):
Well, gentlemen, I appreciate you Do either of you.
Have any other closing thingsyou'd like to add?

Speaker 4 (50:29):
I don't.
I'd just like to say thank you,chris, for having us on and
exposing the National LawEnforcement Memorial Fund as
much as possible Again withPolice Week, and to Bill, I know
how much work you and your teamputs in and I will tell you
that the team that runs theNational Law Enforcement
Memorial Fund is a phenomenalteam.
I know them all personally.

(50:50):
I know Bill very, very well.
His leadership does a great jobof leading the National Law
Enforcement Moral Fund throughall the events, through the
struggles like any othernonprofit has the struggles of
funding and the struggles of theday-to-days.

(51:11):
But he does an amazing job andso not only am I blessed being a
board member to have someonelike him being the executive
director, but all of lawenforcement is blessed to have
Bill as a, as a leader for themoralizing of police officers
and and taking care of theirfamilies when they come up and

(51:34):
and and they grieve.
So thank you.

Speaker 3 (51:37):
Yes, that's beyond kind.
I'm blown away.
Thank you very much, aaron.
But you know I'm humbled to behere.
I really am humbled to playeven a small part in terms of
this organization and honoringour collective heroes.
And if anyone out there wantsmore information or thinks of a
question after they hear this,I'd love to correspond with

(52:01):
anyone who has a question.
My email address is bealexanderat NLEOMForg.
That's B as in boy, alexanderat NLEOMForg.
Or if you want to come to DCand you want to have me walk
around, I'd love to show you theMemorial and Museum if you're
otherwise in town.
And besides that, chris, I'mjust incredibly appreciative,
much like Slater.
Thank you very much, first forthe hometown heroes outdoors and
doing what it is you're doingin terms of bolstering mental

(52:22):
health across the public, safetyand military communities.
Thank you for that.
But equally, thank you forallowing us to use your platform
here today to help spread ourmessage, to talk about the
Memorial Fund, what it is we'redoing, and give us the
opportunity to connect withfolks who might not have heard
of us before.
It really means a lot toeveryone in the profession to

(52:43):
help spread this message.
So thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (52:45):
Absolutely, yeah, no.
Thank you, gentlemen, for bothbeing here.
I really appreciate you both.
You guys are both doingphenomenal work in the
communities and giving back tothose who deserve it Our
professions.
It's a difficult job, no matterwhat you know.
Even when politics are good andpolitics are bad, it's always a
difficult job and people havetough decisions to make and
split second decisions, and it'sgood to know that there are

(53:05):
people out there like the bothof you that are able to support
everyone and be able to giveback and help with the legacy of
people who have sacrificed somuch.
So thank you, thank you, thankyou.
So, with that, thank you,listeners, for tuning into the
Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast.
I just want to reemphasize thatyou know with mental health,
that there are different avenuesof ways for you to be able to

(53:26):
reach out and do things.
Our field staff at HometownHero Outdoors have training and
applied suicide interventionskills training, which is also
known as ASIST.
If you're finding yourself in adark time where you need to
reach out, please reach out.
People will listen.
If you're not comfortable withus, there are many other
organizations out there that arethere to help you, or even 988
as a phone call or a textmessage that you can do for the

(53:48):
crisis line.
We're not mental healthprofessionals, by any means, but
we will be here as a peer andwe will help you find the help
that you need.
So please reach out.
There are options.
So with that, we will listen.
Excuse me, we will see you onthe next Hometown Hero Outdoors
podcast.

Speaker 1 (54:02):
Thank you, the Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast
is made possible by thefollowing sponsors O'Neill
Electric Contractors.
The Minnesota Police and PeaceOfficers Association.
Relentless Defender, appareland Financial Cop Financial

(54:22):
Advisors.
Thank you for listening to theHometown Hero Outdoors podcast.
For more information, visit ourwebsite at
hometownherooutdoorsorg.