posted on March 22, 2010 15:32
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2007
CONTACT:
Kevin Morison, (202) 737-7134
kevin@nleomf.org
FIRST-EVER NATIONAL MUSEUM TO HONOR AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT MOVES CLOSER TO REALITY
Judiciary Square project achieves three key milestones
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The first-ever national museum dedicated to American law enforcement continues to move forward, with the project recently achieving three significant milestones.
Craig W. Floyd, Chairman and CEO of the National Law
Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF),
announced that the District of Columbia has approved the
issuance of $80 million of tax-exempt industrial revenue
bonds for construction of the National Law Enforcement
Museum; Clark Construction, of Bethesda, Md., has been
chosen to provide pre-construction and construction
services for the facility; and the U.S. Commission of Fine
Arts has given preliminary design approval for the Museum, to be located in Washington, DC's Judiciary
Square.
"We are very pleased that by achieving these important milestones, this long-overdue tribute to the men
and women of law enforcement is moving that much closer to becoming a reality," said Mr. Floyd.
The DC Council approved the revenue bonds during its meeting on July 10, and the NLEOMF is now
seeking bond purchase proposals from a short list of qualified financial institutions. "The Council's action
underscores the confidence local officials continue to show in the merits of the Museum and its prospects
for enriching the cultural and educational fabric of the city," said Mr. Floyd, who noted that Mayor Adrian
Fenty expressed support for the project at the Museum's kick-off event in February. The Museum is
expected to attract more than half a million visitors a year and generate at least $550,000 in new tax
revenue annually for the city.
The NLEOMF selected Clark Construction to provide pre-construction and construction services from a field
of qualified national and regional firms that competed for the assignment, recognizing Clark's expertise and
commitment to delivering the project on time and within budget. "Clark Construction is very pleased to
continue our close relationship with the Memorial Fund, a relationship that began in 1990 with construction
of the Memorial," said Chairman Peter Forster. "We are particularly excited to be a part of the Museum
project not only because of the unique construction challenge it represents, but also because of the special
meaning that law enforcement has in all of our lives."
The third milestone occurred June 21, when the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) voted unanimously to
give preliminary design approval for the Museum. This approval advances earlier concept approvals and
leaves only the final design approval by the CFA when construction documents are completed. The CFA
action follows the National Capital Planning Commission's vote in April to approve the Museum concept
design, which was developed by Davis Buckley Architects and Planners of Washington, DC.
With groundbreaking scheduled for the summer of 2008, the National Law Enforcement Museum will be the
largest and most comprehensive museum of its kind when it opens in 2011. The 90,000-square-foot,
underground facility will be a high-tech, interactive experience featuring driving and use-of-force training
simulators, a forensics lab and a Motorola 911 emergency communications center, as well as historical
artifacts and research facilities. Legislation authorizing the National Law Enforcement Museum to be built
on federal land in the nation's capital was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton
in November 2000.
In February, the NLEOMF formally unveiled plans for the Museum and launched the public phase of its fundraising campaign, called A Matter of Honor. Former Presidents Clinton and George H.W. Bush are the national honorary co-chairs of the campaign, which seeks to raise $80 million to build the Museum. More than $30 million has been raised to date through a combination of law enforcement, corporate and individual donors.
To learn more about the National Law Enforcement Museum and the A Matter of Honor Campaign, visit
www.LawEnforcementMuseum.org or call 866-446-NLEM (446-6536).
# # #
Editor's Note: The NLEOMF is a nonprofit organization established in 1984 to generate increased public
support for the law enforcement profession by permanently recording and appropriately commemorating the
service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers; and to provide information that will help promote law
enforcement safety. The NLEOMF operates and maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
in Washington, DC, which contains nearly 18,000 names; is an organizer of the annual National Police
Week tribute each May; and serves as a clearinghouse of information about law enforcement officers killed
in the line of duty. The NLEOMF is leading the building of the first-ever National Law Enforcement Museum,
scheduled to open adjacent to the Memorial in 2011. For more information, visit www.nleomf.org.