Step 1 Submit Petition for Inclusion
A Petition for Inclusion must be completed for an officer’s name to be considered for engraving on the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial. The Petition for Inclusion must be signed by the head of the agency for which the officer worked; forms that do not have the signature of an agency head will not be processed. Petitioners not affiliated with the agency that the officer served may initiate a Petition for Inclusion, but the agency head still must sign the form.
Step 2 Investigation by Memorial Committee
The Memorial Committee will perform such investigations concerning the information presented as it deems necessary and appropriate. Upon request from the Memorial Committee, the petitioner shall provide such other reasonable information as the Committee requires including contact information for and introductions to witnesses, fellow officers and department members and contemporaneous reports prepared concerning the incident that are available.
The Memorial Committee will meet concerning the petition and decide whether the individual proposed in the petition was a “law enforcement officer” who was “killed in the line of duty” as such terms are defined in the applicable procedures and criteria adopted by the Foundation. In its investigations, the Memorial Committee will research and investigate such things as the means available to verify the officer’s eligibility status, his or her job description, his or her training, the circumstances of his or her death, the correct spelling of his or her name and applicable federal, tribal, state and local statutes. Such efforts will include having the name verified by the law enforcement agency of record and surviving family members.
Step 3 Decision by Memorial Committee
The Memorial Committee will attempt to render a decision within 90 days after it has received all of the information that it requires to support the decision. The decision will be rendered in writing and, if the request is denied, will include a short description of the reasons for the denial. In order to insure that all due respect and honor are given, the Memorial Committee has been directed to apply criteria and definitions for the inclusion of names and applicable definitions very strictly.
A Note about the Criteria for Adding a Name to the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial
The criteria for including an officer’s name on the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial are separate and distinct from other local, state, federal, or private organizations or institutions that determine their own benefits and/or recognitions. Acceptance for inclusion on the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial does not impact decisions made by other local, state, federal, or private organizations or institutions that determine
their benefits and/or recognitions.
Separate applications for consideration must be submitted to each determining
organization. We have provided the below information as a courtesy :
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial – According to their website, “An Officer Data Form must be submitted by the December 31 deadline to be considered for inclusion on the Memorial the following year.”
Medal of Honor Nomination Form – According to their website, “All nominations for the state Law Enforcement Medal of Honor (41.72 RCW) must be submitted in writing and mailed or emailed to the Secretary of the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor Committee by February 16 (Date can change, please check the form)”.
Applicable definitions can be found in our criteria.