NH Fallen Officers
The New Hampshire Law Enforcement Memorial
Chief Michael Greeley - Deerfield, NH Police Department
The New Hampshire Law Enforcement Memorial was conceptualized by State Attorney General Jeff Howard in 1992, and dedicated on September 26th 1998. The memorial honors New Hampshire Law Enforcement Officers who died while in the line of duty. There are a total of 43 names of officers who have died while in the line of duty etched on the walls of the memorial. The oldest was an officer who died in 1889; this fact just recently discovered after all these years.
This Memorial is the way the community honors those Law Enforcement Officers that have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect the citizens of this great State. We will continue to honor those who pass on before us. The names of the fallen are inscribed on the approaches to the Memorial. New Hampshire sculptor Emil Birch chose the star as an eternal shield, and the Memorial is shaped as a star. In the base of the Memorial is a container holding law enforcement badges from all law enforcement agencies in the state.
The Memorial is made of Granite and its star shape is recognized as a Law Enforcement symbol. Another reason for the star shape is the arms of the star come into the center, making the flame the focal point of the Memorial. It also allows the names to be put is such a way that you can sit on the benches inside the start and look across and see the names. The flame, made of bronze with fiber optic lighting inside, represents the light of life that all officers honored have surrendered in the line of duty.
As a member of the New Hampshire Law Enforcement Memorial Committee, I can tell you that we will keep the Memorial looking its best. The fallen officers are honored each year in a ceremony at the site of the memorial. This service is in conjunction with the National Law Enforcement Memorial services held each year in the month of May in Washington, DC. We, the committee continue to take donations for the upkeep of the Memorial as well as keep it updated (Although we hope that we never have to put another name on it.).