Memorial honors officers who have fallen in line of duty

FLORENCE - For years, Florence Police Chief Rick Singleton has kicked around the idea of developing a memorial to the men and women of the department.

After visiting the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C. in May, Singleton knew that the idea needed to become a reality.

"Seeing what they had in Washington made us realize we really need to do this," Singleton said.

"It was very inspiring and humbling to be at the national memorial," said Florence Police Lt. Tony Barnett.

So, with an artist's rendering in hand, Singleton has set his sights on making the Florence Police Memorial a reality.

Singleton said the memorial would be dedicated to Florence officers killed in the line of duty as well as to commemorate the service of all the men and women of the department. Plus, it would honor other officers from other law enforcement agencies who have ties to Florence and the Shoals.

The proposed memorial would consist of three phases. "Really, three memorials in one," Singleton said.

Officers killed in the line of duty will be honored by a 3 foot granite column. Singleton said a bronze plaque with a likeness of the officer, their rank, name and end of service date, would be attached to the top of the column.

He said there would also be a memorial to honor active duty officers and retirees. This memorial would be a 6-by-9-inch granite paver engraved with the employees' rank, title, name and years of service. The memorial is for employees with more than 25 years of service who have retired with full benefits, or for active duty officers who died of causes unrelated to their service.

Singleton said the third concept of the memorial is a "walk of honor," which would consist of sidewalk brick pavers engraved with the name and agency for which the honoree or deceased worked. Only active or deceased law enforcement officers from other agencies with ties to Shoals are eligible.

"The centerpiece of the memorial will be a bronze statue," Singleton said.

He said the 6-foot tall statue will be placed on a granite base in the middle of the memorial.

Singleton hopes to have the words "All gave some, some gave all," engraved on the granite base.

"The words are from a song that Billy Ray Cyrus sung and I've already been in contact with his management group" for permission to use the lyrics, Singleton said. "Right now, we believe that's going to work out."

The cost of the project is estimated at $65,000, with the statue and the base costing about half of that projection.

To finance the memorial, Singleton said an effort is under way to sell the brick and granite pavers as well as securing sponsorships.

The brick pavers can be purchased for $100, while the granite pavers are $200. Sponsorships begin at $250.

Once he has the funding secure, the chief said he will then begin work on a location for the memorial.

"The city is talking about turning the site of the old National Guard Armory into a memorial park," Singleton said, referring to the a site near the intersection of Florence Boulevard and Tennessee Street, across from the Florence Cemetery. "This memorial would be a good fit for that, but there may be a couple of other locations, also. So, we'll be looking while we raising the money."

The chief said his wish would be to have the memorial built and ready for dedication by May 2009 during National Law Enforcement Memorial Week.

"We're just trying to do something to remember and recognize the men and women in law enforcement who have served their city and other cities in the area," he said.

Anyone wanting to contribute to the fund or with any questions is asked to contact the Florence Police Department at 768-2729.

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.