In
2002, at the direction of Chief Norman Williams and Sheriff Gary
Steed, a volunteer committee comprised of members from the Wichita
Police Department, Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, and several
non-law enforcement representatives formed the Law Enforcement
Memorial Committee of Sedgwick County, Inc.
The Law Enforcement Memorial Committee (LEMC) was tasked with
building a memorial to honor local and county law enforcement
officers from
throughout Sedgwick County who have given their lives while protecting
our communities.
Since its inception, the LEMC, Inc. has been granted permission
by Mayor Mayans and the City Council to erect the memorial on
the southwest corner of Central and Main. The memorial design
was developed through local artist Constance Ernatt, and is currently
in the midst of fundraising efforts. The estimated cost of the
memorial has been placed at $550,000 to be raised through community
support. The LEMC hopes to raise the remaining funds by year’s
end.
The memorial is designed both to honor law enforcement officers
and to be a public work of art. The centerpiece of the memorial
is a life-sized bronze statue of two lions, one male and one female,
watching vigilantly over the community. The lions stand at the
base of an eternal flame, comprised of a bronze frame and blue
glass, lit by fiber optic lighting. Bronze replicas of the United
States and Kansas flags stand between the lions next to the pillar.
Behind a wall is a meditation area in which each officer is represented
individually with a plaque and beneath sets a pair of bronze boots
or shoes.
The clay model of the bronze is currently being sculpted and
is on display at Ernatt Art and Bronze, located at 424 S. Commerce
in the Art District. Donations to the memorial may be made to
the Wichita Community Foundation, Wichita Community Foundation,
Attention: Law Enforcement Memorial, O.W. Garvey Building, 200
W. Douglas, Suite 250, Wichita, KS 67202.
For more information please contact Capt. Randy Landen at (316)
268-4201 rlanden@wichita.gov
or Maj. Jim Woods at (316) 383-7711 jwoods@sedgwick.gov.
