Prior to the development of the West Bank, the Wichita Police Department had a modest memorial located on McLean Boulevard.  That memorial site was eliminated with the re-routing of McLean Boulevard in the 1990’s.  In 2002, at the direction of Chief Norman Williams and Sheriff Gary Steed, a volunteer committee comprised of members of the community, Wichita Police Department, and Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office 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.   

In 2003, the LEMC was granted permission by the Wichita City Council to erect the memorial on the southwest corner of Central and Main. The Committee, through the vision of local artist Constance Ernatt and GLMV Architect Tom D. Montgomery, designed a site plan reflective of the sacrifice the memorial symbolizes.  The memorial is designed to honor law enforcement officers and as 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 and the fallen officers.  The lions stand at the base of an eternal flame, comprised of a bronze and blue glass flame.  Behind the wall is a meditation area in which each officer is represented individually by a bronze plaque displaying their name, badge, department, and "end of watch" date, beneath which is set a pair of bronze boots or shoes. In many cases, the castings for the boots or shoes came from the officer or deputy’s actual footwear.    

The Law Enforcement Memorial Committee incorporated as a 501 C3 not-for-profit corporation, and contracted with the Wichita Community Foundation to handle donations and disbursements for the memorial.  The Committee raised just over $600,000 in cash, and approximately that same amount by means of in-kind materials and services, entirely through community donations, to fund the construction of the memorial.  Groundbreaking for the Memorial occurred in late 2009, and construction began in early 2010, overseen by Key Construction Inc.  Construction of the memorial continued throughout 2010, and culminated in December 2010 when the bronze statue was placed at the memorial site. The dedication was held on Saturday April 2, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at the Memorial, located at the Southwest corner of Central and Main.

The Memorial has been featured on the cover of Kansas Sheriff Magazine (Fall 2011) and is profiled in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (January 2012). 

Questions may be addressed to the Committee President: Captain Randal B. Landen, Wichita Police Department, 455 N. Main, Wichita, KS 67202, phone (316) 268-4269 rlanden@wichita.gov, or to the Committee Secretary: Undersheriff Mike Stover, Sedgwick County sheriff's Office at 141 W. Elm, Wichita, KS 67203, (316) 383-7264 mstover@sedgwick.gov. 

Donations to the memorial may be made to the Law Enforcement Memorial of Sedgwick County, 455 N. Main – 4^th Floor, Wichita, Kansas 67202. 
 

Pictures of the memorial are posted below.  Click on the thumbnail to view a larger version of the picture.  Photos by Capt. Alan Disney, SCFD and Capt. Greg Pollock SCSO.