San Jose Plans Monument to Honor Fallen Police Officers

San Jose will create a group tasked with planning a police memorial to commemorate officers killed in the line of duty.

The city's Office of Cultural Affairs would lead the committee, according to a proposal introduced to the Rules and Open Government Committee by Mayor Sam Liccardo and council members Raul Peralez and Don Rocha.

City officials said they would revive a stalled effort to build an "End of Watch" memorial after the shooting of Officer Michael Johnson. On March 24, the 38-year-old's became the 12th police officer killed during active duty in the 166-year history of the San Jose Police Department.

Days after Johnson's memorial, Liccardo and Peralez—an ex-cop and former colleague of Johnson's—vowed to commission a monument to fallen peace officers.

The city's Community and Economic Development Committee approved a memorial in 2008, but funds dried up during the economic recession. Another effort in 2o13 hit a road block, again for a lack of money.

This time, the city will team up with the San Jose Police Foundation, which has pledged funding for the project. Other potential stakeholders include the Police Officers' Association, SJPD, retired police and firefighters, and families of the fallen officers.

Earlier estimates put the cost of the project at about $180,000, some of which would come out of special project budgets from each council district.

Over the coming months, the taskforce will pitch design ideas, a maintenance and fundraising plan and solicit community input—much like the process for other public art projects.

More from the San Jose Rules and Open Government Committee agenda for Aug. 5, 2015:

WHAT: Rules and Open Government Committee meets
WHEN: 2pm Wednesday
WHERE: City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose
INFO: City Clerk, 408.535.1260

Jennifer Wadsworth is the former news editor for San Jose Inside and Metro Silicon Valley. Follow her on Twitter at @jennwadsworth.

6 Comments

  1. I hope to see this memorial come to fruition as soon as possible and that everyone who wants to be involved is included.

    • Thanks JMO. The point I was trying to make was simply this: If community input matters, hopefully the City will do a better job of getting the word out on when they hold their meetings.

      I have my doubts that this memorial will be built, but I am hoping it will be.

      • Kathleen: All community input does is delay whatever project for which it is sought. Look at the Willow Glen Trestle controversy. Community input gave us Quetzalcoatl, the “Park God”, which spelled backwards is…A camel is a horse built with community input. I too hope it will be built…in my lifetime.

  2. Let’s build a Memorial together for all the dead !
    We will not include the cover up of a child killed on a holiday in Gilroy by SJPD.
    https://youtu.be/L97aihRvZtQ
    https://youtu.be/GMg0DPLiCPI
    https://youtu.be/jdsDOziV3cA
    https://youtu.be/0aQVFp9OIYc
    https://youtu.be/XKQqgVlk0NQ
    https://youtu.be/u1CncBukYwg
    https://youtu.be/6tpAZObNZfI
    https://youtu.be/dgAdKw43TaI
    https://youtu.be/KQxAin7JHzw
    https://youtu.be/v1Kpb5MxjU0
    https://youtu.be/dwp2pPkXUac
    https://youtu.be/PbI5HHz7fJU
    https://youtu.be/pvATEjsf41g
    https://youtu.be/ed8nDBVNYwA
    https://youtu.be/UI_qxenxwr4
    and I could go on and on and on, but take a look:
    http://killedbypolice.net/
    This is the site that we support with large donations
    http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database?CMP=ema_565#
    So if you want a very large infusion of cash for your Memorial just put another one side by side for the aforementioned people with a video screen showing your courage in the above events. You have killed unarmed old sick women, run over a man you harassed, killed a Vietnamese women with a potato peeler, a Vietnamese boy in his back yard a the same cop killed a man in his apartment along with killing a Deputy’s retarded boy, a homeless Japanese man and an immigrant killed for smoking in the wrong area at Starbucks. You have a long list of ruthless kills. So stop bellyaching.

    Sincerely

    Jack Slade

  3. Slade you need a trip to EPS. Meanwhile a cop is killed everyday and it barely is a blip on the radar. You are a whack! The Starbucks shooting I know specifically the cop was attacked with a steel chair before the Bosnian (poor innocent immigrant) attempted to wrestle the cop’s gun. Your bias twist is pathetic at best. Go get your meds updated.

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