CHARLOTTE NC May 17 2013
Rick McCann
CEO-Founder
Private Officer International
Twenty seven states now allow statutory or commissioned private police officers including those who primarily work in private security but have full law enforcement authority.
Currently, when a private sworn law enforcement officer including those employed by private college police departments, are killed in the line of duty, they are not allowed to be included on the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.This honor is restricted to officers employed by municipal, county, state, federal or other recognized governmental law enforcement agencies.
A police officer is a police officer! Regardless of who signs their paycheck, each officer takes the same oath to enforce the law and to protect and serve.
In Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland alone, there are thousands of sworn special police officers protecting schools, federal buildings, train stations and the public at large. Many of our nation’s private colleges and universities are protected by sworn peace officers who have completed the same required training as their local police counterparts.
Private Officer International is currently auditing all security/public safety officer deaths that have occurred during the past fifty years and will compile a list of officers who qualify as law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty who should be included on the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall.
If you know of any sworn college or private police officer killed in the line of duty, please email the officer’s name, date of death, location and circumstances to helpdesk@privateofficer.com.
We have also asked for a meeting with the National Law Enforcement Memorial board and started an on-line petition. http://www.change.org/petitions/national-law-enforcement-memorial-fund-include-private-police-officers-on-the-law-enforcement-memorial-wall
We ask that each and every one of you help us to change this injustice! This is an unfair and biased practice that needs to be changed immediately so that all sworn officers who die in the line of duty may be recognized for their sacrifice equally.
