Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial History
On Dec.12, 1866, the City Marshal of Ogden, KS, Felix A. Boller, observed a group of soldiers entering a private home. One soldier stayed on the porch to guard the front door. Marshal Boller, concerned for the safety of the resident, ordered the soldiers to come out, at which point the soldier guarding the door shot and killed the marshal. Marshal Felix A. Boller is the first law enforcement officer in the state of Kansas to have been killed in the line of duty.
Starting in 1983, a coordinated effort was undertaken by the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association, Kansas Peace Officers Association, Kansas Fraternal Order of Police, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Kansas State Troopers Association, and the state Attorney General, to lobby for a tribute to be built in the state capitol city of Topeka that would be dedicated to all Kansas law enforcement officers who had lost their lives while serving the citizens of the state. Through their efforts, in 1984 the Kansas Legislature established the Kansas Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
A drive began in 1984 for construction of the monument that would be funded entirely by private donations. The funding sources came from families of the officers, individuals, businesses, government officials, law enforcement associations, cities, and counties throughout the state. The Memorial Advisory Committee, created that same year, oversees all fundraising, dedications, and publicity for the memorial. The criteria used to determine the names to be included on the monument are also set by the advisory committee.
On Oct. 14, 1986, the advisory committee held a special ceremony to unveil the monument that bore the names of 163 officers, including Marshal Felix Boller. Cost of construction for the completed monument was $71,596.78.
The Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial was dedicated on May 8, 1987. The monument is located in the northeast quadrant of Capitol Square of the state capitol grounds. The monument is a five-point star circled by a ring of tablets. Each of the tablets bears the names of those who have lost their lives in the line of duty since Kansas entered the Union.
In 2001, the advisory committee was dealing with a limited number of spaces remaining on the monument, deterioration of the limestone, and the impending renovation of the state Capitol Building. The renovation of the capitol included the addition of an underground garage which would require the dismantling of the memorial for a period of time. The capitol renovation project provided a unique opportunity to restore the monument with granite, increase the number of panels, add lighting, and place a bronze casting of the Great Seal of the State of Kansas in the center of the five-pointed star.
In 2003, the advisory committee formed the Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, to spearhead the fundraising drive for the restoration and expansion of the monument. While the state would cover the costs associated with replacing the monument, it would not cover the cost of the granite, the addition of panels or the lighting. The additional costs, estimated to be $400,000.00, would have to be borne by the foundation and advisory committee. Contributions to the foundation over the following three years allowed the advisory committee to restore the original monument with granite and the bronze seal. The monument was rededicated on May 5, 2006.
Fundraising continued until the memorial expansion project was completed in April, 2020. The expansion included the addition of 48 granite panels around the walkway, landscaping, and lighting to illuminate the monument at night.
Description:
- The memorial was designed by the Office of the State Architect.
- Restoration and expansion design by Treanor Architects.
- Dedicated May 8, 1987
- Rededicated May 5, 2006
- Original Materials: Limestone
- Restoration Materials: Granite
- Inscriptions: To the known and unknown law enforcement officers who given their lives for the people of Kansas – May they and their families’ sacrifices never be forgotten.