The Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association was formed in 1974 by Jim
Crawford, then Chief of Police in Golden Valley, MN. LEMA was founded with
the sole purpose of building a memorial to Minnesota peace officers who had
died in the line of duty. This memorial was designed and the fundraising
began. In 1977, the beautiful granite memorial was erected in the main
concourse of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The memorial
remained on display there until it was moved to its new home in the
centerpiece of the Peace Officer's Memorial on the capitol grounds in St.
Paul.Once the memorial was built, LEMA expanded its service to include
granting college scholarships to the immediate family members of fallen
officers. Nearly $100,000 in scholarships have been awarded. LEMA also
sponsors an annual memorial service hosted by departments around the state.
This service is held the first Sunday in May of each year. It is at this
service that a ribbon bearing the name of each officer lost in the line of
duty during the year is installed permanently on the LEMA flag. This service
also includes the reading of the Honor Roll, the list of names of fallen
Minnesota officers. As of January 1, 1998, this list includes the names of
203 officers dating back to 1881.
Other services provided by LEMA include Police Week activities, including the
Memorial Guard, Candlelight Service, Law Enforcement Night at the Twins, and new
for 1998, the Peacekeepers 5K run.
