LOS ANGELES COUNTY PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Client: LA County Arts Commission

Located at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Training Academy, the memorial wall serves as an important backdrop for ceremonies and official functions. An existing concrete wall was clad with recycled stone taken from the renovations of the Hall of Justice . The tremendous sacrifices required of peace officers is expressed by the lists the names of fallen officers from all the law enforcement divisions in the County. An eternal flame pays tribute to their service.

The concept design also included the following elements. The wall's “constellation of stars”, which are a tracery of steel panels intended to express loss and absence.  A history wall (on the other side of the memorial wall) that is intended to welcome people arriving to the training complex. The wall tells the history of the Sheriff’s Department through archival photographs printed on porcelain enamel steel panels. The wall's sandblasted patterns are inspired by the Sheriff badge. Leading to the memorial and history wall is the processional way. Six basalt stone columns line the pathway, down which deputies march during ceremonies. The face of each column is polished and engraved with one of the Sheriff Department’s 6 core values. The rough surfaces of the stone represent the new recruits, while the polished surfaces symbolize the sworn values of graduates.