2004 Annual Report - City of Fairbanks

LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL
Fairbanks Police Officer John Kevin Lamm was shot
and killed on January 1, 1998. He was only the
second F.P.D. Officer in the history of the
Department to be killed in the line-of-duty.
Shortly thereafter, the Fairbanks Police Department
formed a board to research the construction of an
appropriate Police Memorial. The project would
span the course of six years from inception to completion. Ideas regarding design,
location, and the inclusive nature of the memorial all generated significant input.
The project kicked into high-gear when the NANA Corporation graciously offered
to donate a 4600-pound jade boulder to serve as the centerpiece of the memorial.
The boulder was air-shipped from Kotzebue to Anchorage, and then trucked to
Fairbanks, all courtesy of Lynden Transport.
When the Fairbanks Police Department’s new
building was completed in 2002 at 911 Cushman
Street, all involved agreed that this central
downtown location would be an ideal site for our
Law Enforcement Memorial.
On May 26 th 2004 the U.S. Department of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, approved a
“Law Enforcement Tribute” grant submitted by the Fairbanks Police Department.
This grant provided the necessary funding for site preparation, purchase of
flagpoles and plaques, and other items necessary for the completion of the
project. Realizing that Officer Lamm’s birthday, the 100 th Year Anniversary of the
Fairbanks Police Department, and Labor Day all fell on the same day, a targetdate
of September 6 th was set for the completion and dedication of the memorial.
Through the combined efforts of Interior
Granite Works who cut and polished the
jade, J & T Foundry who finished the
bronze casting, the Fairbanks Public
Works Department who prepared the site,
and the considerable construction and
placement efforts by members of the
Alaska Laborer’s Apprenticeship
Program- Local 942- the finished jade
memorial was ready to be placed at the
site.
Anticipation and excitement grew as, one week before the scheduled ceremony;
the 3,600-pound jade boulder arrived and was set for placement. Onlookers
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