Police Memorial | Stuart Crawford

Architect Stuart Crawford beat out 180 other applicants to win the competition to design the Police Memorial, which honors NYPD officers killed in the line of duty.

Dedicated on Oct. 20, 1997, the memorial uses water as a unifying motif and a metaphor for the career of each slain officer. Water springs from a fountain, representing the officer's first day; flows gracefully through a linear flume, signifying the time line of his career; and finally comes to rest in a shallow pool that symbolizes the officer's death.

Two perpendicular granite walls comprise the rest of the monument, with the wall on the western edge displaying the names of the fallen officers and the dates on which they were killed. Visitors are encouraged to contemplate the officers' sacrifice as they stand in the space between the pool and the granite walls, often referred to as "The Sacred Precinct."

By Tom