The National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum’s Destination Zero Program: Making it Safer for Those Who Serve

Many people know about the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum’s mission to remember the fallen. The nation’s only living monument to the brave men and women who died in the line of duty, the National Law Enforcement Memorial currently has the names of 22,217 fallen officers engraved on its walls. Sadly, more names are added each year as officers continue to die while trying to keep their communities safe.

Remembering the fallen is an important part of the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum’s mission, but it is only one facet of the organization’s mission. The other two facets are educating the public about the history of American law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve. The National Law Enforcement Museum, located adjacent to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on the organization’s downtown campus, provides education to the public through interactive exhibits and thought-provoking programs.

Making it safer for those who serve is a key component of the organization’s mission and one that is so important, the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum has an entire program devoted to it known as Destination Zero. Through the generous support of Verizon, Destination Zero serves as a valuable resource for the law enforcement community, maintaining a database of award-winning programs from law enforcement agencies across the country that focus on officer safety and wellness.

Additionally, throughout the year, the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum hosts programs for the law enforcement community designed to make it safer for those who serve. The organization believes that officers who are physically and mentally fit make for better officers.

Recently, the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum released its Mid-Year Officers Fatalities Report, which tracks line-of-duty deaths from January 1 through June 30. While the number of overall officer line-of-duty deaths is down 14%, there is little cause to celebrate. Most troubling is the number of traffic deaths, which increased eight percent over the same time period last year, despite a nationwide decrease in traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 poses a very real threat to the law enforcement community. The potentially deadly virus crosses all socio-economic communities. Law enforcement officers are especially at risk since their daily job functions put them in contact with a wide range of people in the communities they serve. As of the Mid-Year Officers Fatalities Report, there were five confirmed COVID-19 related officer deaths. Another 53 COVID-19 related deaths are pending. Once confirmed, COVID-19 related deaths would account for 55% of all line-of-duty officer deaths, surpassing all other causes of line-of-duty officer deaths.

To learn more about the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum’s Destination Zero program, or to watch a recent panel discussion on officer safety and wellness as it relates to the Mid-Year Officers Fatalities Report, visit the organization’s Destination Zero website at https://destinationzero.org/.