MUSEUM UPDATE

In December, the U.S. Congress approved $750,000 in federal funding for the Museum project!  This money will be used to relocate utility lines that are now located on the Museum site.  We had been working long and hard to obtain this funding.  Special kudos to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and U.S. Rep. Jim Moran for pushing this through.  On the Senate side, U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were all very helpful. 

We have now acquired some 6,000 artifacts for the Museum collection.  One of the latest additions is the bullet-resistant vest worn by Prohibition mobster Al Capone.  The vest will be displayed in the “Gangsters and T-Men” section of the History Gallery.  Included there will be the story of how U.S. Treasury Special Agents Eliot Ness and Elmer Irey, among others, worked together to bring down Capone. 

We have now topped the $33 million mark in funds raised (not including the federal funds)!  It is worth noting that we now have more than 6,000 Museum capital campaign donors to date, including more than 370 law enforcement organizations (35 of those law enforcement groups have given $100,000 or more!).  Some of the larger gifts that have come in during recent weeks include:

·         $250,000 from LexisNexis

·         $100,000 from Eli Lilly and Company

·         Nearly $75,000 from a fundraising reception hosted by American Police Beat

·         $50,000 from Securitas Security Services USA, Inc.

Our goal is to break the $40 million barrier by mid-year so that we can commence construction later in 2008.  Please encourage your friends and colleagues to join in the campaign to support the National Law Enforcement Museum!  Feel free to forward this e-mail and encourage them to go to https://secure.donationreport.com/donation.html to make an on-line contribution.

I will continue to keep you updated on our progress. 

All the best,

Craig 

P.S.  Attached is an article I recently wrote about the nearly 10,000 law enforcement officers killed by gunfire throughout our nation’s history.  All of their stories will be told in the Museum’s “Hall of Remembrance.”  In 2007, there was a 33 percent increase in the number of officers who were shot and killed when compared to the prior year.  This article was published in the February 2008 issue of American Police Beat magazine.