Minter – County’s Peace Officers Memorial to be unveiled this month

(Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Information Officer Mike Minter has spearheaded fundraising for the Pinal County Peace Officers Memorial for the past 10 years in what he describes as “a labor of love.” In order to raise the $250,000 needed for the project, he held golf tournaments and sold monogrammed bricks. However, more money is needed to cover additional costs, for the upkeep of the 10-foot diameter monument and to add more names although, hopefully, that will not be necessary.)

They put their lives on the line every day – some paying the ultimate price – so that the places we live, work and play are safer for all. A monument paying tribute to law enforcement officers from agencies within Pinal County, who died in the line of duty, will be unveiled at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27, in front of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office in Florence.

The Pinal County Peace Officers Memorial was born of a meeting between five law enforcement officials from several Pinal County agencies and has been more than 12 years in the making. It has finally reached fruition thanks to a multitude of individuals who assisted in this labor of love.

The stone monument, carved by U.S. Stone Works of Surprise, Arizona, features five, life-sized images depicting federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement and corrections officers who represent Native American, African-American, Hispanic and Anglo male and female law enforcement officers. The unique portrayal of such a cross section of ethnicity, gender and position within the law enforcement arena has never been done before and gives this monument the distinction of being the only one of its kind in the nation.

The names of the 31 officers in Pinal County who lost their lives in the line of duty will be on bronze plaques attached to stone walls surrounding the life-sized carved figures.

After 12 years of fundraising, the monument fund is still short of its goal. Monument donations, which are tax deductible, will continue to be accepted, and fundraisers will continue to be held, including the monument brick sale. A four-inch by eight-inch brick engraved with three lines is available for a $100 donation. An eight-inch by eight-inch brick bearing five lines is $200. The bricks will create a pathway in front of the monument for all to see. Contributions of $5,000 or more will have the contributor’s name placed on one of the monuments benches where visitors can sit and reflect. Funds received above the actual cost of the monument will go towards maintaining the monument.

Those who would like to honor these officers by making a donation to the Pinal County Peace Officer Memorial Monument fund should contact Mike Minter, PCSO Information Officer, at (520) 866-5148.

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