Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Board
Attorney General Goddard at Memorial Service
Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza
May 1, 2006
Peace Officer Memorial Panel Updates - Requesting Your Help
Board Members
Board Meetings
Annual Events
- Memorial Service
- Memorial Golf Tournament
Arizona Officers Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice
Other Law Enforcement Organizations
License Plate Honoring Fallen Officers
Contact Info
The Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Board thanks you for your support of our law enforcement communities.
The Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Board (POMB) was created by legislative act in 1986, as outlined in A.R.S. § 41-1829:
A. An Arizona peace officers memorial board is established consisting of the attorney general, who shall serve as permanent chairman, the director of the department of public safety, the director of the state department of corrections, the executive director of the Arizona criminal justice commission, eleven members appointed pursuant to subsection B and as advisory members the chairmen of the appropriations and judiciary committees of the house of representatives and the senate. For the purposes of this subsection, "advisory member" means a member who gives advice to the other members of the peace officers memorial board at meetings of the board but who is not eligible to vote and is not a member for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present.
B. The permanent chairman shall appoint one private citizen who is knowledgeable in the history of law enforcement in this state, one county sheriff, one local police chief, two members selected from a recognized fraternal organization for law enforcement personnel, two representatives from the business community, two family members of peace officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty and two members from a statewide organization representing law enforcement personnel.
Peace Officer Memorial Panel Updates - Requesting Your Help 
Submit a Memorial Name Correction
Through the years, the Arizona Peace Officers Memorial in downtown Phoenix has become weather-worn and difficult to read. The Board plans to replace the stone panels listing the names of the officers in the coming year. We need your help to make sure all of the officers listed on the Memorial are correctly represented. If you find any incorrect or missing information, please fill out the Memorial Correction Form for each name that needs to be corrected or added and send it to:
Shannon Mataele
Arizona Peace Officers Memorial
c/o Arizona Attorney General's Office
1275 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Submit a Fallen Officer's Name for Consideration
If you know of a past or present officer who was killed in the line of duty who is not already listed, please fill out the Fallen Officer Name Submission Form and send it with any supporting documentation available to:
Shannon Mataele
Arizona Peace Officers Memorial
c/o Arizona Attorney General's Office
1275 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
The Names Committee of the Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Board will review each name submitted to ensure that it meets the criteria for inclusion on the Arizona Memorial.
Attorney General Terry Goddard, Chairman
Director Roger Vanderpool, Department of Public Safety
Director Dora Schriro, Department of Corrections
John Blackburn, Jr., Arizona Criminal Justice Commission
Marshall Trimble, State Historian
Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever
Chief Kevin Kotsur, Avondale Police Department
Nick Aussems, Arizona Fraternal Order of Police
Maria Quinn, Arizona Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary
Ron Young, Business Community Representative
W. Steven Martin, Business Community Representative
Cathie Buckmister, Survivor Member
Sherry Nielsen, Survivor Member
Jimmy Chavez, Statewide Law Enforcement Representative
John Stair, Statewide Law Enforcement Representative
July 31, 2008 Meeting Agenda
June 2, 2008 Meeting Minutes
2008 Peace Officers Memorial Service
Every year, on the first Monday in May, the Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Board honors the officers that have made the ultimate sacrifice and their families. Click here for a complete list of Arizona officers honored.
35th Annual Peace Officers Memorial Program
Photo Slide Show of the 2008 Memorial Service (courtesy of Phoenix Police Honor Chorus)
Officers honored at the 2008 ceremony:
Deputy Philip A. Rodgiguez, Mohave County Sheriff's Office - EOW 4.21.07
Officer George Valentino Cortez, Jr., Phoenix Police Department - EOW 7.27.07
Officer Nick Erfle, Phoenix Police Department - EOW 9.18.07
Sergeant Tate Allan Lynch, Casa Grande Police Department - EOW 10.25.07
Senior Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar - U.S. Border Patrol, Yuma Sector - EOW 1.19.08
Peace Officers Memorial Charity Golf Tournament
The memorial charity golf tournament is held every year on the Saturday preceding the Memorial Service.
Please check back for updated information.
Peace Officers Memorial 5K Run
Please Check back for updated information
Other Law Enforcement Organizations
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
The mission of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is to generate increased public support for the law enforcement profession by permanently recording and appropriately commemorating the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers and to provide information that will help promote law enforcement safety.
Arizona Concerns of Police Survivors
Arizona Concerns of Police Survivors (AZ COPS) is committed to helping the survivors of line-of-duty deaths in the State of Arizona in the healing process. Families receive assistance from support groups, activities and funds to help them attend various COPS seminars.
100 Club of Arizona
The mission of the 100 Club of Arizona is to provide financial assistance to families of public safety officers and firefighters who are seriously injured or killed in the line-of-duty. It also provides resources to enhance their safety and welfare.
National Police Week
The first National Peace Officers Memorial Day Service was held on May 15, 1982. Activities in Washington, D.C. during National Police Week include the annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and COPS National Police Survivors Seminars, as well as the National Peace Officers Memorial Day Service.
Officer Down Memorial Page
The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. (ODMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America’s fallen law enforcement heroes. More than 17,000 officers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the United States. It is with great honor that the ODMP pays a lasting tribute to each of these officers by preserving their memories within its pages.
License Plate Honoring Fallen Officers
The Arizona chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) license plate is now available at www.servicearizona.com. Honor a fallen officer by displaying this plate on your vehicle and contributing to Arizona COPS.
For information on products that can be made from the Arizona COPS license plate, please contact Arizona Correctional Industries.
For more information about the Peace Officers Memorial Board, please contact:
Ruben Alonzo
Arizona Attorney General’s Office
1275 West Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
602.542.8302
aginfo@azag.gov