What is POMFCC
Our Mission
The Site Plan
Cook County Board Resolution
Founder's Message
Officers and Directors
Visitor Number:
125703
WHAT IS THE POMFCC?
The Peace Officers Memorial Foundation of Cook County, Illinois is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization comprised of law enforcement officers from agencies throughout Cook County. These volunteers have come together for the primary purpose of establishing a police memorial in Cook County dedicated to those law enforcement officers that have been killed in the line of duty or killed while in the performance of duty. Our foundation welcomes volunteers from the federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies that operate in Cook County every day, all committed to honoring these fallen officers.
The idea to create a memorial came about during a conversation between Ed Sajdak and Jason Watson, the founders of the POMFCC. Watson served honorably in the United States Marine Corps before becoming a police officer. He recalled one of the most significant memories of his military career was the day that he attended the memorial observance held at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina in honor of the Marines killed in the 1983 Beirut terrorist attack on a U.S. military installation. It was October 23, 1983 that a terrorist drove a truck loaded with explosives into the military compound in Beirut, Lebanon while most of the service men and women were asleep. The explosion that followed killed over 220 Marines. Most of those killed were stationed at Camp LeJeune, so a memorial to honor them was established at the base. "The ceremony and the memorial monument was a testimonial to their honorable service", Watson recalled. "It was a very emotional day. As a Marine, you couldn't help but to feel the loss of those that were killed, even though you didn't know any of the Marines personally".
Watson realized that the sacrifices made by our military personnel reminded him of the dangerous encounters and sacrifices sometimes made by police officers while doing their job. It seemed only right that police officers killed in the line of duty receive a memorial just as we honor our dead military heroes with memorials. And what better place for a memorial then the communities or county in which the officers served. By enlisting the help of some dedicated friends in law enforcement they created the Peace Officers Memorial Foundation of Cook County(POMFCC).
One of the first goals of the Foundation was to have a special day established to honor all of the peace officers operating in Cook County. With the help of Cook County Commissioner Peter N. Silvestri (9th) and the support of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, every May 10th is now recognized as Peace Officer Day of Remembrance and Recognition in Cook County by County Board Resolution.
The Cook County Forest Preserve District Board of Commisioners has donated property in the Cermak Woods Forest Preserve in west suburban Lyons for our organization to build the Cook County Peace Officers Memorial. We now turn our attention to raising the funds needed to complete this project and we welcome your comments and suggestions on the memorial and on ways to raise the $2.5 million to build it.