In 2010 , I entered the picture . I was working on the 41K squad and received an envelope with no return information , and to this day , I have no idea who sent it . Inside the envelope was a DR made up of just a few pages . As my eyes scanned the documents , I slowly realized I was reading a report , ambiguously detailing the murder of a Phoenix Police Officer . I researched this topic on and off for years and heard a myriad of “ urban legends ” about what “ really ” happened . I eventually decided to dig into primary source documents and try to piece together as much as I could , given the span of time that had passed . My focus was to objectively research the available facts and to gain national recognition for Officer Johnson at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington , DC .
I contacted Rob Settembre , and he provided me with two bankers boxes worth of research he had previously done . This information , in conjunction with documents I had already obtained , brought me to a researcher ’ s paradise . By this time , I had already successfully added a long-forgotten Navajo Nation Sergeant to the National Law Enforcement Memorial and was familiar with the process of submitting a historical line-of-duty death for consideration . Over the next few weeks , and with the assistance of Rob Settembre and Commanders Disotell and Lopez , I concluded that Officer Johnson ’ s death truly was in the line of duty .
The next step in the process was to fill out a packet that details the death of an officer , which then had to be provided to the National Law Enforcement Memorial for consideration . Chiefs Connolly and Elmore assisted our research group with setting up a meeting with the Executive Staff .
The PowerPoint was presented , and shortly after , Chief Sullivan signed the packet before it was sent to Washington , DC , along with research materials . A few months later , I received a letter from the staff at the National Law Enforcement Memorial indicating that the submission had been approved for inclusion .
This May , on the 80th anniversary of Officer Johnson ’ s death , a memorial marker will be added near 219 East Jefferson , and later that month , his name will be formally dedicated on the National Law Enforcement Memorial during the candlelight vigil . I want to personally thank everyone who assisted Rob Settembre and I in this endeavor , from those who assisted with research to the support I received from my chain of command . This would not have been possible without collaborative efforts throughout the Department .
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