KENNEWICK — FEB. 5, 2024 — The Washington Fraternal Order of Police is disappointed that HB 2442 did not move forward in this year's Legislature.

We are disappointed that the Behind the Badge Foundation, which currently is responsible for determining which fallen peace officers are included on the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial Wall, has chosen to put more value on maintaining their turf than in maximizing transparency in the selection process. We struggle to understand the foundation’s inexplicable opposition to creating a more inclusive naming committee for the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial, one that closely mirrors the committee process used for the National Memorial in Washington, D. C.

We believe that opponents’ testimony before the Legislature included two misstatements:

1. That the bill would weaken the criteria for inclusion on the wall. This is false; the bill does not change the criteria. It simply establishes a formal naming committee with broad representation from throughout the law enforcement community to review applications to be placed on the wall in relation to the existing criteria.
2. That the bill would somehow diminish the honor of those whose names are already on the wall. This is an illogical argument. Recognizing all officers who make the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty will in no way diminish the recognition of those already memorialized.
   

More troubling are rumors that some lawmakers have heard that the late Deputy Shuey was a corrupt officer or engaged in some sort of illegal activity at the time of his line-of-duty death. This is patently false, and it is despicable to sully the reputation of a dedicated, 26-year peace officer. There are at least 16 officers who were victims of fatal line-of-duty heart attacks – including Deputy Shuey – included on the National Memorial, and a number on the state wall. Deputy Shuey is not one of those on the state wall.

WAFOP has reached out to the Behind the Badge Foundation on more than one occasion and we stated in in our testimony that the bill was not and is not intended to criticize the great work they do to support the families of peace officers who die in the line of duty. We don’t believe that any one group should have a monopoly on these decisions regarding a public memorial that is so important to surviving families, to the rest of law enforcement, to the broader community, and to the memory of fallen officers.

We will continue to work with lawmakers and other stakeholders to create a more inclusive and transparent naming process.

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON STATE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE

The Washington State Fraternal Order of Police (WAFOP) is a 501(c)8 non-profit organization which represents more than 3,300 law enforcement officers in the state. Our motto is “Cops helping Cops.”

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