September 17, 2008

CLEVELAND — Eliot Ness is best known for his days as a federal agent battling Al Capone and other Prohibition-era gangsters in Chicago. What many people don't realize is that after he left the Windy City, Ness came to Cleveland to "clean up" the police department as the city's Director of Public Safety.

Recently, the National Law Enforcement Museum acquired artifacts of Ness's time in Cleveland, including a 1936 Police Department Rules and Regulations book. It contains an introduction from Ness reminding each officer "to familiarize himself with the contents of this manual and conduct himself in accordance with its precepts."

When the first-ever National Law Enforcement Museum opens in Washington, D.C., in 2011, these artifacts will help tell the story of not just Eliot Ness, but also the history of law enforcement in Cleveland and the entire state of Ohio.

To introduce Cleveland's civic, business and media communities to the Museum, the National Law Enforcement Museum is holding a special salute to Cleveland on Thursday, September 18. Co-hosted by local business leaders Steven Rosen and Albert Ratner, the event will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the Carl B. Stokes Federal Courthouse. (Note: This event is invitation only for the general public; members of the news media are invited to attend.)

"What makes law enforcement in the United States so unique is that it is largely a local government responsibility, carried out by some 18,000 individual agencies," said Craig W. Floyd, chairman and CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which is leading the Museum campaign. "Our Museum will tell the rich and fascinating story of local law enforcement throughout America, including here in Cleveland and the state of Ohio," he added.

Mr. Floyd will be one of the featured speakers at the event, along with Mr. Rosen, Mr. Ratner and Peter Elliott, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio.

Authorized by Congress in the year 2000, the National Law Enforcement Museum will be an architecturally inspiring, 95,000 square foot, mostly underground museum located in the nation's capital, just a few blocks from the National Mall. The Museum will feature five galleries that will explore the law enforcement profession through high-tech, interactive exhibitions, historical artifacts, an extensive media collection and comprehensive educational programming. One of the permanent galleries will be a Hall of Remembrance honoring the thousands of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty throughout the nation's history.

The Museum is the latest project of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a private non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America's law enforcement officers. The NLEOMF operates the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., which contains the names of 18,274 law officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the community. They include 734 officers from Ohio, the fifth highest total of any state, and 104 from the Cleveland Police Department.

The privately funded Museum has launched an $80 million capital campaign, with approximately $36 million raised to date. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush serve as co-chairs of the Museum's National Honorary Campaign Committee.

For more information about the Museum, including a virtual tour, visit www.LawEnforcementMuseum.org.

About the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
The NLEOMF is a nonprofit organization established in 1984 to generate increased public support for the law enforcement profession by permanently recording and commemorating the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers, and to provide information that will help promote law enforcement safety. The NLEOMF operates and maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, which contains the names of 18,274 fallen officers; is an organizer of the annual National Police Week tribute each May; and serves as a clearinghouse of information about law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The NLEOMF is leading the building of the first-ever National Law Enforcement Museum, scheduled to open adjacent to the Memorial in 2011.

Take a Virtual Tour of the NLEM.

CONTACT:
Kevin Morison, 202.737.7134
kevin@nleomf.org