Started as a dream, the memorial became a reality
It's Friday, May 15, 2026, when a crowd of over 200 people gathers at Grafton Hill in Dayton next to the 100-year-old Dayton Masonic Center. The location is 601 West Riverview Ave., Dayton, Ohio.
As people take their seats, Butler Township Police Chief John Porter calls everyone to attention as the honor guard presents the colors and "God Bless America" is played over the loudspeakers.
This is the dedication of the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. This project took 19 years of dedication and fundraising by the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Committee. And what started as just a dream is now a reality. The crowd consisted of several Dayton Area leaders, such as State Representative Phil Plummer, officials from Representative Mike Turner's office, and one of the speakers, Terry W. Posey, is a retired police sergeant with the Dayton Police Department.
The Past Grand Master of Masons in Ohio gives the history of the site: "Many people here may not know the unlikely story of how this land became the home of this Memorial. This property was once the administrative offices of the United Methodist Church. Later, it became Premier Health's Cancer Center. Eventually, the building was abandoned. Windows were broken out. Unhoused individuals moved inside. The property deteriorated badly and became an eyesore in the center of our community.
At one point, the building was offered for sale for nearly $900,000.
In 2014, while serving as Chairman of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, the
owning body of the Dayton Masonic Center, a group of men met with a downtown real estate
company about the property. They negotiated and reached a deal to purchase the property."
Posey learned through Sgt. Del Braund (Ret.) stated that the Memorial Committee was seeking a permanent location for its Memorial. The site is a special place on Grafton Hill. To one side stands the Dayton Masonic Center. To the other side stands the historic Boyer Funeral Home.
From 1850 until 1985, the Boyer family cared for the Dayton families during some of the hardest moments of their lives. They served many of Dayton's best-known citizens, including Orville and Wilbur Wright, John H. Patterson, and James M. Cox, and showed the same dignity and compassion to every other family who came through their doors.
The yearly Memorial is held on the first Friday of May. Without a permanent spot, the committee has held the Memorial on Courthouse Square, the Dayton Dragons field, and, most recently, the Riverscape complex on the Miami River on Monument St. in Dayton.
Dayton's first fallen officer was on January 17, 1880. City of Dayton Patrolman Lee Lynam became the first local officer to die in the line of duty.
The Memorial stands on a hillside at 601 W. Riverview Avenue, next to the Dayton Masonic Center and overlooking the Great Miami River, Monument Avenue Bridge, and downtown skyline.
It consists of an embedded oval plaza that features the eight-foot-tall Fallen Officers Wall, inscribed with the names, agencies, and end-of-watch dates of the 49 fallen officers. Its centerpiece sculpture comprises five 30-foot-tall steel spires that symbolize bird wings, forming a 5-pointed star at its base. A Thin Blue Line connects the spires to the Fallen Officers Wall.
The Memorial was designed by James Dinh of California, who was the winning artist in a nationwide juried arts competition, which received 58 proposals from artists in 28 states.
The memorial features its own parking lot, where officers and family alike can pay their respects and honor those who sacrificed so much for their community.
You can learn more by visiting the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Officers Memorial website at www.mcmemorial.com.
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