Commending the Officer Down Memorial Page.

Commending the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Agreed to by the Senate, February 12, 2026
WHEREAS, for three decades, the Officer Down Memorial Page, the largest and most comprehensive law-enforcement memorial organization in the United States, has preserved the legacies of law-enforcement officers killed in the line of duty across the country; and
WHEREAS, the Officer Down Memorial Page was created by Fairfax County native Chris Cosgriff while he was a student at James Madison University; after reading that an individual convicted of murdering two Maryland police officers had been released from prison after 16 years, he was compelled to find a way to honor those and other fallen officers; and
WHEREAS, Chris Cosgriff worked with Mike Schutz to build the Officer Down Memorial Page website, which initially honored law-enforcement officers killed or wounded in the line of duty in 1996 and quickly expanded to include officers killed in the line of duty since 1990; and
WHEREAS, with the help of the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund, Chris Cosgriff and the Officer Down Memorial Page gained access to information about thousands of law-enforcement officers who had lost their lives since the 1790s; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, the Officer Down Memorial Page was incorporated into a nonprofit organization, further expanding its ability to serve and support the law-enforcement community; and
WHEREAS, the Officer Down Memorial Page currently honors the lives of more than 27,000 law-enforcement officers and 500 K9 officers killed in the line of duty, reaching four million individuals per year through its website and 80,000 mobile application subscribers; and
WHEREAS, the Officer Down Memorial Page provides open access to data, statistics, and learning tools to support officer safety and public awareness; the organization also offers a line of duty death notification service and provides supporting documentation and historical records on fallen officers to law-enforcement agencies at no charge; and
WHEREAS, the Officer Down Memorial Page has developed helpful resources for family members of fallen law-enforcement officers, including a free booklet and a program to ensure family members have a chance to speak at parole hearings; and
WHEREAS, the Officer Down Memorial Page partners with the St. Michael's Shield Project to acquire body armor for officers who are not issued this equipment by their agencies; Below 100 to provide training aimed at decreasing preventable line of duty deaths; and the Stanton K9 Foundation to provide grants supporting K9 officer programs; and
WHEREAS, the Officer Down Memorial Page organizes the National Police Week 5K race, Officer Down Memorial Ride, and HalfWay 2.5K race, all of which have raised additional funds to support law-enforcement officers and their families; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the Officer Down Memorial Page hereby be commended on the occasion of its 30th anniversary of service to members of the law-enforcement community throughout the Commonwealth and the United States; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Officer Down Memorial Page as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for the organization's dedication to honoring the lives and achievements of fallen law-enforcement officers.