Guidelines

The California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation (CPOMF) updates the Honor Roll pages of our website upon the determination of an “In the Line of Duty” death.

Upon the death of a California peace officer and concurrence by CPOMF’s President, Enrollment Committee Chair, and Executive Director, the officer’s name is added to the Honor Roll page within 24 hours. If additional information is needed or not available for determination purposes, action is held until the next regularly scheduled CPOMF board of directors meeting. If a recommendation is made by the CPOMF Enrollment Committee, a vote is held by the board of directors and, if approved, the officer’s name is then added to the Honor Roll page.

A CPOMF Enrollment Form must be completed and submitted by the fallen officer’s employing agency and signed by the Chief/Sheriff/Commissioner or Association President prior to formal enrollment on the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument at the State Capitol.

Officers’ names are added to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument once a year, just prior to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremonies held during the first week of May. Newly enrolled officers are honored and recognized at the formal Enrollment Ceremony.

A CPOMF Enrollment Form must be on file for ALL honored officers by December 31 to be considered for inclusion on the Memorial Ceremony the following year.

Completed/signed Enrollment Forms can be emailed to cpomf@camemorial.org or mailed to

CPOMF
640 Bercut Drive
Sacramento, CA 95811

Enrollment Form

ENROLLMENT GUIDELINES

The following guidelines have been formulated regarding the officers whose names will be enrolled on the California Peace Officers’ Memorial in Sacramento.

The peace officers enrolled shall include all those peace officers enumerated in P.C. 830 et seq., at the time of death.

The circumstances surrounding the death of the peace officer must be such that the peace officer died “In the Line of Duty” as a direct result of:

  1. injuries inflicted upon him/her by another;
  2. injuries received as a result of coming to the aid and assistance of a fellow officer or civilian;
  3. injuries or illness as a result of a sudden and traumatic incident or exposure(s) of whatever nature;
  4. injuries as a result of exposure to hazardous materials.

Injuries or illness described in “c” and “d” above shall require a qualified medical doctor’s written opinion or court finding that the injury or illness was a direct result of the incident(s) in question and directly lead to the death of the peace officer.

In no case shall a person be enrolled if his/her death was substantially caused by his/her own gross negligence; gross violation of law; or gross violation of departmental policy.

All requests for enrollment must be submitted along with adequate documentation by the deceased’s law enforcement association or employer and supported by both.

In incidents of death not specifically described above, the case may be submitted to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation for review and evaluation; however, the above guidelines shall govern all decisions of the Foundation.

It should be noted that the death of an officer while “on duty” does not create a presumption of an “In the Line of Duty” death and each application for enrollment will be evaluated on its circumstances and supporting documentation.

Criteria for including an officer’s name on the California Peace Officers’ Memorial are separate and distinct from the line-of-duty death criteria used by other entities or programs, including local and national law enforcement memorials and the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program, U.S. Department of Justice. Acceptance for inclusion on the California Peace Officers’ Memorial in no way impacts decisions made by the federal government regarding the awarding of PSOB benefits.

 

The following guidelines have been formulated regarding officers whose names will be enrolled on the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument in Sacramento who have died as a result of COVID 19

 As ratified by the CPOMF Board of Directors January 14, 2021

 Peace officer deaths resulting from COVID 19 shall be considered for enrollment as “In the Line of Duty” by the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation if the COVID 19 virus was a direct cause of the officer’s death and was “More Than Likely” contracted by “In the Line of Duty” exposure.

Examples of information considered by the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation in determining the “More Than Likely” standard of contraction while “In the Line of Duty” may include, but are not limited to:

a.  Work assignment. Did the fallen officer’s work assignment require direct contact with inmates, suspects, witnesses and/or the public;

b.  Was there recent travel and/or lodging away from the primary residence, work related and/or personal;

c.  Was there direct contact with confirmed or suspected COVID 19-infected persons, work related and/or personal;

d.  Did the fallen officer reasonably and routinely follow the departmental, CDC and official State Health Guideline relating to COVID 19 protocols.

Each application for enrollment will be evaluated on its individual circumstances and supporting documentation.

Criteria for including an officer’s name on the California Peace Officers’ Memorial are separate and distinct from the line-of-duty death criteria used by other entities or programs, including local and national law enforcement memorials and the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program, U.S. Department of Justice. Acceptance for inclusion on the California Peace Officers’ Memorial in no way impacts decisions made by the federal government regarding the awarding of PSOB benefits.