National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Commemorative Silver Dollar

Availability For Purchase

The coin was available for purchase from the U.S. Mint from September 19, 1997, through December 15, 1998.

What the Coin Commemorates

The coin was authorized to commemorate the sacrifice of law enforcement officers and their families in preserving public safety.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

On October 15, 1991, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was dedicated in Washington D.C. to honor the more than 14,000 officers slain in the line of duty. An inscription on the memorial by Vivian Eney, survivor, says, “It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived.”

Story of the Design

The coin’s obverse is based on a photo by Larry Ruggeri showing two officers – U.S. Park police officers Robert Chelsey and Kelcy Stefansson – taking a rubbing of a ellow officer’s name from the National Law Enforcement Memorial wall.

The coin’s reverse shows the official Emblem of the National Law Enforcement Memorial, a shield and a solitary rose. The shield represents all law enforcement officers, and the rose is emblematic of the officers’ sacrifice and dedication.

Artist Alfred Maletsky has sculpted the obverse of the 1994 Prisoner of War Silver Dollar and the reverse of the 1995 Civil War Gold Five Dollar, as well as the obverse of the 1997 Jackie Robinson Silver Dollar.

Authorization Date

The coin was authorized on October 20, 1996.

Authorized Mintage Limits

500,000