Fallen

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial honors more than 18,200
officers killed in the line of duty in the United States since 1792.
In the background is the National Building Museum.

Dedicated in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Judiciary Square honors the men and women of city, county, state, and federal law enforcement who have died in the line of duty serving and protecting the citizens of their communities. This tree-lined plaza with its simple fountain is the site of twin curving walls etched with the names of more than 18,200 officers who have fallen since 1792.

Some of the more than 18,200 names on the NLEOM walls

The most common causes of law enforcement deaths? Auto accidents and shootings. In the last ten years, 492 officers have died in vehicular accidents and 582 officers have been shot to death. The deadliest single day for law enforcement? September 11, 2001, when 72 peace officers were killed while responding to terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Sculptures of lions guard the memorial walls

Here are some interesting facts about law enforcement in the United States:

• In 1631, the City of Boston established the first law enforcement system in the 13 colonies. Night watchmen were part-time and unpaid. In 1712, the city hired its first full-time, paid officers. In 1863, pistols are issued to officers.
  
• In 1789, the first federal force--the U.S. Marshalls--is created and George Washington appoints 13 men as the first marshalls.
• On May 17, 1792, Isaac Smith, a deputy sheriff in New York City, is killed in the line of duty. His is the first recorded law enforcement death.
• In 1835, the force that will eventually become the Texas Rangers is formed making it the oldest statewide law enforcement agency.
• On April 14, 1865, the day President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated, he approves the formation of U.S. Secret Service.
• To see more important dates in law enforcement history, go here.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 08/08

Supreme

The Supreme Court of the United States

There are three branches of government in the United States: The Executive (Presidential), the Legislative (Congress), and the Judicial (Supreme Court). The U.S. Constitution provides that "the judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." (Article 3, Section 1) This building houses the Judicial Branch of government and is the seat of The Supreme Court of the United States.

Prior to being seated in this building, the Supreme Court handed down decisions for 146 years in spaces that were not their own. The court first sat in the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City, America's first federal capital. When the national capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790, the court met in Independence Hall and then in City Hall. In 1800, when the capital finally moved to Washington, D.C., the Supreme Court convened in space provided by Congress in the Capitol Building. For about 20 years, they met in a dozen different rooms in the Capitol. At one point, after the British burned Washington in 1814, they met in a house. From 1819-1926, they continued to convene in the Capitol (you can see the Old Supreme Court and the Old Senate Chamber in the Capitol, when you visit there.)

In 1929, Chief Justice and former U.S. President William Howard Taft prevailed on Congress to appropriate funding for the court to construct a permanent home. Architect Cass Gilbert designed the building. Construction commenced in 1932 and was completed in 1935. The building cost less than $9.47 million to build and came in under budget, including furnishings. At the end of the project, $94,000 in unused funding was returned to the U.S. Treasury.

The court has had 17 Chief Justices in its history, beginning with John Jay of New York. The current Chief Justice is the youthful John G. Roberts, Jr. of Maryland. The longest serving Chief Justice to date was John Marshall of Virginia. He served from 1801-1835. The shortest was John Rutledge of South Carolina who served for four months; he was the second Chief Justice of the United States and was a recess appointment. His nomination was rejected by the Senate on the specious grounds that he was mentally ill. The court has had two female associate justices--Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg and two black associate justices--Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas. The rest have all been white men (not a lot of diversity going on on the court, sadly.)

One final fact: the only U.S. President to appoint a full court during his terms in office was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He appointed one Chief Justice--Harlan Stone Fiske of New York (1941-1946) and eight associate justices: Hugo Lafayette Black (Louisiana, 1937-1971); Stanley Forman Reed (Kentucky, 1938-1957); Felix Frankfurter (Massachusetts, 1939-1962); William Orville Douglas (Connecticut, 1939-1975); Frank Murphy (Michigan, 1940-1949); James Francis Byrnes (South Carolina, 1941-1942); Robert Houghwout Jackson (New York, 1941-1954); and Wiley Blount Rutledge (Iowa, 1943-1949.)


Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 3/08

Statistically Speaking...

Ladder 6 from Columbia Heights at a fire on Tuckerman Street NW

What are the chances I'd find myself in the vicinity of fires two nights in a row without even trying? In the case of these pictures, I was sitting in my home office yesterday evening, catching up on the day's news when the sound of fire engines, police cars, and ambulances pierced the quiet. Looking out my window, I watched several emergency vehicles scream down the street behind my house.

Engine 4: My intent with this shot was to capture the firefighters in motion
and the colorful lighting of the control panel on the right.

I grabbed my jacket, camera, and tripod and headed out the door. The smell of smoke was again in the air and the flash of lights was right around the corner. On the next block was a home on fire. I didn't take pictures of the fire itself; the DCFD put it out pretty quickly, but the home appears to be a total loss. Here are pictures from tonight's fire scene in the 600 block of Tuckerman Street NW.

Firefighters and a ladder truck in the alley behind the involved home on Tuckerman Street NW

As with last night, my thoughts are with the family who lost their home this evening. And, for what it's worth, I promise, I won't be posting pictures of fire scenes again anytime soon (though I can see how it could be really exciting to be a fire chaser. But I shall refrain. Last night and the night before were enough for me, thank you very much!)

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 3/08

Fire!

Arriving on the scene: one of five or six ladder trucks called out to this fire.
Notice the smoky, hazy air.

Last night, while I was snapping pictures of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Temple, firetrucks started screaming up 16th Street. It was a virtual parade of trucks! After I finished taking my pictures, I hopped in the car to head home, but instead ended up taking pictures of firefighters working on this building (see below) in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of D.C. This is my first foray into taking pictures of this kind of event.

Breaking out windows: notice the firefighter on the ladder truck in the right center of this picture.
Prior to him climbing up that ladder to knock out the window,
they used the ladder itself as a battering ram.

I never saw any flames, but there was a ton of smoke and it was quite thick and palatable. (It's 2:36 a.m.--almost two hours since I left the scene and came home and I still smell like smoke! I think I was only down there for about 30, maybe 45 minutes, tops.)

Some of D.C.'s finest, walking from their staging area up to the scene of the fire.

I hope everyone got out of the buildings safely and that they're able to return home or find new homes quickly. I can't imagine how terrifying this must have been or the challenges these folks face in the weeks and months ahead.

*** UPDATE @ 8:43 AM, 03.13.08 ***

Turns out, this was a five alarm fire and it spread to the Meridian Hill Baptist Church on 16th Street (I'll be posting a picture of that church in a couple of weeks, as part of the my The Churches of 16th Street series.) Here are a couple of links to news stories from area stations (WJLA ABC 7, WRC TV NBC4) and the Washington Post.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 3/08