VHPD breaks ground on memorial

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”

On Feb. 1, the Vestavia Hills Police Department took steps to honor those who lay down their lives, not just for friends, but for people they don’t even know, as they broke ground on the “Thin Blue Line” memorial for police officers, located just outside the department at Vestavia Hills City Hall.

Three years ago, Lieutenant Brian Gilham and Police Chief Dan Rary talked with Steve Ammons, who at the time was getting ready to leave the Vestavia Hills City Council (Ammons now serves on the Jefferson County Commission), about forming a monument to serve as a reminder to the city’s police officers to be safe on the streets, while also honoring those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Ammons ran with the idea and, along with the help of others, came up with a mission and vision for the Vestavia Hills Police Foundation, a nonprofit which raises money for the monument. The foundation also helps raise benevolence funds, so anytime a police officer is injured, there are funds to help the officer and his or her family, Rary said. Donations to the foundation also go toward officer training and department equipment.

“It’s always good to see a shovel put in the ground,” Ammons said at the groundbreaking. “... It’s a dream come true for me and these guys.”

The plan is for the monument to be constructed in two phases. The first phase will include a five-foot tall marble statue with the department’s badge and patch on either side. The statue should be completed by May 15, which is National Law Enforcement Day. The second phase will include two other bronze statues, with one being a police officer modeled after a Vestavia officer, and the other a child saluting both the officer and the United States flag.

Concrete will begin being poured in mid-February, Rary said.

“We’re excited for it,” Rary said.

The foundation is raising the money for the project, while grants have also been received from the state, Ammons said. Officers now have the option to have donations to the foundation taken out of their paychecks, he said. Ammons said donations have also been pouring in from all across the community.

For more information, or to donate, visit vestaviahillspolicefoundation.com.