By C1 Staff
LANSING — A Michigan union for state correctional officers is looking to build a monument to fallen officers.
The Lansing State Journal reports that the Michigan Corrections Organization (MCO) is hoping to build the monument on its downtown Lansing property before National Correctional Officers Week in May.
“We feel like there should be more public awareness of what our officers go through and the sacrifices not just they make but their families make too,” Andy Potter, chief of staff at the MCO, said.
“There’s nowhere for families to go to grieve or to recognize or give any kind of respect, collectively, to the corrections officers who have given that ultimate sacrifice.”
Thirteen corrections employees have died in state prisons, the most recent in 1998. Among those are five correctional officers and one gate keeper, a precursor to modern day correctional officers.
Nationwide, 633 correctional officers have died in the line of duty and are listed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington.
Some money has been set aside for MCO’s monument, though the idea is still in the planning stages. The union has not yet discussed fundraising.