The award was presented in Washington, D.C. at the Memorial's 12th Annual Candlelight Vigil on May 14. More than 13,000 survivors of officers killed in the line of duty, members of the law enforcement community and police supporters attended this special event. The award is given annually to an individual or organization who has made a lasting and exceptional contribution to the law enforcement profession and to the Memorial cause. According to Memorial Chairman Craig W. Floyd, the Attorney General was this year's unanimous selection due in part to her efforts for more effective and safer law enforcement. As testament to the respect and concern she has for law enforcement and the survivors of officers killed in the line of duty, Mr. Floyd noted that the Attorney General has never missed a Memorial Candlelight Vigil.
Law enforcement has no stronger advocate, and the survivors of the fallen have no better friend.
Thanks in very large measure to her effective leadership, our nation's crime rate has declined each and every year she has served as Attorney General. America is safer today than at any time during the past 25 years. This is only the fifth time the Memorial Fund has presented the Distinguished Service Award. The Memorial's annual Candlelight Vigil pays special tribute to those officers who have given their lives in the line of duty, and honors the 740,000 federal state and local officers who continue to serve our nation. The names of 280 officers who died in the line of duty were officially added to the Memorial during this ceremony that marked the beginning of the 2000 National Police Week.