The design — a sidewalk twisted like an awareness ribbon, hitting a brick wall emblazoned with bronze plaques in honor of the 529 Michigan police officers who've lost their lives in the line of duty.
A lion statue bows toward the names of fallen officers, and tall grass back the 3-foot-tall wall to give visitors privacy. Eighty-three bulbs light the monument — one for each county in Michigan.
The image is complex and illustrative, but Gilbert Olds' plan for the Michigan Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument fell slightly short, winning second against an Ann Arbor architectural firm's design.
Olds, an interior design senior who makes the evacuation maps found in all campus buildings at MSU's Department of Police and Public Safety, said an officer he works with approached him about the contest. After a weekend of work, Olds designed his award-winning draft.
"I used a lot of symbolism," he said. "For things such as remembrance, I used the ribbon. I had white pine for the state of Michigan. … The main feature of it is the wall and a statue of a lion bowing to the law, so it was like courage bowing to the fallen officers."
Kathy Cole, a member of the five-person statewide commission, said the competition began in October and ended in December, and winners were honored Feb. 8.
Cole, whose husband died in the line of duty, said Michigan is one of the few states who have not constructed a monument honoring its fallen officers.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm implemented the Michigan Law Enforcement Memorial Monument Fund Commission in April 2005 to create a tribute.
"We wanted (the monument design) to pay honor and respect to the fallen officers and have a place where people would go and be impressed by the design and also realize the sacrifice that was made," Cole said.
The winning submission from the Ann Arbor architectural firm displays about 20 staggered glass walls etched with the names of the fallen officers.
Cole said the site will be at the corner of Allegan and Butler streets in Lansing, near the Hall of Justice.
Now that a site and design have been chosen, Cole said the commission is focused on acquiring funds to build the development.
"There are four of us on the commission that lost loved ones in the line of duty," she said. "We're just moving forward to try and raise funds."
Cole said everything — from the design to the materials for the monument — will be in state.
"We're hoping (the supplies) will come from Michigan," she said.
Olds, who hopes to design high-end residential homes after he graduates in May, said he was honored to be a part of the competition.
"It was a great opportunity to show our respect to those who really deserve our respect," Olds said.
