Latest / Heroes Behind the Badge / The story behind the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Transcript

The story behind the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. · Heroes Behind the Badge

0:04
Dennis Collins: Hey, it's good to see you again.
0:06
Welcome back to another episode of Heroes Behind the Badge.
0:10
We tell real stories about real cops.
0:13
We expose the fake news about the police, and we bring you the real stories.
0:19
Hi, I'm Dennis Collins, your host.
0:22
I'm the founding director of Citizens Behind the Badge and
0:25
a proud law enforcement father.
0:28
And a reminder, this podcast is brought to you by Citizens Behind the Badge.
0:34
Citizens Behind the Badge is the leading voice of the American people in support
0:39
of the men and women of law enforcement.
0:42
Citizens behind the Badge org.
0:46
Citizens Behind the Badge do org.
0:48
Check us out.
0:50
We'd love to have you get involved.
0:53
Today I'm joined as always by my colleagues, Mr. William Erfurth.
0:59
Hello, Mr. Erfurth.
1:01
Hello Dee.
1:03
How are you, sir? Good, good, good.
1:06
Uh, bill is a 26 year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department.
1:11
He retired as a lieutenant and he has a very interesting storied
1:16
and highly decorated career.
1:18
Someday we may do an episode on that.
1:20
I dunno that No, can't do that.
1:23
Craig Floyd: He's been censored.
1:24
Yeah.
1:25
Dennis Collins: Yeah.
1:25
That wouldn't be, that wouldn't be allowed to be published, I guess.
1:28
Okay.
1:29
And of course, our fearless leader, the founder, CEO, and President
1:35
of Citizens Behind the Badge.
1:38
Mr. Craig Floyd.
1:40
Hello Craig.
1:41
Welcome back.
1:42
Good to be with you both, Billy and Dennis.
1:47
Always a pleasure.
1:48
Uh, I know.
1:49
Billy gets upset when we don't do this.
1:51
So this is a reminder that if you like anything you hear on any of our
1:57
podcasts, do us a favor, hit subscribe.
2:01
Follow like one, two, or all three.
2:04
That way you'll be the first to know when a new episode releases, okay?
2:09
And we're trying to release as many as possible and we have got for you lined
2:15
up some really interesting guests.
2:18
And if you check back to session one and listen on from there, you're
2:23
gonna be, uh, amazed, some really good people with some really deep insights.
2:27
So today we have something special Today, the host becomes the guest.
2:36
Yes, one of our hosts, Mr. Craig Floyd.
2:41
We're gonna turn the tables on Craig today.
2:44
He will become today's guest.
2:47
How about that?
2:48
Did, and you knew this, Craig, Greg, did we tell you or did we try to surprise you?
2:52
Had a little heads up.
2:54
Craig Floyd: We were sipping some, uh, beverages and, uh, you leak.
2:58
Yeah.
2:58
You were afraid.
2:59
Yeah.
2:59
Leak.
3:00
Think we were He's a leaker.
3:01
Dennis Collins: Yeah.
3:02
Had a leaker.
3:03
Oh, don't start that rumor.
3:06
Yeah.
3:06
We were having a nice stokey and a little bit of libations and I
3:10
probably, I was supposed to keep it a secret, but I didn't, so
3:14
sorry about in Washington, DC Yeah.
3:16
Yeah.
3:17
Well imagine that all places in the swamp a weaker Yeah.
3:20
Imagine a week in the, the swamp.
3:22
Yeah.
3:22
That never happens, does it?
3:23
Okay, so, so let me tell you about, a little bit about, you've
3:28
seen Craig on these podcasts.
3:30
Many of you know Craig because he founded the National Law Enforcement Officer's
3:36
Memorial Fund, uh, many years ago.
3:40
But let me tell you a little bit about the person.
3:43
Craig Floyd Craig is a lifelong resident of the Washington DC area.
3:48
He was born and grew up in Maryland, and he graduated from George
3:52
Washington University, JU in DC just a few blocks from the White House.
3:57
He's married to the lovely Veronica.
3:59
He has two children and two grandchildren.
4:03
Here's the fun fact about Craig as a kid.
4:06
His dad taught him a lot of things, but one of the most interesting things
4:11
was how to throw a wicked curve ball.
4:14
Yeah, a wicked curve ball legend has it that very few high school
4:19
or college baseball players could ever hit that curve ball.
4:23
He was the ace pitcher all throughout his high school and college career,
4:28
but back in those days, they weren't quite as aware as they are now of
4:34
protecting the pitcher's arm and once.
4:39
He actually pitched both ends of a double header.
4:43
Yes.
4:43
Both ends according to the facts that I have.
4:47
And the arm lost to both.
4:49
Yeah.
4:50
Unfortunate and unfortunately lost his arm too.
4:52
So any, any hopes of a pro career we're, we're dashed.
4:57
When, when Craig's not working hard on citizens behind the badge work and
5:02
heroes behind the badge work or spending time with his family, you will be
5:06
sure to catch him on the golf course.
5:08
I think he's a pretty good golfer.
5:12
What we should do one day is have, uh, Billy and Craig have a golf playoff.
5:17
They both are golfers.
5:18
I am not.
5:19
I will keep score.
5:20
Okay guys, so that's a little bit about Craig, the person now.
5:27
Craig the professional 34 years.
5:30
He was the founding CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
5:36
He retired in 2018 after leading a successful 20 year campaign to build the
5:42
law enforcement museum, which is right across the street in DC from the memorial
5:49
during Police week of 2025 on May 13th, the night of the candlelight vigil.
5:56
Craig was honored and awarded the highest honor that is bespoke bestowed
6:03
by the Memorial Fund, the John Ashcroft Distinguished Service Award.
6:10
This was at a VIP reception in front of the board of directors and
6:14
all the name readers and the VIPs attending the candlelight vigil.
6:19
It was my honor to be present.
6:21
To watch in person as he received this prestigious and well deserved recognition.
6:28
So today, uh, Billy and I will ask him about how all this started.
6:33
He was there at the very beginning.
6:35
We'll do a review of police week 2025.
6:38
There are many events, not just the candlelight vigil, that's kind of the
6:42
signature event, but there are many things that go on during police week.
6:46
And of course, we'd like to cover the many memorable moments of his 34 year service
6:53
to law enforcement and the memorial fund.
6:56
So first of all, Craig.
6:58
Congratulations.
6:59
Thank you.
7:00
On your decades of service to the law enforcement community,
7:04
uh, which appreciated.
7:06
Craig Floyd: And, and let me just say, it was an honor and a
7:08
pleasure to have you there with me, uh, when we received that award.
7:13
And I know Bill was, um, at a family event and couldn't be there.
7:16
It was, but, uh, meant a lot to have family and friends,
7:19
uh, with me that evening.
7:21
Uh, all the more special for sure.
7:23
Dennis Collins: Well, you know, uh, your wife and your family and your
7:26
friends, uh, were sworn to secrecy.
7:28
As you might know.
7:29
We wanted this to be a surprise for you.
7:32
Uh, and when I walked into the reception, uh, you were chatting
7:36
with somebody, I tapped you on the back and you turned around and say,
7:39
what the hell are you doing here?
7:42
You had, yeah, here.
7:44
Yeah, you said, well, you know, we had talked a lot prior to police week, and
7:48
if I was coming, I would've told you.
7:50
Right.
7:51
But you said, uh, so when did, when did you kind of, when did you kind of figure
7:55
out, I know you were there as a name reader, you were gonna be at the BIP
7:59
reception anyway, but when did you figure out this might be a little different?
8:03
Craig Floyd: You know, it, it's funny, um, I got an email from Bill Alexander.
8:08
He's the current CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund.
8:12
Right.
8:12
And he had called me one day, you know, a month, six weeks before the vigil and
8:16
said, you know, he'd like me to be a name reader, which was interesting because.
8:21
The prelude to him asking me to be a name reader.
8:24
He was complaining in, in a good way about all the people that wanted to
8:28
be name readers and how is he possibly gonna get that many people on stage and,
8:33
and, uh, that many names to be read.
8:36
Um, and then he said, but we want you to be a name reader.
8:39
And I'm like.
8:40
Why squeeze me in when you've got all these other people.
8:43
And I told him, actually, I had planned a trip to the outer banks, uh, that
8:47
week and, and would not be here.
8:50
Uh, and when I told him that, I could just hear it in his voice that, you
8:53
know, that was very disappointing to him.
8:56
And, and, uh, he kind of pressed me a little harder.
8:59
And, you know, the more I thought about it, the more I said, you know, I haven't
9:01
been to a candlelight vigil in six years.
9:05
And, um, I, I should turn down this very, um, uh, nice invitation, very
9:10
gracious invitation to be part of the candlelight vigil, which, um,
9:14
started back in 1989 and I'd been to right, you know, more than 30 of them.
9:19
Um, so a, anyway, he sends me an email right before the candlelight
9:24
vigil and reminds name readers.
9:26
Where to show up and et cetera.
9:29
And in that email he says, uh, by the way, we're gonna be giving out
9:33
three awards, our annual awards that evening at the VIP reception.
9:38
And the honorees have already been informed as to who they are so they can
9:42
be prepared to give a, a few, uh, remarks.
9:45
And, uh, so I never thought anything else about it.
9:49
I had my names, I was gonna read names, and that was gonna be it.
9:52
And I show up.
9:53
Right.
9:54
And, uh, I see my family, uh, some of whom were not planning
9:58
to attend as far as I knew.
10:00
I saw some other friends.
10:02
I saw you, and I put it all together.
10:04
I said, something's up here.
10:06
And then that was, something's up a very sneaky way that Bill, uh, that
10:09
presented it to me and surprised me.
10:11
Yeah.
10:12
Well,
10:12
Bill Erfurth: I'm,
10:13
Craig Floyd: I'm Craig Craig, the big Lifetime
10:14
Bill Erfurth: Achievement Award, which is amazing for sure.
10:18
So, uh, you know, I. You're at the candlelight vigil, or the candlelight
10:22
vigil is gonna be that evening and you're gonna read the names.
10:25
And I just think for everybody that's listening to, uh, the show, let's
10:29
talk about the candlelight vigil a little bit just to give a reference.
10:32
And it's, uh, you know, I, I, the times I've been there, 20, 30, 40,000 people
10:38
we're jammed into the memorial site where the names are inscribed on the walls.
10:45
They're holding up the candles.
10:47
It's an amazing visual.
10:50
Visual for sure.
10:51
And then the main stage with the dignitaries and, and whomever are
10:56
up there reading the names of the individuals that will be inscribed
11:02
on the walls for this past year.
11:05
Uh, the new, the new names.
11:07
And I believe there's.
11:09
Upwards to almost 25,000 names on there right now.
11:13
So I wanted to give a, a reference to that.
11:16
And then there's this VIP reception just prior to that.
11:20
It's quite an event.
11:21
It's a spectacular event.
11:23
Maybe describe the scene, the location.
11:25
Uh, I, I know for years, uh, it was always at the National Law Enforcement Memorial.
11:30
It got so big that it was taken out to the, uh, the National Mall
11:35
in from the Capitol building.
11:36
Is that still the case?
11:38
Craig Floyd: Let's go back to the beginning because, uh, in 1982, that's
11:42
when ceremony started to occur During National Police Week in Washington DC
11:47
it was the Fraternal Order of Police.
11:50
They organized, uh, along with their auxiliary, a Peace Officer's Memorial
11:54
Day ceremony on May 15th, uh, at the capitol of grounds, uh, nearby.
12:01
And, uh, 125 people showed up at that first ceremony.
12:05
It wasn't a big crowd at all.
12:06
First time any national ceremony had ever been held.
12:09
So it started small and slowly.
12:12
Um, and the biggest portion of the crowd, as I remember,
12:16
was, uh, a group of Boy Scouts.
12:18
Um, I remember Susie Sawyer, who was one of the organizers, called me up.
12:22
I was working for Congressman Biaggi at the time, and she knew that every
12:26
congressional office had an American flag.
12:28
Uh, and we did.
12:30
She said, you know, we need an American flag for our ceremony.
12:33
Uh, could you loan it to us?
12:35
And, and so we did, but I mean, that's how small it started.
12:39
Um, very small scale and then it just grew from there.
12:43
Um, and, and from nineteen eighty two, a hundred twenty five people to 2025.
12:48
30 to 40,000 people attending National Police Week ceremonies.
12:53
And I was sitting down one day at a lunch with Susie.
12:56
This is before we ever built the National Law Enforcement Officer's memorial, but
13:00
we wanted to have a signature event, something that would let people know that
13:05
the memorial was in the works that, uh, would soon be dedicated and it would be
13:10
a, a special place for law enforcement.
13:12
And, uh, the FOP was doing the May 15th service.
13:16
And, um, we wanted to do something that wouldn't conflict with them.
13:21
So Susie said, you know, in Arizona they do a candlelight vigil
13:24
honoring their fallen officers.
13:27
Have you ever thought about maybe doing that?
13:29
And, uh, so that's how it really started.
13:32
One day over lunch in Old Town Alexandria, me and Susie Sawyer came up with the idea.
13:38
And, um, 1989 we had our first candle light vigil was on the memorial grounds.
13:44
But it was before we even broke ground on the memorial.
13:47
Um, and then we, uh, eventually while the memorial was being built,
13:51
we moved it across the street.
13:53
And, um, and like you said, for many, many years, we held it at the memorial
13:58
site and the crowd assembled there got huge, I mean, 30,000 people in
14:04
a three acre space is hard to do.
14:06
And, and the Park Service eventually told us that, you know, we, we
14:10
were, uh, it was a safety hazard.
14:12
The fire department was not happy.
14:14
Uh, 30,000 people with candles, you know, packed, uh, shoulder to shoulder.
14:19
Uh, when the museum construction occurred right across the street, we
14:23
lost that space, uh, for the vigil.
14:26
So we moved it to the National Mall and, um, the Park Service said, you
14:30
know, from now on, you really need to keep it on the mall because it's gotten
14:34
too big for the memorial grounds and.
14:36
And I think that was a smart move because now we can have more people, more visitors
14:40
to Washington, tourists that might not have any idea what's going on, but they
14:44
stop, they, they ask questions, and all of a sudden the crowd, uh, swells because
14:50
you have these tourists joining in to show their support for law enforcement as well.
14:54
And you've got the Capitol on one end, The Washington Monument on the
14:57
other makes for a spectacular, uh, space and, and beautiful photograph.
15:02
So, um, we, we, that's how it moved to the mall, and that's where it is today.
15:07
Bill Erfurth: Yeah.
15:07
You know, and the, and the blue lasers representing the thin blue line that
15:12
crossed the sky, the, the candlelight, uh, the little candles that everybody's
15:17
holding during the candlelight vigil.
15:20
It's just a moving, a inspiring moment for sure.
15:25
And just one moment of many during National Police Week up there.
15:28
And,
15:28
Craig Floyd: and you mentioned the blue laser light that used to be such an
15:31
integral part of, uh, our candlelight vigil when we held it at the memorial.
15:37
Um, and then we would shine it for the next couple days, uh, and during the
15:40
evening hours as people, uh, came to the memorial to reflect on a fallen in loved
15:46
one or colleague, um, when we moved it to the mall, unfortunately, um, uh, the,
15:51
um, aircraft, uh, limitations prevent you from having any sort of lasers, uh,
15:57
shining skyward, uh, with all these planes coming in and out of National Airport.
16:01
So, uh, they prevented us from, uh, using the blue laser light any further.
16:05
But, uh, it was a, a very, uh, moving and a very powerful part of the
16:10
candlelight vigil for many years.
16:13
Dennis Collins: You know, the, the, the, uh, the great thing about the candlelight
16:16
vigil is, uh, Craig, uh, unfortunately this year, the weather did not cooperate.
16:22
Okay.
16:23
Uh, Tuesday, uh, the day of the candlelight vigil, it
16:26
didn't stop raining all day.
16:28
It started in the morning and it went all afternoon, and we were hoping
16:33
it would stop in the evening, and of course it didn't, but that didn't stop.
16:37
People did it.
16:39
That mall was packed that, I don't know how many thousands, but as far as you
16:44
could see, you were up on the stage.
16:46
You could probably see a lot further than I could.
16:48
I was out in the audience.
16:49
But, uh, this is a serious, serious, uh, event that people come to rain or shine.
16:57
Craig Floyd: Rain or shine.
16:58
And, and, and I love that.
17:00
Um, one year, uh, out of 37, uh, that we've held the candlelight
17:05
vigil, uh, it was rained out.
17:07
Um, and really it was because it was a thunderstorm that just didn't give up.
17:12
Right.
17:12
And that was in the year 2000.
17:14
But think about that, 37 years and only one time did we ever have to reschedule.
17:19
Yeah.
17:20
The event.
17:21
And, um, you're right.
17:22
Uh, it had never rained, uh, throughout the day and throughout the night of
17:26
a candlelight vigil it did this year.
17:29
But as you said, people came prepared.
17:31
They, they knew the weather they were ready was not gonna be good.
17:33
They had their, uh, umbrellas, they had their ponchos.
17:37
Um, and you know what, there's some 6,000 survivors.
17:40
I'm told that were part of this year's events, uh, hosted by the
17:45
concerns of police survivors.
17:47
And, um, it's grown and grown.
17:49
But I mean, these surviving family members, I, I don't, I don't think
17:52
there's anything that would've kept them away from this, uh, very moving
17:56
tribute to their fallen loved one.
17:58
And to them, I think it's important that we understand that these
18:01
ceremonies not only honor the falling, but they honor the, the families
18:06
and the colleagues of those officers who have died in the line of duty.
18:09
'cause their lives have been ripped apart.
18:11
And, and this is an important part of the healing process.
18:16
Dennis Collins: I I, I've always felt that, that the candlelight
18:20
vigil and the activities of police week were about the survivors.
18:24
In fact, I was talking to some people in DC who are residents of DC and they said,
18:30
why are all these, uh, buses being driven around, escorted by police motorcycles?
18:35
He said, there might be 150, 200 police motorcycles escorting the buses.
18:40
Those are the survivors, and they are escorted everywhere.
18:44
They go by police and, and they're taken in buses to the different events.
18:49
Tell us a little bit about that, because this event, yes, it's to
18:53
honor the fallen, but it's really about helping the survivors deal
18:58
with what they have to deal with.
19:00
Craig Floyd: I think you have to go back to the airport, uh, when they.
19:05
Yes, there, there's some, um, I've never been there to see it in person, but
19:09
I've seen the videos and I've heard the stories from those who have been there.
19:13
Um, think about it.
19:14
These surviving family members come to Washington, DC they're told there's gonna
19:19
be some ceremonies, there's gonna be some grief counseling sessions that they should
19:23
participate in to help with their healing.
19:26
They have no idea what to expect.
19:28
I mean, think about it.
19:29
How many of us go to a local ceremony of some sort to pay
19:33
honor to a group of people?
19:35
Um, you know, maybe there's a couple hundred people there.
19:37
They're, you know, uh, a stage, a couple speakers, um, and not a huge deal.
19:43
But when they come to Washington, they get off that airplane.
19:46
They walk, uh, through the airport as they get out of the gate.
19:51
They're greeted by a formation of honor guard police, honor guard members who
19:56
are standing at attention saluting them as they walk into the airport.
20:02
They didn't expect that.
20:03
Um, but this is the beginning of what they are about to, to expect and receive.
20:09
Um, the idea that there's gonna be honor guards, uh, escorting them, as
20:13
you say, uh, they get police escorts from the airport to the Survivor hotels.
20:19
Uh, they get police escorts from the survivor hotels to the
20:22
candlelight vigil and to the Peace officers Memorial Day service.
20:26
Um, it's an amazing, um, experience for them.
20:29
And every one of them that I've ever talked to after their first experience
20:34
at at Police Week, they are just in awe of, of how they were treated, how
20:39
big and and grand the events were, uh, and how special they feel and, and
20:44
frankly, what's most important to them.
20:46
I think.
20:47
Is to be surrounded by other surviving family members.
20:50
Yes, true.
20:51
So they know they're not alone and they're going through the same grief,
20:54
the same, um, uh, emotional trauma.
20:58
And all of a sudden there's strength in numbers.
21:00
There's strength in knowing that there's other people that have been
21:03
through this, and then they talk to the survivors, uh, uh, from earlier
21:07
years who have gradually healed.
21:10
And they let 'em know, Hey, you know, there's light at the end of
21:12
the tunnel that I'm, I'm happy now.
21:14
I've, uh, I can smile again.
21:17
I can laugh again.
21:18
Um, and I'll cherish those memories of my loved one.
21:21
But, uh, there is life after, uh, their loved one's death.
21:24
And, uh, I think all of that's very important in the healing process.
21:28
Bill Erfurth: You know, it's, it's truly during National Police Week, and like
21:31
you say from the inception coming off the airplane and the gauntlet of honor
21:35
guard, uh, officers escorting them through the airport onto these buses.
21:42
The buses are escorted.
21:44
There's, there's hundreds, if not thousands of motorcycle cops at the
21:48
airport waiting for each busload of, of, uh, surviving families to attend.
21:54
But, you know, the, the greatest thing about all that is the, the sense of
22:00
honor, the honor, the esprit decor, the camaraderie that exists and, and what that
22:11
particular week, that week of National Police Week brings out in everyone.
22:17
And you and I have talked about that before.
22:19
We've talked about when I first started going and I had gone for years and we
22:23
became good friends over the years.
22:27
I was so jaded and so, uh, calloused from my job, from all the negativity
22:34
of the job and the politics and everything that goes along with that.
22:37
But when you go there and you sense that absolute degree of
22:43
honor, uh, it, it changes you.
22:46
And it's certainly changed, changed me.
22:49
And I can tell you it's changed a lot of people.
22:51
'cause I, I know countless other law enforcement people that when they went
22:57
there for the first time, they went there multiple times thereafter because there
23:02
was something about being associated with that, that was regenerative.
23:08
It brought you back to the humanity, the reason that you wanted to
23:13
do the job to begin with it.
23:15
It's a special, special place and a special week
23:20
Craig Floyd: down question.
23:21
I remember the, yeah.
23:23
Dennis Collins: I was,
23:23
Craig Floyd: yeah,
23:24
Dennis Collins: go ahead,
23:24
Craig Floyd: Dennis.
23:24
Dennis Collins: Yeah, no, I, i, I, I wanna build on what, uh, Billy just said.
23:29
Uh, I was, uh, uh, a manager of radio stations down in Miami, and he
23:34
was a, I think he was just maybe an officer, maybe a corporal when I first
23:39
met him, you know, he was out there pounding the streets, and he came into
23:44
my office, uh, one day looking for donations for the police Olympics.
23:48
Right?
23:48
You were Olympian, a police hockey Olympian.
23:52
And, uh, so naturally, uh, I love to support police.
23:56
I did support him.
23:58
And then he told me, he says, you've gotta go to Washington, dc Remember
24:01
this, Billy, you were passionate.
24:03
You said you have to go to see what goes on during police week, how
24:07
they honor these fallen officers, and how they treat the survivors.
24:12
You won't believe it.
24:13
So one year, I, I went with Billy.
24:16
I met Craig, met all the people, and I, I, I. I don't think I've
24:20
missed too many years ever since.
24:22
Uh, because were, like you said.
24:23
Yeah.
24:24
I,
24:24
Bill Erfurth: I knew you'd be hooked,
24:25
Dennis Collins: you know?
24:25
Well, you were right.
24:26
We can joke with Dennis,
24:27
Bill Erfurth: everybody that's good friends with Dennis, we say, you
24:29
know, Dennis is cuckoo for cops.
24:31
So, you know, like cuckoo for cocoa puff.
24:33
So I knew do, he would absolutely be bowl over by going there
24:39
and, and Absolutely was.
24:42
Craig Floyd: Totally was.
24:43
So Dennis, was your, um, daughter, a law enforcement officer, uh, when you
24:48
went to police week for the first time?
24:52
Dennis Collins: I don't think so.
24:53
No, I don't think so.
24:54
Uh, no.
24:54
This, because I met Mr.
24:58
Billy back in the, uh, uh, what, eighties, nineties?
25:01
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
25:03
Mid eighties.
25:03
So, yeah.
25:04
And my daughter wasn't even born till 83, so Okay.
25:09
Craig Floyd: Making us all feel old.
25:10
Yeah.
25:10
Dennis Collins: Yeah.
25:12
But she, the, one of the joys of my life.
25:15
Is having my daughter, who's now a lieutenant, uh, with a sheriff's
25:20
office here in Florida to actually go with her to police week.
25:26
And unfortunately, she got a taste of disaster while she
25:31
was still in the academy.
25:33
One of her academy cohorts, her brother was a motor officer with the sheriff's
25:41
office, and he was on a traffic, uh, detail and somebody just rammed into him.
25:49
I mean, intentionally killed him.
25:52
And so here she is, a recruit, you know, she's in the academy.
25:56
This, her, one of her best friends is the sister of this guy.
26:01
And all of a sudden she gets a rude awakening of what it's like, the real.
26:07
So she went to police week that following year because her, her friends, uh.
26:14
Brother was put on the wall.
26:16
That was pretty, you know, that's, you know, pretty young in your
26:20
career to have to deal with that.
26:22
Unfortunately, she's been there two or three other times when
26:26
friends of hers have been killed in the line of duty and Yeah.
26:32
So, but the, yeah, the honor of my life is to actually go there with her.
26:36
That is special.
26:39
Yeah.
26:39
Bill Erfurth: Yeah, for sure.
26:40
And I remember that.
26:41
'cause I, I was there with you guys.
26:43
You were, and there's something also to be said about the Wall National
26:49
Police Week and how it brings people together, because many of us have
26:54
connections to people that we knew and worked with that are on that wall.
26:59
I mean, my first five years on the police department, four of my
27:04
friends were killed in a line of duty and all of them are on that wall.
27:07
So you'll always remember that.
27:09
And unfortunately, that wall grows.
27:12
Every year.
27:13
It's what was described as one of the very few memorials.
27:17
That's a living memorial where it changes every year because unfortunately
27:23
new names are added every year.
27:26
So let's just give the audience a little bit more of a feel and
27:32
understanding of National Police Week.
27:34
Craig, I know that President Kennedy back during his term, uh, made it
27:43
signed into law that May 13th would be National Police Officers Memorial Day,
27:49
and it's certainly grown from there.
27:52
But talk about.
27:54
The events of Police week, starting on the 13th, the 15th, and just, just a
27:59
quick encapsulation of what goes on.
28:03
Craig Floyd: And by the way, May 15th is actually Peace Officer's Memorial Day.
28:07
Um, and that was, uh, enacted into law back in 1962.
28:12
So, but again, as I mentioned earlier, the FOP until they started their ceremony
28:17
in 1982 in Washington, there really was no national ceremony to honor Police
28:24
Week or Peace Officers Memorial Day, um, it kicks off for the most part, I
28:29
think people would, um, say on May 12th.
28:33
May 12th is, uh, the day the Police Unity Tour arrives in
28:37
Washington DC at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
28:41
This is a group of police and survivors of the Fallen who ride bicycles, some
28:46
300 miles from, um, uh, different places.
28:50
Within the radius of Washington, DC uh, over about three
28:54
days, they ride 300 miles.
28:56
It's grueling, it's taxing, uh, but it's a very powerful experience.
29:00
And that's grown from 18 original riders in 1997 to, um, nearly
29:06
3000 participants this year.
29:09
Um, and they come to Washington to raise awareness about the, the, uh,
29:13
officers who've died in the line of duty.
29:16
And they raise a lot of money, uh, to support the National Law
29:19
Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
29:21
Um, since their outset, they've now raised more than $40 million, uh, to
29:27
support the Memorial Fund, uh, the museum, the memorial maintenance, and,
29:31
and so many of the other programs.
29:33
So it's an amazing group of people, and that alone is a, a powerful ceremony
29:38
attended by maybe 5,000 or so people.
29:42
On May 12th, uh, and that would be the highlight of most, uh, events.
29:46
But, uh, during police week, it's just one of many.
29:49
Um, on May 13th.
29:52
You have the candlelight vigil that we've been talking about.
29:55
And you know, I go back to the original candlelight vigil in 1989.
30:00
Um, and I had a glimpse, a, a idea that maybe this thing was going to be special
30:05
because that first year, even before we had a memorial on the site, uh,
30:10
we had some 2000 people that appended that first candlelight vigil in 1989.
30:17
And, um, you know, we did it on a, a shoestring, a budget shoes shoestring.
30:21
We borrowed microphones and, um, you know, amplifiers and, and, uh, lights
30:27
and uh, a stage all donated to us by local law enforcement agencies.
30:32
But what we had that first year was a, a replica of one of the stoned panels,
30:38
uh, that would be engraved with names.
30:41
And we had some sample names inscribed on that sample stone and the survivors
30:46
that they went to that stone and they just imagined, you know,
30:49
their loved ones name on a national monument, uh, inscribed in stone.
30:54
And, uh, I could tell how powerful that was gonna be.
30:57
So that was a glimpse of what, what was to come, uh, this year
31:00
again, some 30 to 40,000 people attending the candlelight vigil.
31:05
Um, and we do read the names, uh, it, when we dedicated the memorial in, um, 1991.
31:12
We did a 24 hour names reading every one of the names that was on
31:17
that original, uh, Memorial 12,560.
31:21
One of them.
31:22
Uh, were read over a 24 hour period, uh, read through the night.
31:27
You know, we started at noon one day and it didn't end until noon the next.
31:32
And people would come at 4:00 AM in the morning and stand at attention as the
31:36
name of their colleague was read and, and, uh, the families would be there.
31:41
It was so moving, but we said, you know what, uh, every name that we add to
31:46
that memorial, since that, uh, 1991, uh, we should give them the same honor.
31:51
So every year at the candlelight vigil, we read the names of the new additions.
31:55
This year there were 345 new additions to the memorial.
32:00
Uh, 145 of those names, or excuse me, 1 47 died last year.
32:06
And the, uh, other names that were read, uh, actually died earlier in
32:10
history, but were only recently, uh, discovered by the Memorial Fund.
32:14
So, um, uh, and that happens every year.
32:17
So now May 13th, then May 14th, uh, you have the, um.
32:23
Uh, it, it's, it's an amazing ceremony by the national law
32:27
enforcement, Emerald Societies.
32:29
Um, oh, and they do a pipe and, and drum march from near the capitol to the
32:34
memorial where they have a wonderful, uh, ceremony of speeches and music,
32:39
uh, musical tribute to the fallen.
32:41
Uh, and that's always a highlight for me of, of police wheat.
32:44
Also, uh, along those days, we have a canine memorial service now that's
32:51
really grown over the years, uh, where we honor the fallen canines, uh, uh, the,
32:56
the dogs that provide such an important service to the law enforcement community.
33:02
And sometimes those dogs die in the line of duty, right?
33:05
And those canines are remembered at the memorial during these services.
33:09
And then finally on May 15th.
33:12
You have the Peace Officer's Memorial Day service, and that's at, at the US Capitol.
33:17
Now, every year, on May 15th, starts at 11:00 AM Usually the president of the
33:22
United States is the keynote speaker.
33:24
That's become the tradition.
33:26
Uh, occasionally the president is out of the country.
33:29
Uh, as he was this year, president Trump was at the Middle East.
33:32
So, uh, vice President JD Vance actually delivered the keynote address and, and did
33:37
an amazing job of honoring and comforting, uh, the survivors that were in attendance.
33:43
And again, at that ceremony, as each name of the fallen is red.
33:47
They go up, uh, family members do, and place a, uh, flower on a memorial
33:52
wreath, which is then transported to the memorial after the ceremony, where
33:56
a honor guard, rotating honor guard stands watch, uh, for the fallen.
34:01
Uh, it's much like what they do at Arlington National Cemetery
34:05
with the changing of the guard.
34:07
Uh, very powerful as well.
34:09
So these are some of the highlights.
34:11
And of course, the concerns of police survivors.
34:13
I, I mentioned earlier, provide grief counseling sessions, uh, throughout the
34:17
week, uh, for the survivors in attendance.
34:19
And that's also a very important part of the week along with the cops.
34:23
Kids can't, uh, where a lot of officers ha have just, uh, can't wait
34:28
to volunteer and be with the kids of the fallen officers who just have a
34:32
grand old time, um, making friends and, and celebrating, uh, police week.
34:39
Bill Erfurth: So you mentioned, uh, vice President, JD Vance being there
34:42
just, uh, this week, this past week.
34:45
And, uh, you were up on the stage, uh, many times throughout, uh, those years.
34:52
And I, I just like to share with everybody, you know, back in the day
34:57
and Craig's office, he had pictures with every president of the United States,
35:02
every F-B-I-C-I-A-D-E-A, every director, every law enforcement, dignitary Craig.
35:10
You knew everybody.
35:11
And, um, you know, it, it's pretty funny 'cause there's several of my
35:16
friends and, and you, you know them, uh, law enforcement, uh, you know.
35:23
Veterans Chiefs and whatnot, and they like to fondly refer to you
35:28
as the Jesus of law enforcement because, uh, everybody knows you and
35:33
everybody respects you and likes you.
35:36
And, uh, you have had such an amazing career, such an amazing
35:42
impact on so many people and, and on law enforcement across the board.
35:48
Uh, somebody that pretty much knows everybody.
35:52
And if you don't know 'em, you're one person away from,
35:56
from somebody that that does.
35:59
And since we're talking about you, let's go back and focus more on
36:04
you than, uh, police week now.
36:07
And let's get, let's, let's get to the beginning.
36:11
So you, you graduated college and, and talk about that.
36:15
You probably wanted to be a baseball player, but how'd
36:17
you end up on Capitol Hill?
36:20
Craig Floyd: Um, I went to George Washington University and, uh, that's
36:24
right near the US Capitol, of course, right in the heart of Washington dc.
36:28
I lived there for four years, met my wife there.
36:31
Uh, it was a great experience besides just playing baseball.
36:34
And, um, I, I was a political science minor.
36:37
I majored in journalism.
36:39
I, I like to write, uh, but I also liked, uh, Capitol Hill.
36:43
I liked politics and that interested me, and I thought it would be,
36:46
uh, my skill sets might be well suited for working on Capitol Hill.
36:51
Um, and I interned with the Congressman Nick Joe Raha from West Virginia.
36:56
Um, but unfortunately when I was graduating, uh, my senior year, uh,
37:00
wanted to work on Capitol Hill, but Nick, Joe Rahal wasn't hiring at the time.
37:05
So I ended up, uh, going to the Congressional Placement
37:08
office, interviewed with a couple members and Mario Biaggi.
37:12
Congressman from New York City ended up hiring me.
37:16
Uh, I was his legislative assistant for 10 years, and Mario Biaggi
37:21
was the, the most decorated cop in New York City history when he
37:25
retired from the department in 1965.
37:28
Um, I didn't know him when I was interviewing him.
37:31
He didn't know me.
37:32
We just got by luck, uh, paired together and I.
37:37
Something that Destiny, uh, wanted to happen because, um, I learned
37:42
a lot about law enforcement through Congressman Biaggi.
37:45
His, he, he would tell me all his stories of being a cop in New York
37:49
City and, and walking down the street and tapping his, uh, night stick on
37:53
the windows of all the shop owners.
37:55
And, uh, it was a different time for sure.
37:58
But, uh, I got to know law enforcement through Congressman Biaggi, and of course
38:02
he was the champion of law enforcement.
38:04
So anything that had to do with law enforcement came through our office.
38:08
And one of those ideas that they wanted him to champion was to build a national
38:13
law enforcement officers memorial.
38:15
And, um, I, I was working for him at the time.
38:19
That, uh, he introduced legislation.
38:21
It became law in 1984 to establish a national law
38:25
enforcement officer's memorial.
38:27
And, uh, after a couple years of struggling, uh, we figured out how,
38:32
what we had to do to get it done.
38:33
And I went to him one day and I said, Congressman, if you want this memorial to
38:37
get built, I'm gonna have to leave you.
38:39
I'm gonna have to go and work full time, uh, with the National Law
38:43
Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund.
38:44
I hated to leave him because I love the man so much and, and admired him.
38:49
But he, he gave me his full blessing.
38:50
He said, Craig, absolutely I want that memorial built.
38:53
It was probably the most important accomplishment, uh,
38:57
of his many years in Congress.
38:59
Uh, he told me that many times and he said it publicly.
39:03
Uh, it meant so much to him to have a memorial to his profession, uh,
39:07
that that was so important to him.
39:09
And that's really how I got involved in the beginning.
39:11
It was one of many projects.
39:13
I was working on for him.
39:15
Um, I, I viewed it as a job, nothing more really.
39:19
Uh, and then I started to meet the survivors of the fallen.
39:22
I started to meet the officers and I had a much different appreciation
39:27
for law enforcement and what this memorial would mean to the men
39:31
and women in law enforcement.
39:32
Uh, Vivian Ney was, um, a person that really, um, made a
39:37
difference in my professional life.
39:40
She was the survivor of Chris Ney.
39:41
He was a sergeant with the US Capitol Police shot and killed in a
39:45
training accident by one of his best friends, uh, tragedy like no other.
39:52
Um, and I met Vivian.
39:53
Uh, she heard me give a speech one day to a group of survivors that she was part of.
39:58
Um, telling them about this new memorial that was gonna be built in their honor.
40:02
Um, and she called me a couple hours later, very bitterly, um, and, and
40:07
upset and said, you know, I, I, those words rang hollow for me because
40:11
when my husband died, I, I didn't really have that level of support.
40:14
Nobody reached out to me, uh, on a grand scale anyway.
40:18
And, um, and I felt alone.
40:21
And, um, that touched me.
40:23
Uh, and she said, I got, you know, a handful of letters from a couple
40:26
members of Congress, and those letters meant so much to her.
40:30
And I thought, boy, if a letter of condolence would mean that
40:34
much to a survivor, what would a national monument mean?
40:37
And that really changed my perspective about what I was about
40:40
to do and, and the journey I was on.
40:43
Um, it was the privilege of privilege of a lifetime.
40:46
Um, I, I was handed it.
40:48
And I ran with it.
40:50
And, uh, to this day, I, I couldn't be prouder of, uh, the way my
40:54
life turned out professionally.
40:55
I had no idea I was gonna ever do anything like this.
40:58
But we built the National Memorial, we built the National Law Enforcement Museum,
41:04
and we became the leaders when it came to promoting Officer Safety and Wellness.
41:08
And, uh, I'm very proud of all those achievements and, uh, and, uh, all
41:12
the people that I worked with along the way, including both of you.
41:16
Um, it means so much to me to this day.
41:19
Bill Erfurth: So definitely incredible, incredible achievements, and that's why
41:25
you were just honored with the highest award and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
41:31
One little question more about that, that I wanna ask.
41:33
So, when, when, uh, Congressman Biaggi came up to you and decided
41:38
he was going to task you with this.
41:41
What was your first reaction?
41:43
Was it like, well, why me, or, uh, oh, do I really wanna do this?
41:48
Uh, what were you thinking?
41:51
Craig Floyd: I think it, uh, like I said, it was one project among
41:54
many that I was tasked with.
41:56
Uh, I didn't give a whole lot of thought one way or another to it.
41:59
I, I equated somewhat to running a marathon.
42:03
Until you get in about halfway through a marathon, you have no
42:07
idea what you've gotten into.
42:09
Uh, you start to hurt.
42:11
Uh, it's painful.
42:12
You're, you're like, why did I do this?
42:14
Um, and, and to, in many ways, building the memorial and the
42:18
museum was like running a marathon.
42:20
Like if you knew all the struggles, all the, the, the, uh, hours and, and
42:25
days on the road and, and all the work that goes into it, all the hurdles
42:30
you have to clear with the review process for a memorial and a museum.
42:34
The site selection.
42:35
Raising millions of dollars is not easy.
42:39
But I had no idea about any of that going into it.
42:42
So I, I was going in naive thinking, oh, you know, this, this, we'll get
42:46
this memorial built in a couple years and I'll move on to something else.
42:50
Um, but, uh, you realize halfway through how hard it is, but it's too,
42:55
too far in to turn around, right?
42:57
So you're, you're gonna see it through to the end one way or another.
43:01
I remember when we were struggling after two years, um, to build the
43:05
memorial, they, Congress gave us five years, uh, in order to build that
43:09
memorial, or at least to get, uh, ground, uh, breaking, uh, underway.
43:15
And if we failed, then we would lose our authorization and we wouldn't
43:18
be able to build the memorial.
43:20
So two years in, we had raised four $44,000 and we knew we needed
43:25
millions and millions of dollars.
43:26
So we were struggling with fundraising.
43:28
We didn't have a site selected, we didn't have a design.
43:32
So I, I, one of our board members said to me, call Jan SPRs, he
43:36
built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and asked Jan, um, how he did it.
43:42
You know, what were his secrets of success?
43:44
Uh, maybe we could learn from him.
43:46
And sure enough, I had lunch with Jan.
43:48
Uh, he gave me a lot of good tips.
43:50
He said, number one, you gotta treat this like a job.
43:52
You can't just do it on a volunteer basis while you're doing a million
43:55
other things for Congressman Biaggi.
43:58
So, uh, we hired Jan. He was our first full-time employee.
44:02
He came to us with about six months before he went back to law school.
44:06
And, uh, we started raising money through a direct mail campaign.
44:10
And then we went to corporations.
44:12
And before we knew it, we had a site selected.
44:15
We had a great design designed by Davis Buckley, uh, an architect
44:19
that Jan introduced me to.
44:21
And, um, you know, seven years after the authorization in 1991,
44:25
we dedicated the national law enforcement officers memorial.
44:29
And then, by the way, the museum, uh, effort, you know, kind of came
44:33
about as, you know, what are we gonna do now that we built the memorial?
44:36
Uh, what's next?
44:37
And, and we decided to build the museum.
44:40
Had no idea it was gonna take us 20 years, right?
44:42
And we'd have to come up with more than a hundred million dollars to build it.
44:46
Uh, but somehow we were successful at doing that too.
44:49
So, uh, a great journey.
44:51
Uh, couldn't be proud or glad.
44:53
We're still doing what we can to show a voice of support for law enforcement
44:57
through citizens behind the batch.
44:59
You know, that was really Yeah.
45:00
Something that came outta George Floyd's death, right.
45:03
In 2020 and the defund and defame, the police movement took hold.
45:07
Yes, sir. And, uh, I called you Bill, uh, then we called Dennis.
45:12
We said, you know, we need to do something, uh, to help law enforcement.
45:15
Right now they're hurting and a lot of people are attacking them.
45:19
And, uh, and I said, would you be interested in starting a nonprofit
45:22
that, uh, you know, helps, uh, stop this defund movement and, um, maybe
45:26
does some good for law enforcement?
45:28
And, uh, here we are today doing podcasts and, uh, writing op-eds
45:33
and, uh, getting legislation enacted into Congress supporting police.
45:37
Um, you know, we've done a pretty good job with this, uh,
45:40
Bill Erfurth: effort as well.
45:41
I would say.
45:42
So probably, I, I'm gonna say, I'm gonna say it started with destiny.
45:48
It was, it was, it was destiny.
45:50
Then it became your passion and your drive and your interpersonal skills.
45:57
Your ability to write, your ability to speak in public is amazing.
46:02
All of those attributes, uh, created that whole.
46:07
Uh, national Law enforcement Memorial, the museum, the whole thing.
46:11
I, I mean, you are the face of that.
46:14
It's hard to think of that place without thinking of you.
46:18
I, uh, Dennis and I were there at the dedication, uh, of the
46:23
National Law Enforcement Museum.
46:25
You had to work on that and raise tens of millions of dollars to make that happen.
46:31
And I remember you were standing there with, um, uh, bill Bratton.
46:37
Bill Bratton was, you know, chief of police many places, and he was speaking
46:42
about it, and he referred to the museum as the house that Craig Floyd built.
46:48
Yeah.
46:49
And I know that, that, uh, might not have pleased some people because they didn't
46:53
get the recognition, but the person that absolutely deserved that recognition
46:59
was, in fact, you and what Bill Bratton said was a hundred percent true.
47:05
You were standing there with Clint Eastwood and others, uh, for that,
47:11
uh, dedication and truly awesome.
47:15
I mean, you did some amazing, amazing work, right, Dee?
47:21
Dennis Collins: Totally agree.
47:22
Uh, as, as I always say in the intros to this podcast, this gentleman right
47:28
here that we've been talking to today has done more for law enforcement than
47:34
anyone that I know to honor, not only the fallen, but also to never forget.
47:40
The survivors.
47:41
And that's, that's important.
47:43
Craig, I wanna do a quick lightning round with you.
47:45
Can you do a light?
47:46
Let's do a lightning round.
47:47
Okay.
47:47
I got, I got four or five quick, just quick answers.
47:51
I want your, you know, based on your experience, based on your
47:55
amazing accomplishments, uh, at the law enforcement memorial.
48:00
Here's a couple quick questions.
48:02
Okay.
48:02
Number one, what is your most memorable memory from all your
48:06
years of service at the memorial?
48:12
Craig Floyd: Mentioned Vivian's story, so I'll go to another one.
48:15
Uh, I spoke at the graduation ceremony for the Griffiths brothers.
48:20
Uh, their brother Sherman had been killed in the line of duty.
48:24
They gave up their entire professional careers.
48:27
All of 'em were doing different things, and they became Boston
48:30
police officers to carry on Sherman Griffith's, uh, tradition of service.
48:35
Uh, that to me will always stand out as a highlight of,
48:38
uh, the Memorial Fund stories
48:39
Dennis Collins: that I, I'm familiar with.
48:41
Yep.
48:42
That's a great one.
48:43
You could go on and on, but this is lightning round.
48:45
So the next question, what was your most difficult moment?
48:51
Craig Floyd: Uh, I, I think, uh, in terms of difficulty, I.
48:57
National Law Enforcement Museum.
48:58
There were many times during that 20 year journey where I thought we were
49:03
gonna fail, uh, to build that museum.
49:06
And I felt so terrible because we had already raised millions of dollars
49:10
from individuals, law enforcement, associations, corporations.
49:15
And for me, I, I was thinking, I'm gonna have to tell these people that,
49:19
you know, their, their money is gone.
49:21
Uh, we've spent it on architectural design or site selection or whatever, uh, but
49:27
we're not gonna be able to finish the job.
49:29
And, uh, sorry.
49:30
Uh, but we didn't have to do that.
49:32
'cause somehow, every time that it seemed like it was gonna be a failure,
49:37
um, somebody would give us a million dollars or somebody would give us $18
49:41
million, like, uh, Motorola Solutions did.
49:44
And all of a sudden I realized, you know what?
49:46
We're, we're gonna build this museum.
49:48
But it was tough.
49:50
And, uh, there were a lot of moments, dark moments where
49:52
I thought we were gonna fail.
49:55
Hmm.
49:55
How about your most touching moment?
50:01
You know, uh, every time
50:06
I wasn't even there.
50:08
Um, but Martha Wood, who's become a great friend of mine, she is a survivor.
50:13
I. Of a fallen officer, Barry Wood, who died a helicopter crash in Baltimore.
50:18
He was a Baltimore City police officer, and Martha was devastated by Barry's loss.
50:24
Um, you know, people were worried about her, um, her mental state.
50:29
Um, and she started coming to police week, year after year as a volunteer.
50:35
And gradually she got stronger and stronger.
50:38
And one day she told me she was, uh, meeting with a, a little girl,
50:43
uh, I think four or five years old, had lost her father in the line of
50:48
duty and was there at the memorial during National Police Suite.
50:52
And, uh, the little girl asked Martha to dance with her.
50:56
And, uh, so Martha and this little survivor girl were dancing together
51:00
at the memorial, and it gave Martha so, so much pleasure and, and
51:06
feeling like she was doing some good.
51:08
And her healing, uh, was helped by this little girl.
51:12
And the little girl obviously oblivious to her loss and her the tragedy in her life.
51:16
But, uh, to me, that's what that memorial represents.
51:20
Uh, the fact that, uh, you know, survivors can be there, they can
51:24
dance, they can remember, and uh, their loved one will never be forgotten.
51:29
That's a, that's a great, uh, thought, uh, that that stays with me every
51:33
day when I think about that memorial.
51:36
Dennis Collins: Absolutely.
51:36
And obviously there are thousands of stories like that.
51:40
We could go on and on, but one, one other.
51:43
What was your proudest moment?
51:45
What was your proudest moment?
51:48
I think
51:49
Craig Floyd: it, it happened, um.
51:52
When we dedicated the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, um, we had
51:57
some 25,000 people in attendance that day.
52:00
I had stayed up, uh, and pulled back to back Allnighters because we had a staff of
52:05
six people we put on three days of events.
52:09
I was trying to write speeches as I was giving speeches and, and trying to get
52:15
maybe an hour's, uh, worth of sleep.
52:17
But, uh, you know what, we, we pulled it off.
52:19
Uh, those 25,000 people felt really good about those three days of events.
52:24
We had a procession from the capitol to the memorial the day before dedication.
52:29
We had the 24 hour names reading.
52:31
Uh, we sold, you know, tens of thousands of dollars of merchandise.
52:35
We set up a, a shop with, you know, again, six of us and some volunteers.
52:40
And, uh, and finally we, we had the dedication ceremony for the memorial.
52:45
I was exhausted.
52:46
I I went to sleep that night.
52:47
Imagine we had a little party back at the hotel for my family and friends.
52:52
We had the presidential suite right at this great hotel.
52:55
Uh, it could have had a grand old time, but you know what?
52:57
I was asleep by 7:00 PM that night.
53:00
But my proudest moment was after the dedication ceremony was over,
53:05
me and a guy named Joe Dean.
53:07
Pulled up chairs and sat on the middle of the, the memorial grounds while everybody
53:12
else was over at the wall looking at the names and, and, uh, leaving mementos.
53:17
And Joe and I had, had worked hard to get that memorial built and I, I think
53:21
that was the moment that it hit me yes.
53:24
That, you know, we had done something pretty special and, uh, I was very
53:27
proud of, of what we had accomplished.
53:31
Dennis Collins: Uh, pretty special is, is, is, uh, you know, that's
53:34
not the whole extent of it.
53:35
It's amazing.
53:37
Uh, I would, I would encourage people you know, that are listening even if
53:40
you're not in law enforcement or not involved, don't have a family connection.
53:46
Go to DC next year during police week and watch what happens.
53:54
It is nothing less than spectacular the way the heroes are remembered
54:00
and the way their survivors are taken such good care of and that.
54:05
Is no mistake.
54:06
That is no accident.
54:07
That is because of Craig Floyd.
54:09
Okay.
54:10
This gentleman is the force behind all of this, and I am so delighted
54:16
that you were recognized during Police Week with the John Ashcroft
54:21
Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor that the memorial offers.
54:27
You deserve it.
54:28
It's a great honor.
54:30
It's, uh, I, I, I know that you don't like stuff like that sometimes, but accept it.
54:37
Deserve it.
54:38
It's for you.
54:40
And it's been well earned.
54:41
So it's just been a pleasure to, to watch you, to know you and to see how you have
54:46
succeeded through all these obstacles that have been thrown in your way.
54:50
And there were many, some we don't even wanna talk about, but there
54:55
were many, and, uh, you did it.
54:57
So congratulations, my friend.
55:00
Craig Floyd: Appreciate it, Dennis.
55:01
And, and you know, you made a point earlier with the story about, uh, bill
55:04
Bratton and, uh, the house that Craig built and, you know, Susie Sawyer at
55:09
board meetings and other places used to refer to it as, uh, Craig's Memorial.
55:14
Um, and I always fringed at those moments because I know,
55:17
yeah, I learned over the years.
55:20
Yes, I'm the face of the Memorial Fund, or I was for 34 years,
55:24
and I, I'm so proud of that.
55:25
And I knew I had to step up.
55:27
I had to give speeches, I had to write, and I would get, you
55:31
know, more than my fair share of credit for what we accomplished.
55:35
But, you know, in the end, um, I learned a lesson I that I, you have
55:40
to have a sense of ownership among a lot of people for, for this to happen,
55:45
for the memorial, the museum, all the other good things that we did.
55:49
And, and people can't think of it as one person doing it.
55:52
Uh, it's, you've gotta think that I'm an important part of it.
55:56
You know, uh, I'm the, uh, donor, I'm, I'm a police officer who's fretting the word
56:01
like Joe Dean did, uh, uh, in California.
56:04
Um, so it, it's very important for me to have everybody think of the
56:09
memorial, the museum as, as something that a big group of people did together.
56:15
And that's really how it happened.
56:17
I mean, without dignitaries and law enforcement leaders believing
56:21
in it, uh, adding their names and reputations to the effort, uh, without
56:25
corporations like Motorola and DuPont and Target and, and so many others.
56:31
Giving tons of money to make these things happen, uh, it doesn't get done.
56:35
And uh, yeah, I, I got to be the guy at the microphone, but, uh, um, believe
56:39
me, I know all the people that helped.
56:42
Uh, nobody else probably has a clue, but I, I believe me, it took a, a village, if
56:47
you will, to, to make the memorial, the museum and everything else we did happen.
56:52
Bill Erfurth: Well, you were the leader, Craig.
56:54
You were the leader.
56:54
Yeah.
56:54
And you were the glue that kept it together.
56:57
And That's right.
56:58
You are the man, main
57:00
Dennis Collins: man.
57:00
That's right.
57:00
And there, and there were a lot of reasons, like at any organization
57:04
why it shouldn't stay together and there are forces acting to, you
57:08
know, fight even the best of ideas.
57:11
But there has to be the guy at the top and you were that guy.
57:16
And thank God for that, because now we have something that will last forever.
57:20
So, unbelievable.
57:23
Appreciate it guys.
57:23
Ladies and gentlemen, you have been, uh, honored today to listen to Craig Floyd.
57:29
Craig is, yes, he is generally a host of this show, but today he was the guest,
57:35
he was the subject of a, a deep look into police week, into the law enforcement
57:42
memorial and museum in Washington, dc.
57:45
And, uh, we, Billy and I are both so proud to call him our partner and our
57:50
friend and, uh, we would pretty much follow Craig anywhere, wouldn't we, Billy?
57:55
I think we would no doubt about it, especially if he takes me to,
57:59
especially when he takes me to a great cigar bar and we have a nice lay base.
58:05
Did
58:05
Craig Floyd: have fun.
58:06
Yes.
58:07
Paul Boomer: Yeah.
58:07
Well, we do have a lot of fun.
58:08
So before we wrap up, there's one more thing we want to share with you.
58:13
Earlier in the episode, you heard Dennis Bill and Craig talk about
58:17
Craig receiving the John Ashcroft Distinguished Service Award, the
58:21
highest honor given by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
58:26
What you didn't hear was the speech Craig gave that night.
58:29
It was heartfelt.
58:31
Humble and a powerful reminder of why we do what we do.
58:35
So before we close, here's that moment unfiltered and in Craig's
58:40
own words, as he accepted the award in front of family, friends, and
58:44
fellow law enforcement leaders.
58:47
Craig Floyd: Alright, so I got that email too and said all the award winners
58:50
had been notified and were prepared to give a one or two minute remarks.
58:54
I'm gonna stick to my one or two minutes, but lemme just say, my
58:57
memory right now goes back to Mario bi, a congressman from New York City.
59:02
I, right outta college, I had the privilege of being paired up with
59:05
him as a legislative assistant.
59:07
And as many of you know, uh, he was the champion of law enforcement in Congress.
59:12
And at that time, I had many issues that I was involved with in his office, but
59:17
the one that stuck and the reason why I entered this 40 year plus journey,
59:22
I. Because he instilled in me a sense that law enforcement was special.
59:27
And as time went on, I got to meet the officers.
59:31
I got to meet thousands of officers.
59:33
I got to meet the survivors of the follower, got to know their
59:36
families really well, got to know their loved one who died really
59:40
well, even though I'd never met 'em.
59:42
And then, you know, 34 years later, we had built a national law
59:46
enforcement officer's memorial.
59:47
We built a national.
59:49
Law enforcement museum.
59:50
That was a 20 year effort.
59:52
And, um, we became a premier organization in promoting officer safety and wellness.
59:58
And I'm as proud of that as anything because we gotta keep the officers in
1:00:02
good shape, the ones that are out there continuing to put their lives on the line.
1:00:06
And what's great about tonight is I'm here with my family,
1:00:09
who sacrificed a lot of the
1:00:14
best friends and so many friends that were partners with me throughout
1:00:20
this 34 year journey as I was.
1:00:22
CEO of the Memorial fund and I can't be proud of and I'm
1:00:26
so proud of the successors.
1:00:28
You know, we handed it off to uh, bill Alexander, who's doing a fabulous job to,
1:00:38
I love your passion to remind me of myself a lot when I'm up at the microphone
1:00:41
and I hear you at the microphone.
1:00:43
We talk, uh, the same message and you love law enforcement.
1:00:47
And Lori, I remember that phone call.
1:00:49
I called her one day to see if John Astro might, uh, be
1:00:52
interested in being our chairman.
1:00:54
And that was about 10 years ago.
1:00:56
And Lori is now the chairman of the National Law Enforcement.
1:01:00
Dennis Collins: Sounds like
1:01:05
Craig Floyd: I don't like to have a lot of thank yous and speeches 'cause I
1:01:08
think that's kind of boring for people.
1:01:10
But tonight I'm gonna make an exception and say thank you.
1:01:13
Appreciate it.
1:01:14
Thanks.
1:01:25
Dennis Collins: Uh, so that concludes this episode of Heroes Behind the Badge.
1:01:31
This is the podcast where we tell real stories about real cops.
1:01:36
We expose the fake news about the police, and we bring you the real truth.
1:01:41
This podcast is brought to you by Citizens Behind the Badge.
1:01:45
Citizens Behind the Badge Do org, the leading organization in support of the men
1:01:52
and women of law enforcement get involved.
1:01:55
Citizens Behind the badge org.
1:01:58
Uh, you could subscribe.
1:02:00
To this podcast, podcast, you can like it, you can follow
1:02:03
us, and you can also donate.
1:02:05
Uh, go to our website and you'll find tabs where you can actually donate
1:02:10
to help us advocate for police, join the hundreds of thousands of people
1:02:15
already donating and supporting us in our efforts to advocate for the police.
1:02:22
Okay, stay tuned.
1:02:24
Soon we'll be bringing you yet another episode.
1:02:28
But that will wrap it up today for Billy Erfurth and Craig Floyd.
1:02:32
This is Dennis Collins.
1:02:33
We'll see you next time on Heroes Behind the.