Memorial honoring fallen Raleigh officers unveiled Friday

A memorial honoring eight Raleigh police officers killed in the line of duty was unveiled Friday evening in a ceremony at the Raleigh Municipal Building.

Posted 11:31 a.m. Apr 25, 2014 — Updated 11:34 a.m. Apr 26, 2014

RALEIGH, N.C. — A memorial honoring eight Raleigh police officers killed in the line of duty was unveiled Friday evening in a ceremony at the Raleigh Municipal Building.

The monument has eight holes to represent the lives lost between 1922 and 2002 and include a 64-foot water feature that planners say will convey a message of honor, appreciation and remembrance.

Fallen officer Denise Holden will be forever missed by her family.

"Especially around the holidays, birthday and her re-birth. We don't call it her death, we call it her re-birth," said Holden's sister Ronda.

The Raleigh Police Memorial Foundation, which raised the $500,000 needed to build the memorial, started work on the project nearly five years ago. Friday's unveiling ceremony was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., but was postponed to 7 p.m. due to severe weather.

The inspiration for the memorial came in 2009 when a group of retired police officers participated in a 250-mile bike ride to Washington, D.C.

Crews broke ground on the $525,000 memorial in December 2013. It spans nearly a half city block and wraps around the corner in front of the Raleigh Municipal Building on West Hargett Street.

"At night, when it shines up in the sky, it's them looking down on us, influencing us to do right," said Debbie Regentin with the Raleigh Police Memorial Fund.

On Saturday morning, the sixth annual Run for Our Heroes 5K will honor fallen officers and their families. The run begins with a wreath-laying ceremony at the new memorial at 8 a.m.

Fallen Raleigh police officers: