Ed Fuentes

Memorial brass plates have name, title and date the officer died. On the left of the wall, multiple plates form the image of the LAPD badge.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — A memorial honoring LAPD officers killed in the line of duty completed its road trip from a Kansas City foundry to the new Police Administration Building today, and now is in its place on the upper LAPD plaza . . . almost.

Along with media waiting for the privately funded LAPD memorial to make its way down 2nd street were designers of the piece, Architects Li Wen and David Herjeczki.

"It's a memorial that is a monumental wall from far away, says Herjeczki. "When together, it expresses the community within the police force. When you are closer, it's an assemblage of individuals who sacrificed their lives."

The plates, made of brass, have the name, rank and date the officer died. 201 names are outlined, and the shadow of the name is intended to float on the wall. The rear of the monument is made up of empty brass plates that will catch the light through the day.

However, as the memorial was lifted into place, the names were facing north. Wen and Herjeczki quickly noted that the names were to face south, toward City Hall and the new LAPD auditorium. To turn the wall around would mean a foundation would need to be changed, said the General Contractor, with plans in hand. He offered the solution to take the names and reapply them to the other side.

It may take resignation to see if the memorial works this way as well. The names of fallen LAPD officers glow in the sunset with City Hall in the background. "I still would like it the right way," quietly said Wen.

If the wall is corrected, it's uncertain when the change would be made.