PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia Police Department officials and officers from the 25th District joined families of fallen officers on Monday to unveil murals honoring three of their own.
The murals, created by artist Nathaniel Lee, paid tribute to Officers Patrick McDonald, Richard Mendez and Jaime Roman, all of whom gave their lives in service to their communities. Portraits of the three were added to the original memorial inside the 25th District station on Whitaker Avenue in North Philadelphia.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel was one of the commanding officers leading the memorial, to keep the legacies of their brothers and sisters in blue alive.
“It’s a sisterhood and brotherhood of their families,” he said. “It’s all of us together recognizing the importance of this work.”
Bethel reminded his officers and the community that sometimes, the work means making the ultimate sacrifice. “There’s a lot of talk sometimes of how we’re going to honor our families and make sure their legacy stays alive,” he said, “but what does that mean?”
McDonald and Roman were shot during traffic stops in 2008 and 2024, respectively, while Mendez was killed in a 2023 airport parking garage shootout.
Lee partnered with Mural Arts Philadelphia to create the portraits. He said art matters most when it uplifts the community.
“This mural is in the main corridor of the station. It’s where the officers meet every morning and again at the end of the shift, and keeps the service, honor and sacrifice front of mind,” Lee said.
“It means a lot to us as a department,” Bethel shared. “Even looking at the reactions of the families when they see their loved ones on the wall, it really hammers home that this is a permanent fixture.”
Mural Arts Philadelphia executive director Jane Golden called the memorial a testament to the power of murals, saying, “They give people the dignity and respect they truly deserve.”
