Between December 5, 2003 and January 2, 2004, the State of Indiana lost five citizens. These were citizens who went to work every day, paid taxes, raised families, worked around the house, and did everything every other ordinary citizen does. But, these were not just ordinary citizens of Indiana that were lost. They were heroes. Heroes who made a huge contribution to their state and their nation every single day, just by putting on a uniform and going to work. The work they did kept us safe day and night. These five Indiana citizens were police officers, and all were lost in the line of duty.
The first officer lost during this tragic period was New Richmond Town Marshal R. Mark Clapp. Marshal Clapp's watch ended on December 5, 2003, after a protracted, violent struggle with a domestic battery suspect who resisted arrest. His family, friends, and community were devastated by his death in the line of duty. For Marshal Clapp's son AJ, his fathers' loss had been particularly hard. AJ had looked to his father Mark as a role model. He also had a good relationship with his dad. A Montgomery County Sheriff's Jail Officer at the time of Mark's death, AJ was riding along with his father, always learning more about the profession he sought after - law enforcement - the night Mark died in the line of duty, selflessly serving the people of his community.
Out of the grief following his father's death, AJ conceived a bold, innovative, and positive way to memorialize not only his father and the four officers that died in the line of duty shortly thereafter, but all the police officers who have been killed in the line of duty. His plan? Transform one of the best police cars ever built into a rolling memorial for all the brave police officers who have been lost doing the job they loved, and doing their best at protecting us all.
AJ is an avid Caprice 9C1 enthusiast. Over the last seven years, he has owned six police package Caprices. While it had its faults, the Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 is undoubtedly one of the most influential and dynamic police sedans ever built, and was without question the squad car of choice for over sixty percent of the police car market nationwide in the late 1980s and into the mid 1990s.
The last American built, rear wheel drive Chevy rolled off the assembly line at Arlington, Texas in December 1996. Because of a lack of vision at GM, the B-body platform on which the Caprice was built was discontinued. Yet, many departments across the US and Canada kept their Caprices on the road much longer than originally anticipated. Some even had their Caprices refurbished so they could be kept in service as long as ten years. In fact, there are a few Caprices still in service to this day, over a decade after manufacturing ceased. That in itself is a testament to the outstanding role the Caprice 9C1 has played in North American law enforcement over the past 20 years. The Caprice 9C1 was the obvious choice as a basis for the memorial project.
The project car, a 1995 Caprice 9C1 powered by the legendary Corvette-derived LT1 5.7 liter small block V8, was originally in service with the Fremont California Police Department, car number 95563. It was a classic California black-and-white used by one of their school resource officers. The car was retired, lived with another owner in Phoenix, Arizona for a while, and was purchased by AJ in 2004. Since then, work has been underway to transform the old black-and-white into a solid black rolling memorial, honoring each and every law enforcement officer that has ever been lost in the line of duty.
Copyright 2006-2009, The Fallen Officer Memorial 9C1 Project / AJ Clapp. All rights are reserved.
Site designed and maintained by Dennis Boyle