(Columbia) May 15, 2003 - Governor Mark Sanford has vetoed plans for a State House memorial for police officers. Sanford says in a statement released on Thursday, the $500,000 could be better used by police during the state's budget crunch, "I believe the best way to honor these fallen heroes is to put that money directly toward pressing law enforcement needs in our state."

Sanford questioned whether it was appropriate to spend money on a memorial when the State Law Enforcement Division is running a $2 million shortfall and the Corrections Department has a $29 million shortfall.

Daniel Island Representative James Merrill (R) Berkeley, says some things need to be done regardless of the cost. Merrill says House members will retaliate by delaying a bill Sanford favors.

Rep. Rick Quinn (R) Richland, also disagrees with the governor, Vetoing this bill doesn't have the affect of increasing funding for law enforcement it just stops the monument."

Acting Columbia College Police Chief Howard Cook says building a memorial is a great idea, "I think it's important to show officers the state cares about them and the time we spend out there.  It's not always done monetarily, so it's good to have a monument out there that our families can look at."

Chief Cook is disappointed, but says he understands the governor's position, "I'd still like to see the monument go up, but I understand where the governor is coming from because it is so tight. He's got a lot of restraints this year."

Sanford says he'll offer his full support for private fund-raising efforts for the memorial. Many of the memorials on State House grounds were paid for with private donations.

Law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty were honored on Capitol Hill on Thursday. This year 377 names were added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial, including ten names of South Carolina lawmen who died in 2002 along with three others who died earlier. 

Reported by Catherine Reynolds
Updated 10:47pm by BrettWitt with AP