About
Erected in the year 2000, this eye-catching statue pays homage to local police officer James S. McAuliffe, Sr., whose career in spanned 42 years, including 16 years as Chief in Montgomery County, Maryland. McAuliffe was a long-time resident of Friendship Heights, where the statue is located. He was one of the first police chiefs to require members of the force to take college courses. His final hire before he retired was Carol A. Merhling, who was appointed Chief in 1995, the first woman to hold that position in Montgomery County. McAuliffe passed away in 1996 at the age of 89.
The bronze rendering is one of many works by famed sculptor J. Seward Johnson, Jr., who is a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, the co-founder of Johnson & Johnson.
The sculpture was shipped to the sculptor's studio in 2016 for maintenance and returned to its corner where it still stands, keeping watch over pedestrians in Friendship Heights.
Know Before You Go
The sculpture stands at the intersection of The Hills Plaza and South Park Avenue, on the left when traveling north on The Hills Plaza.
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Published
May 20, 2025
