Crashed Vehicle Of Officer Who Gave Life Used To Make Tampa Sculpture

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa police Chief Mary O'Connor and city leaders joined Steven Anthony Rogai of the Rogai Family Foundation and other supporters of law enforcement Tuesday morning as they unveiled "Taking a Stance," a law enforcement officer memorial sculpture created to honor all fallen officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Funded by community donations to the Rogai Family Foundation, the metal sculpture includes steel from Master Police Officer Jesse Madsen's police vehicle, which he used in his final act of valor, purposely placing his vehicle in the path of a wrong-way drunk driver and laying down his life to protect members of the community.

Rogai, owner of Steven Anthony Luxury Homes, said he was inspired by Madsen's courage and created the Rogai Family Foundation to raise money to fund the law enforcement officer memorial sculpture.

On March 9, 2021, Madsen, 45, received a call alerting him of a drunk driver heading the wrong way on Interstate 275 at a high speed. To prevent the drunk driver from hitting another car head on, Madsen drove his cruiser into the drunk driver's path, killing both the drunk driver and Madsen, a father of three.

"This will be more than art; it's a timeless piece to honor and recognize the bravery of their service," said Rogai. "The creation of the memorial statue allows the Tampa Bay community to honor the service and bravery of the police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. It has been an absolute privilege to lead the charge of getting this memorial sculpture created and installed by creating the Rogai Family Foundation."

Tampa artist Dominique Martinez, a metal sculptor and CEO of Rustic Steel, was commissioned by the Rogai Family Foundation to create "Taking a Stance."

The lion sculpture weighs 800 pounds, stands 6 feet tall, and is made up of various pieces of the police vehicle that Officer Madsen was driving when he laid down his life.

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In addition, 125 de-commissioned pistols, revolvers, shotguns and rifles are woven into the sculpture. It consists of more than 6,000 welds throughout the entire piece and took about 700 hours of fabrication.

"This project will be most impactful, and the finished piece is designed to showcase the officer's strength and honor," Martinez said. "Visitors will see how this memorial came together to show community support for law enforcement."

On Monday afternoon, the sculpture made its way through the city from Red Door No. 5 at 1910 N. Florida Ave., to its new home at the Tampa Police District One Office, 3818 W. Tampa Bay Boulevard. The drive, led by a police escort, took about 20 minutes.

It will be installed in a garden on the property that will serve as an area of respite for police officers and community members to reflect.

"I speak for our entire department when I say we are incredibly humbled by the inspired effort this work of art represents," said O'Connor.

"This sculpture captures the steely resolve of every law enforcement officer who takes an oath to protect and serve their community, and who are willing to lay down their own lives to protect another," the police chief said. "The fact that this creation was borne and brought to life by members of the community we serve makes it that much more meaningful to every member of our department."