Today is Law Day in the U.S. and the theme from the American Bar Association this year, which is the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, is “A Legacy of Liberty”. As we held our state ceremony at the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial I thought about all those police officers who have given their lives to create that Legacy of Liberty in the United States and all those still serving who sacrifice their lives and perhaps part of their souls each day to continue that legacy. Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address talked of those who had given their “last full measure”, and I believe that those in law enforcement understand that sacrifice all too well. Today also marks the first anniversary of the launch of CopsAlive.com and it continues to be our mission to “Help Law Enforcement professionals plan for happy, healthy and successful lives on the job and beyond”
It seems only fitting that as we approach National Police Week here in the U.S. May 10-16, 2009 that we remember our fallen comrades and their spouses, families, peers and other survivors and perhaps take some action that will sustain their memories and give us all some sort of “good work” to create a proper legacy for ourselves and our profession.
Let’s be sure to also recognize and salute the survivors who have lost so much more that the rest of us by showing that you care and supporting Concerns of Police Survivors here in the U.S.
There may be other ways you can help your fellow cops. I received this email from Ian Wilson the Managing Director John Petropoulos Memorial Fund making CopsAlive.com aware of the fund and I thought it only fitting to make you aware of it too. Perhaps you can help them, maybe they can help you and certainly they can be a role model for all of us.
“Just wanted to send a letter of introduction regarding the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund (JPMF).
Constable John Petropoulos, a police officer with the Calgary Police Service in Canada, passed away on September 29, 2000 at the age of 32. John passed away in the line of duty while investigating a break & enter complaint. He died from brain injuries sustained after falling through a false ceiling, as there was no safety railing to warn him of the danger.
After his death, several of John’s recruit classmates set up the JPMF and raised monies through the sale of memorial pins to fellow officers. Subsequent pin sales, grants and ongoing donations continue to sustain the Fund.
Vision Statement
The John Petropoulos Memorial Fund (JPMF) creates partnerships which strive to eliminate preventable workplace fatalities and injuries to emergency services personnel.
Mission Statement
In the spirit of John’s dedication to helping make his community a safer place, the JPMF promotes the message to the public that workplace safety for emergency services workers is a shared responsibility. When communities work together, many risks to these workers can be minimized.
JPMF Initiatives
PSAs: SLOW DOWN: It’s No Picnic; Keep Your Workplace Safe For Everyone
Safety Video: Put Yourself in Our Boots
A Widow’s Awakening: book by JPMF Chair Maryanne Pope (John’s widow)
For more details, go to http://www.jpmf.ca
Regards,
Ian Wilson
Managing Director
John Petropoulos Memorial Fund
http://www.jpmf.ca">
Here is just a small list of other organizations you could become involved in or perhaps you could create one of your own.
The U.S. National Law Enforcement Memorial: http://www.nleomf.com/
and http://www.nleomf.com/NPW2009/
The U.K. National Police Officers Roll of Honour: http://www.policememorial.org.uk/Police_Memorial_Trust/NPM-Roll.htm
Here is an excellent listing of some other Law Enforcement Memorials: http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Law/Law_Enforcement/Memorials/
Here’s an interesting article from Police Chief magazine about police foundations
http://policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=1237&issue_id=82007
the Police Foundation: http://www.policefoundation.org/
The purpose of the Police Foundation is to help the police be more effective in doing their job, whether it be deterring robberies, intervening in potentially injurious family disputes, or working to improve relationships between the police and the communities they serve. CopsAlive.com is keeping an eye on one of their current research projects “The Impact of Law Enforcement Shift Practices and Extra-Duty Employment on Various Health, Safety, Performance, and Quality-of-Life Measures”.
Here is the Police Foundation in the U.K. http://www.police-foundation.org.uk/site/police-foundation/latest/home
Communities Helping Cops:
Here are just a few of the Police Foundations we found that work in specific communities:
The New York City NY Police Foundation: http://www.nycpolicefoundation.org/
The Los Angeles CA Police Foundation: http://www.lapolicefoundation.org/
The St. Louis Police MO Foundation: http://www.stlouispolicefoundation.org/
The Newark NY Police Foundation: http://www.newarkpolicefoundation.org/
The San Diego CA Police Foundation: http://www.sdpolicefoundation.org/
The Tucson AZ Police Foundation: http://www.tucsonpolicefoundation.org/
The Houston TX Police Foundation: http://www.houstonpolicefoundation.com/
The Upland CA Police Foundation: http://www.uplandpolicefoundation.com/
The Seattle WA Police Foundation: http://www.seattlepolicefoundation.org/
The Louisville KY Metro Police Foundation: http://www.lmpdfoundation.com/
The Simi Valley CA Police Foundation: http://www.svpf.org/
The Denver CO Police Foundation: http://www.denverpolicefoundation.org/pages/
The Sacramento CA Police Foundation: http://sacpolicefoundation.org/
The Melbourne FL Police Foundation: http://www.melbournepolicefoundation.org/
The Marco Island FL Police Foundation: http://www.marcopolicefoundation.org/
The San Jose CA Police Foundation: http://www.sanjosepolicefoundation.net/index.htm
The Mounted Police (RCMP) Foundation: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/mr-ce/mpf-fpm-eng.htm
The U.S. Federal Law Enforcement Foundation: http://www.federallawenforcementfoundation.com/mission.html
If you are looking to link with other agencies in the U.S. here is a great directory of agencies: http://www.usacops.com/
Here is a link to Officer.com’s Social Organization Directory: http://www.officer.com/links/Associations_and_Organizations/Social_Organization_Directory/
Here’s a link to the U.S. National Association of Police Organizations: http://www.napo.org/
International Police Association U.S. site: http://www.ipa-usa.org/
International Police Association International site: http://en.ipa-iac.org/
The U.S. National Police Suicide Foundation: http://www.psf.org/
We’ve talked in other posts about other ways you can contribute and now we ask: What are you doing to help your fellow officers and the survivors who are left behind when one of us falls?
