Tag: Concerns of Police Survivors

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Things You Should Know About National Police Week 2013

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National Police Week 2013 will be Sunday, May 12th through Saturday, May 18th.
It was established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962 after President Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week. It is an event that every law enforcement officer should attend at least once in their lifetime.

National Police Week is a collaborative effort of many organizations dedicated to honoring America’s law enforcement community. Principal organizers of National Police… Continue reading

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Preparing for a Line of Duty Death

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honoringthedeadwhoservedbyrandysonofrobertAt CopsAlive.com we focus on helping policing professionals survive this law enforcement career, but line of duty death is a reality we must prepare for in this profession. It is not so much a question of if it will happen within your department but rather when it will happen. Law enforcement line of duty death is also something that we don’t like to think about but if you don’t do some planning in advance, and prepare for, the likelihood you will be caught off guard and the trauma to you agency and it’s people will be even greater.

I recently had a chance to see firsthand the Honor Guard training provided by DFL Honor Guard out of Indiana. Their training is first rate and gives students all the tools needed to prepare themselves and your agency for the sad duty of saying goodbye to one of your own. If it must happen, it should be handled with dignity and honor and that’s what DFL teaches.

In May of 2013 the The Michigan Sheriff’s Association and the Michigan Chiefs of Police, two leading law enforcement organizations, have joined forces to form the Sheriff’s & Municipal Memorial Assistance Response Team (SMMART) and are sponsoring a DFL Honor Guard Training program in Alpena Michigan.  I would highly recommend that you send your existing or new honor guard to this training if you can.  Here are the details Continue reading

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Heroes Behind The Badge

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Last night I had a chance to see an early premier of the new documentary film “Heroes Behind The Badge”. It was excellent!

This very moving film follows the stories of several heroes and their families. Some of these heroes perished in 2011 and the film follows their families from the incident, through the memorial ceremony during National Police Week at the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C.

This inspiring documentary was created to change the way we look at… Continue reading

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Tips for Navigating National Police Week

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It’s time again for National Police Week here in the United States.  This year the event runs May 15-21, 2011 although events in Washington, D.C will be held from May 13th until May 16th.

According to the Fraternal Order of Police D.C. Lodge #1 website  “In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The Memorial Service began in 1982 as a gathering in Senate Park of approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement. Decades later, the event, more commonly known as National Police Week, has grown to a series of events which attracts thousands of survivors and law enforcement officers to our Nation’s Capital each year.”

Last year at this time we prepared an article and series of interviews with survivors and police officers who have “been there” to help guide “first timers” through the maze of events and seminars during National Police Week.  We even included a down-loadable tip sheet.  That information is timeless and we are inviting you to revisit that information if you would like to learn more and prepare yourself for a trip this year or in the future.

Our article from last year with interviews and a down-loadable tip sheet can be found by CLICKING HERE or by searching our site (see the “Investigate Our Site” box in the upper right corner).

Use this QR code to quickly download our Tip Sheet into your phone.

CopsAlive NPW Tip Sheet QR Code

Don’t know what a QR code is?  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION from Wikipedia

Here are some other websites with current information… Continue reading

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Excellent Webcast on “Survivor’s Guilt” from C.O.P.S.

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Earlier today I sat in on an excellent webcast put on by the National Concerns of Police Survivors organization on “Survivor Guilt and It’s Effect on Coworkers”.  The presenters: Kirk Clark and Linda Moon Gregory did an excellent job with a very difficult subject.  I encourage you to page down in this article to find a link to the replay of their broadcast.

Kirk Clark retired from the Jacksonville (Fla.) Police Department after an undercover drug operation left his partner dead and him with multiple gunshot wounds. Clark returned from the brink with the help of COPS, for which he now serves as president for the northeast Florida chapter. He is the recipient of the Purple Heart from… Continue reading

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Colorado C.O.P.S. Tips for Navigating National Police Week

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npw_wall_logo_2010_myriad_pro_fontDuring a recent board meeting for the Colorado Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) the group was discussing how to best assist our survivors that were going to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial ceremony for the first time.  The experienced members of the group knew that the event could be overwhelming to a first time survivor or visitor if they didn’t know what to expect.  National C.O.P.S. sends survivors an orientation video, but some of our members who had been to National Police Week, which is commemorated every May here in the United States, knew it is an emotional roller coaster for the most experienced participant and it can be absolutely overwhelming to someone who doesn’t know what to expect.  The Colorado Chapter of C.O.P.S. always puts together care packages in the form of goodie bag for the family to take that includes things like snacks, water, and umbrella and even a disposable camera, but this year the group decided to draw upon some of the experience we all shared and conduct an interview with some of our board members and put together a tip sheet to help… Continue reading

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Land Donated in Memory of Slain State Trooper Daughter

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By: Brooke McKay, C.O.P.S. Marketing Coordinator
http://www.nationalcops.org/news.htm

Editors Note: This is such a great story that we couldn’t help but pass it on and ask you to tell everyone you know.

Jessica Jean Cheney was born September 15, 1974, in Pennsylvania. She
moved often as a child due to the fact her father was active military.
The Cheney family finally settled in King William County, Virginia, in
1984. Jessica’s career goals were to become an astronaut until she
learned, at that time, females were not accepted as fighter pilots and
that was the logical route into the space program. In 1991, she decided
to become a Virginia State Trooper… Continue reading

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Getting Broken in on the Job at C.O.P.S.

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Guest Posting By: Brooke McKay, Marketing Coordinator, Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc.

I arrived at C.O.P.S. Spouses’ Retreat the weekend of September 18-21,
2009, at the YMCA Trout Lodge in Potosi, Missouri, after only one month
as the Marketing Coordinator for Concerns of Police Survivors.  I knew
the organization dealt with death, dying, and grief; yet I was not
prepared for what I saw. I was instantly introduced to a young widow who
was there for the first time.  She was 25 years old, just one year older
than me. While I smiled as I meet all the spouses, I could not get the
young widow out of my head.

Part of my job that weekend was to interview… Continue reading

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“Officer Down”—Now What?

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The worst news any law enforcement agency can hear is that an officer has been killed.  How does an agency respond to those devastating words, “Officer down”?

Since 1996, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) has provided highly acclaimed training to help agencies deal with officer death, injury, disability, police suicide, and the after effects of losing a close co-worker.  The “Traumas of Law Enforcement” is recommended for Chiefs, Superintendents, Sheriffs, Chaplains, Dispatchers, Benefits Assistance Officers, Planning and Research officers, Employee Assistance employees, Liaison Officers, Special Operations Divisions, Victim Assistance personnel, any law enforcement officer, law enforcement family member, or law enforcement survivor.

While the “Traumas of Law Enforcement” trainings have usually been funded through Federal grants to Concerns of Police Survivors, C.O.P.S. paid the $90,000 cost for these trainings out of their general account in 2008 and raised funds from Streamlight®, GLOCK®, Harley-Davidson, the 100 Club of Houston, TX, and the Maryland and Indiana Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors for the 2009 trainings.  C.O.P.S. is now able to redirect funds from their general account and corporate contributions to other C.O.P.S. programs thanks to a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice.  In May 2009, BJA announced a $1.5 million, 20-month grant to C.O.P.S. to fund the “Traumas of Law Enforcement” for 2010 and 2011.

The training is a three-day seminar, totaling 21 hours, providing law enforcement agencies with the tools needed… Continue reading

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CopsAlive Supports Project Blue Light!

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Let your blue lights shine for law enforcement during the holidays

For the past 21 years, Concerns of Police Survivors has asked law enforcement families, surviving families, and police supporters to burn a blue light in their windows during the holiday season. The blue light is symbolic of our remembrance of those officers who have made the supreme sacrifice and honors those officers who continue to work the violent streets of our nation.

The idea began in 1988 when Mrs. Dolly Craig wrote to C.O.P.S. that she would be putting two blue candles in her living room window that holiday season. One for her son-in-law, Daniel Gleason, who had been killed… Continue reading