COPS, Inc. (Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, which was founded in concept in 1983 when ten young law enforcement widows sat around a table and talked about the emotional upheaval they had experienced over the loss of their law enforcement spouses in the line of duty. With an average of 130 to 150 law enforcement officers dying in the line of duty each year in this country, COPS’ membership continues to increase. There are no membership dues to join our organization, for the price paid is already too high.

  The first program introduced was the National Police Survivors’ Seminars. Held each year in May in Washington, DC, during National Police Week, these seminars provide survivors access to some of the best grief and bereavement therapists in the country. For two days survivors listen, share, grow, and heal. They leave Washington with a strong peer-support network of people they can call who understand exactly what they are going through. The National Police Survivors’ Seminars benefit nearly 2,000 survivors each year. The cost of this program is between $175,000 and $250,000.

  A part of the National Survivors’ Seminars includes "COPS Kids/Teen" activities. Child and adolescent counselors assess participants, counsel them, and follow-up if additional counseling at home is recommended. For some of these children it is their first contact with other children who have lost a parent to a line-of-duty death and they form their own peer-support network.

  It was during a "COPS Kids" counseling session that the idea for "COPS Kids" Summer Grief Camp was formed. A child reported that he found his Mommy laying on the living room floor crying. She was crying so hard that she was shaking. He went back upstairs and lay on his bed and cried until he shook, too. Participants in our camp learn that family teamwork is essential for coping with grief. Organized camp activities are supplemented with counseling to help widowed parents and their children resolve their individual and family grief issues together. The cost of the camp is free to the child and parent but cost the COPS organization $584.00 per participant. Since its conception, 241 kids and parents have attended.

  COPS also has programs for older surviving children between the ages of 15 and 21 which lets them participate in an Outward Bound® experience in Colorado. The cost of this program is $1,006.00 per participant, which is also paid by the COPS organization.

  COPS provides scholarships for spouses and surviving children under age 30 who wish to pursue a college degree or technical program. COPS restricts eligibility for scholarships to survivors who do not have tuition-free education as a death benefit. COPS has given over $336,223 in educational grants in the six years that the program has been in existence.

  In 1996 COPS instituted our annual Parent’s Retreat in response to the needs of surviving parents. Parents have their own special needs when they have buried a child, regardless of the age of that child. Professional counselors enhance the camaraderie and sharing for the attending parents. Since 1996, 414 have attended the annual Parent’s Retreat at a cost of $30,000 per year to the COPS organization.

  In addition to these programs, COPS had its first 3-day Siblings Retreat recently, which had an attendance of 31. As with all of the other programs, this was free of charge to attendees, resulting in a $15,000 cost to the organization. The organization plans an Adult Child Retreat this year that will deal with the issues of surviving children above the age of 21. Year to date, COPS has over 10,000 households as surviving members.

  In addition to these special programs, COPS publishes a quarterly newsletter that is mailed to nearly 20,000 survivors and law enforcement contacts nationwide. Survivors also receive a card during the anniversary month of their officer’s death. COPS writes letters concerning parole hearings for convicted cop-killers, volunteers will accompany the surviving family during the trial and assist in making victim impact statements, and survivors find comfort in knowing that support is only a phone call away. COPS compiled a complete list of death benefits available for law enforcement survivors in each state, and distributes a variety of information that is both informative and beneficial for survivors as well as law enforcement agencies.

  COPS has developed programs to assist law enforcement agencies with handling the trauma of the loss of an officer, with curriculums to accommodate one, two, and three-day training sessions. COPS responds to requests for departmental in-service training, multi-agency training, and regional training. Some of the topics addressed include death notification procedures, support services to surviving families, funeral rites and customs, benefits that are available and how to file for them, the stages of grieving and agency preparation.

  COPS receives yearly grants of $300,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for programs and services. As you can see, this does not begin to meet the costs involved. Donations from individuals, law enforcement related organizations, and corporations are vital to the continued success of the COPS programs.

  The Mid-Atlantic Police Motorcycle Riding Committee is dedicated to supporting COPS and the COPS Kids program through our annual police motorcycle training event held each September. Proceeds from the raffle of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle help fund the event and have also allowed the Mid-Atlantic Police Motorcycle Riding Committee to donate over $110,000 to the COPS Kids program over the past 9 years. The Committee is grateful to all of our supporters who allow us to assist the survivors of our fallen brothers and sisters.