Peer Support

The Mission Statement of Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. (C.O.P.S.) reflects the strong belief that assistance, guidance, understanding, compassion, empathy, and hope for the future for the survivors of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty begins with a caring, prepared agency. While no person and no agency can be fully prepared for the trauma a law enforcement death inflicts, there are many things an agency can do to prepare for this possibility that will lessen chaos that follows an officer death. Therefore, C.O.P.S. offers various programs and services for law enforcement survivors, as well as training, reference materials, and guidance for agencies.

C.O.P.S. also believes that a law enforcement death affects not only the surviving family and the agency, but the community as well. C.O.P.S. has three active public awareness campaigns to call attention to the risks involved in the law enforcement profession and the sacrifices made by law enforcement personnel nationwide.

National Peer Support

Through the national board, local chapters, and national network of survivors, C.O.P.S. is able to contact a newly-bereaved surviving family - sometimes within just days of the death. It helps the new survivors to see people who have survived the devastation, thus providing a sense of hope. The C.O.P.S. National Office contacts each surviving family at least six times a year. Quarterly newsletters provide messages of hope and encouragement and share stories of survivors' accomplishments since the death of the officer.

C.O.P.S. also sends a remembrance card to each survivor during the anniversary month of the officer's death. Too often survivors are reluctant to share their feelings of grief because they don't want to be a "burden" to their friends and neighbors. This card lets them know that others remember their officer and the sacrifice he or she made. The holiday season can be especially difficult for survivors. C.O.P.S. lets survivors know that it is okay to feel happy or sad, to continue holiday traditions or to start new traditions, to celebrate or not celebrate. Survivors know that when they need it, support is just a phone call away! Survivors of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty according to Federal government criteria, regardless of the date of death, are encouraged to contact C.O.P.S. for more information.