In honor of National Police Week, Sunday, May 15, through Saturday, May 21, 2016, there will be two area fundraiser events. Proceeds will be donated directly to Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.)
- Saturday, May 14, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, at Super Wash, Inc., 707 W. Lincolnway, Morrison, IL. Get your vehicles washed for an at-will donation.
- Wednesday, May 18, from 10:00 a.m to. 10:00 p.m., at Culver’s, 1901 Harley Davidson Drive, Rock Falls, IL. Enjoy good food and desserts, along with great company.
Whiteside Sheriff’s Office Deputy Kristopher Schmidt is in charge of a third option. He will sell t-shirts for $15. Contact him at Kschmidt@whiteside.org.
Each year, between 140 and 160 Police Officers are killed in the line of duty. Their families and co-workers are left to cope with their tragic loss. C.O.P.S. provides resources to help them rebuild their shattered lives. There is no membership fee to join C.O.P.S., for the price paid is already too high.
C.O.P.S. was organized in 1984 with 110 individual members. Today C.O.P.S. membership is over 37,000 families. Members include spouses, children, parents, siblings, significant others, and affected co-workers of officers “killed in the line of duty,” according to Federal government criteria.
C.O.P.S. is governed by a National Board of law enforcement survivors. All programs and services are administered by the National Office in Camdenton, MO. C.O.P.S. has over 50 Chapters Nationwide, that work with survivors at the grass-roots level.
C.O.P.S. programs for survivors include the National Police Survivors’ Conference held each May during National Police Week. Donations also support
- scholarships
- peer-support at the National, State, and local levels
- “C.O.P.S. Kids” counseling reimbursement program
- “C.O.P.S. Kids” Summer Camp
- “C.O.P.S. Teens” Outward Bound experience for young adults
- retreats for spouses, parents, siblings, adult children, extended family, and co-workers
- trial and parole support
- other assistance programs.
C.O.P.S. knows that a survivor’s level of distress is directly affected by the agency’s response to the tragedy. C.O.P.S., therefore, offers training and assistance to law enforcement agencies Nationwide on how to respond to the tragic loss of a member of the law enforcement profession.
C.O.P.S. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Programs and services are funded by grants and donations. Learn more or donate at https://ilcops.org/donate/ or https://www.givedirectcharity.org/donate/?cid=1068.