Awareness of the Mission of C.O.P.S. Before Tragedy Strikes
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The prompt for this round of the FEDforum is ongoing operations. This week, hear from the Concerns of Police Survivors, prepared by Communications Director Sara Slone.
While others may write about legislation or other issues that impact their future operations, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) continues to put awareness at the forefront of our tasks. Quite simply, we just want law enforcement across the country to know who we are and how we can help.
Throughout the year, we have representatives at conferences hosted by law enforcement organizations such as the Fraternal Order of Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and National Sheriff’s Association. While we are often there to present on topics such as “How to Respond to a Line-of-Duty Death”, it's the networking with the attendees that is so vital. A comment that is said all too often is, “Our department didn’t even know about you guys until we lost an officer.”
This is a problem in many ways. First, I’m glad we were there for your department when such a critical incident occurred. Having support for the surviving family members and co-workers, as well as assisting the department with funeral planning, benefits, and other immediate needs are tasks that C.O.P.S. and our 55 chapters excel in. But there is so much more to what C.O.P.S. can offer departments across the nation.
The Traumas of Law Enforcement Trainings were created by C.O.P.S. in 1995. Each year, these training locations are held in nine different areas, spread out throughout the United States. On average, attendance is around 200 law enforcement professionals at each training. While the topic of responding to a line-of-duty death is discussed, presenters hone in on health, wellness, preparedness, peer-support, and developing policies to prioritize and implement these topics within the department. This three-day training, which is FREE to attend, is about taking care of yourself and the officers in your department on a day-to-day basis, and making sure the entire department is prepared if a critical incident occurs. To date, over 19,000 people have completed the training.
In the past decade, many incidents impacted the law enforcement profession as a whole. The incidents in Ferguson (MO) in 2014, the shootings in Dallas (TX) and Baton Rouge (LA) in 2016, and the death of George Floyd in 2020. All of these incidents have played a part in the mental health of men and women in uniform. The invisible threat of COVID has taken far too many heroes from us, and ambush-style incidents are becoming more frequent. Stress can take a heavy toll, especially if you feel you have to internalize your concerns.
The C.O.P.S. National Conference on Law Enforcement Wellness & Trauma offers the law enforcement community that outlet. This conference is held once a year in November, with this year’s event being held November 4-6 in Dallas (TX). In 2023, the conference will move to Orlando (FL). The Traumas of Law Enforcement trainings are a classroom style setup, where the conference is more interactive. There are multiple sessions to choose from, as well as keynote speakers that offer firsthand experience and impactful stories.
You do not have to be a surviving co-worker to attend the trainings or the conference. Active and retired law enforcement, as well as chaplains and peer-support team members, are encouraged to attend. Spouses/Significant Others are also welcome at the conference for an additional fee, as personal life topics such as “Raising a Law Enforcement Family” will be available.
If you are a member of a law enforcement family, or an officer yourself, please do not wait until tragedy happens to reach out for the tools C.O.P.S. can offer. A strong support system is just a phone call or email away and we look forward to connecting with you. For more information, visit www.concernsofpolicesurvivors.org.
This column from the Concerns of Police Survivors is part of the FEDforum, an initiative to unite voices across the federal community. The FEDforum is a space for federal employee and law enforcement groups to share their organizations’ initiatives and activities with the FEDagent audience.
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