Lessons Learned – Change is a Good Thing
The prompt for this round of the FEDforum is Lessons Learned: What lessons from 2022 are you taking into 2023. This week, hear from the Concerns of Police Survivors, prepared by Communications Director Sara Slone.
It is 2023 and Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) is gearing up for our 39th year of hosting the National Police Survivors’ Conference during National Police Week in Washington, D.C. Our partners at the National Fraternal Order of Police and the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Fund join us in organizing all the events of the week to bring together surviving family members and co-workers to honor their fallen heroes.
This year brings a lot of change. For the past three decades, C.O.P.S. has called the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center the host hotel for survivors to stay in, check in/register, and attend the Survivors’ Conference. It is here they connect with other survivors from across the nation. They share meals together, they hear each other’s stories, and they support each other when the tears begin to fall.
The conference continues to grow, as does every aspect of C.O.P.S. Since the criteria of being a member of C.O.P.S. means you are a survivor who has lost a loved one in the line of duty, we don’t want to grow. It is our hope that one day there are no officers to honor during National Police Week and that all of America’s peacekeepers go home to their families each night. The unfortunate reality is that we continue to grow.
With growth comes change. We are quickly outgrowing our locations for Hands-On Programs and expect a new location in the next few years. The need for a larger space has been finalized for National Police Week in 2023 as we move to a new host hotel at the famous Washington Hilton.
While survivors who are new to National Police Week won’t know any different, those returning may find the change overwhelming. For those who are grieving, change can be difficult. C.O.P.S. has met with the staff of the Washington Hilton and have nothing but confidence that survivors and guests will receive the same welcoming, empathic, and hospitable treatment we have received for the past 39 years.
Survivors and supporting guests can expect exciting aspects such as more restaurant options on-site, conference sessions at one hotel, on-site formal events, and a much closer proximity to the Metrorail system and all the offerings of downtown D.C.
C.O.P.S. wishes to extend our gratitude to the staff of the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, as well as the law enforcement agencies who provided support and safety during our time in Alexandria. The experience of attending National Police Week is extremely emotional for survivors, but the connections made are life-changing. Thank you for being a part of that.
We look forward to welcoming law enforcement personnel, supporters, and of course survivors in May to experience how exciting these changes will be for us all. Should more information or details be requested, please 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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