Mr. President, our Nation is blessed by the selfless service of more than 26 million Americans who come to the aid of their fellow citizens through countless volunteer organizations at the national,…
Mr. President, our Nation is blessed by the selfless service of more than 26 million Americans who come to the aid of their fellow citizens through countless volunteer organizations at the national, State and local levels. Some of these organizations are household names, like the American Legion, Scouting, the American Red Cross, and the American Cancer Society. Others perform their good work in relative obscurity.
This week, on the occasion of National Police Week, I rise to acknowledge the good work of a voluntary organization that few outside the law enforcement community may ever have heard of. But for those in the law enforcement community, it is the organization to which families turn in times
of tragedy. I am referring to Concerns of Police Survivors, C.O.P.S. It serves some 15,000 surviving family members of law enforcement tragedies.
Last year, 181 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty. Their names are being added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on Judiciary Square this week, bringing the total number of names on that memorial to 18,274. This evening, the annual candlelight vigil is being held at the memorial to honor our fallen law enforcement officers and on Thursday, Peace Officers Memorial Day, another ceremony will be held at the Capitol. These ceremonies are visible to all of us. They are attended by law enforcement officers from around the Nation and the surviving family members of our fallen law enforcement officers.
But there is another event that occurs every year during National Police Week that few know about. That event is the National Police Survivors Seminar which is underway at a hotel in Alexandria, VA. I had the privilege of visiting the National Police Survivors Seminar one Saturday morning in 2006. It is a peaceful place and a safe place where families of fallen law enforcement officers can laugh, cry, grieve, and heal in the presence of others who have suffered similar losses. There are special programs for children of fallen law enforcement officers known as ``C.O.P.S. Kids'' and ``C.O.P.S Teens.''
The National Police Survivors Seminar is the outgrowth of a dinner that occurred 25 years ago on May 14, 2003. At this dinner 10 widows of fallen law enforcement officers came together to ask the question, ``What about us?'' During the National Police Week gatherings, everyone focuses on the loved one whose life is lost, but it also is important to focus on the needs of survivors who must rebuild their lives from the ashes.
One year later, the first National Police Survivors Seminar was convened. It drew 110 law enforcement survivors. Concerns of Police Survivors was created at that first seminar. Suzie Sawyer was selected to be the first Executive Director of Concerns of Police Survivors, a position she still holds today. Some things have changed though. The National Police Survivors Seminar no longer draws hundreds now it draws thousands. That is both a tragedy and a blessing. It is a tragedy that so many law enforcement families have been touched by a line of duty death. It is a blessing that the volunteers of Concerns of Police Survivors are there looking out for them. This is but one of many programs that Concerns of Police Survivors offers to survivors throughout the year.
Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of that dinner meeting that launched Concerns of Police Survivors. I rise today to offer a resolution commemorating the 25th anniversary of that meeting and to honor Concerns of Police Survivors for the quarter century of service it has provided to law enforcement families that have suffered a line of duty death.
I know first hand of two Alaska families whose lives have been touched by the good works of Concerns of Police Survivors. They have touched families in every one of our States. Concerns of Police Survivors does not seek recognition for its good works and it's not a household name. But it has certainly earned our respect and admiration. On the occasion of its 25th anniversary I am pleased to call this organization's fine work to the attention of the Senate and the American people.
