[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 68 (Friday, May 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE CONCERNS OF POLICE SURVIVORS, INC.

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                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 13, 2004

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to recognize 
Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. The organization, which provides 
support and encouragement to families of law enforcement officers who 
have given their lives, observes its 20th anniversary on May 14. The 
organization, also known as COPS, has grown into an international non-
profit organization comprised of 13,000 families in the United States, 
with an affiliate in the United Kingdom.
  The genesis of COPS occurred in 1983, when ten survivors of fallen 
officers gathered to talk about the difficulties they faced when their 
loved ones were killed. Within a year they decided there was a need for 
a support organization that could understand the trauma inflicted on 
surviving families and agencies when an officer was killed in the line 
of duty.
  COPS was officially organized on May 14, 1984, with 110 police 
survivors attending the first National Police Survivors' Conference in 
Washington, DC. It organized independently from other police 
organizations in order to allow members to reach out to any survivor 
regardless of their loved one's police organization affiliation.
  COPS sponsors weekend retreats for surviving spouses, parents, adult 
children, siblings, and in-laws. The organization also hosts a week-
long summer camp and a weekend wilderness experience in the Colorado 
Rockies for surviving children. With funding from the Department of 
Justice, COPS presents training that teaches officers how to help 
surviving families, affected co-workers, and communities deal with the 
tragedy of line-of-duty deaths.
  Mr. Speaker, COPS is providing an important service to those families 
and coworkers of officers who have lost their lives. From humble 
beginnings in a basement office to a brand new facility in Camdenton, 
Missouri, COPS has brought healing and support to those who have lost a 
friend or loved one. I know my fellow Members will join with me in 
thanking members of this organization for their work and dedication.

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