Concerns of Police Survivors
Rebuilding shattered lives of survivors and co-workers affected by line-of-duty deaths through partnerships with law enforcement and the community
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
C.O.P.S.' mission is to rebuild the shattered lives of survivors and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Concerns of Police Survivors
C.O.P.S. programs for survivors include the National Police Survivors' Conference held each May during National Police Week, scholarships, peer-support at the national, state, and local levels, "C.O.P.S. Kids" counseling reimbursement program, the "C.O.P.S. Kids" Summer Camp, "C.O.P.S. Teens" Outward Bound Adventure for young adults, special retreats for spouses, parents, siblings, adult children, extended family, and co-workers, trial and parole support, and other assistance programs.
Kids Camp
C.O.P.S. Kids Camp (ages 6-14) provides family interaction, camp activities, grief counseling, relaxation and lots of old-fashioned fun! Campers will have the opportunity to attend age appropriate grief counseling sessions and participate in activities such as: swimming, fishing, arts and crafts, canoeing, ropes courses, archery, shooting sports and campfire skits. It is our goal for campers to leave the week with a continuing support system of peers who truly understand and gain a sense of personal growth with hope for the future.
Young Adults Camp/The Outward Bound® Adventure Program
Growing up without a parent or older sibling role model can be challenging for young teenagers and adults. C.O.P.S. Young Adults Camp (ages 15-20) will give surviving children and siblings the opportunity to be surrounded by peers who understand, attend grief seminar sessions specifically designed for their needs and participate in fun and challenging outdoor activities. This camp will be a mixture of enjoyable camp like activities and a structured adult program, allowing surviving children and siblings to grow into young adults. This camp is planned to offer an alternative program option to surviving minor aged children and a new program option for surviving minor aged siblings.
National Police Week/National Survivors Conference
National Police Week (NPW) held May 11 – 17 each year in Washington, D.C. honors the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement officers. On May 11 and 12, surviving families and co-workers begin arriving in Washington, D.C. for the week-long events.
The Candlelight Vigil is held on May 13. All of the newly engraved names on the Memorial Wall are read during this service.
Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) hosts the National Police Survivors’ Conference on May 14 and May 16 in Washington, D.C. The conference includes breakfast, lunch, guest speakers, debriefing sessions and a Kids/Teens program for the surviving children and siblings of the fallen officer. On May 16 the conference closes with a Picnic on the Patio night where dinner is provided with games, music and more. This allows survivors to relax and be with each other after a stressful week.
The National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service is held on the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol on May 15. The surviving family members will have an opportunity to place a flower in a wreath honoring their fallen officer.
College Scholarships
C.O.P.S. scholarships provide financial assistance to surviving children and to surviving spouses of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, according to Federal government criteria, who wish to pursue a course of study beyond high school. Scholarships are not awarded for post-graduate study. Scholarships are not awarded to survivors who are entitled to a tuition-free education as a state death benefit.
Applicants seeking financial assistance for education purposes are limited to the receipt of not more than $1,500 per semester, and total scholarship awards shall not exceed $12,000 maximum lifetime.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of survivor families/groups newly added to those already receiving support, services, and programs.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Family relationships, Age groups
Related Program
Concerns of Police Survivors
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These figures represent the number of officers killed in the line of duty for these respective years. Each has family members and coworkers to whom we provide support, services, and programs.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
C.O.P.S. strives to help survivors heal after a line-of-duty death. By providing grief counseling from mental health professionals, conferences and workshops with pertinent information for survivors, strong peer support, and opportunities to gather with others from similar circumstances, we aim to assist survivors on their grief journey as they move toward healing.
We also provide training to law enforcement personnel on topics such as officer wellness, dealing with the cumulative trauma of a career in law enforcement, suicide prevention, and setting up a plan for agencies to be prepared for handling a line-of-duty death in the unfortunate event that an agency should experience such a tragedy.
In addition, we provide education to the general public on the importance of supporting law enforcement and provide ways for them to show their appreciation with events such as National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and the National Blue Blood Drive.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
With a strong National Staff team and the support of 55 Chapters throughout the U.S., we are able to marshal resources, knowledge, and contacts to reach survivors where they are and provide services, programs, and events that assist them on their grief journey and help move them toward hope and healing.
Services include professional counseling, peer support, assistance in understanding and filing for benefits, and support during court cases and subsequent parole hearings when the line-of-duty death is the result of a crime.
Programs include the National Survivors' Conference provided by C.O.P.S. during National Police Week (co-hosted by C.O.P.S.) in our nation's Capitol; National Law Enforcement Conference on Wellness and Trauma; retreats or camps for all survivor groups where survivors meet others in similar situations and support each other, build lasting relationships, receive professional counseling support and attend group sessions on topics geared toward their common issues, and participate in a variety of activities designed to strengthen their bonds and build on their resiliency and confidence; Traumas of Law Enforcement Trainings for officers, agencies, and support staff throughout the U.S.
Events include Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, National Blue Blood Drive, golf tournaments, and CopsWalks where survivors walk to honor fallen officers and support each other.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
With the experience, growing technological advances, and innovative ideas of leadership, membership, staff, and volunteers, we are able to efficiently utilize resources from mental health professionals, grants, generous donors, and strong sponsors to grow, change, and improve services, programs, and events to support survivors of line-of-duty deaths as well as law enforcement professionals and bring about positive changes in their quality of life.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) was founded in 1984 with an initial membership of 110 survivors and now supports around 55,000 survivors. As law enforcement line-of-duty deaths continue to increase, we continue to expand services, programs, and events to provide for increased numbers of survivors and support law enforcement. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, hundreds of officers were killed by the virus, contracted while on duty as they were serving and protecting their communities. This resulted in a sharp increase in the number of survivors for whom we provide services. Also as a result of the pandemic, many of our programs and activities could not be held in person, and we successfully adapted by providing and supporting opportunities for survivors to give and receive support and share their stories through virtual gatherings that included mental health professional support. C.O.P.S. intends to combine the knowledge and expertise gained over our 37+ year history with the lessons in flexibility and innovation learned during the challenges of 2020 to continue to successfully provide vital services and meet the needs of survivors and those who work in the public safety sector.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Survivors (family members and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Suggestion box/email,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
We have begun an additional retreat to include couples where the survivor has gone on to remarry or establish a subsequent significant other relationship after the death of their officer.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Not that I am aware of
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Concerns of Police Survivors
Board of directorsas of 12/16/2022
President Emilio Miyares
Concerns of Police Survivors
Term: 2019 - 2021
Leslyn Stewart
Lynne Parry
Cheryl Schultz
Joyce Kramer
Connie Moyer
Max Morgan
Holly Reed
Cheryl Railsback
Dana Evans
Suzie Sawyer
Dianne Bernhard
Mary Carmikle
Emilio Miyares
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data