By Gary C. Kuncl

It begins with a startling and unexpected phone call or visit. Officials report that your loved one, a peace officer, has been seriously injured on the job. Now everything becomes shock and confusion. Somehow, you get to the hospital. Sooner or later, you learn your loved one has died. Now, and for years to come, you and those around you must deal with a tragic loss and try to rebuild shattered lives.

That is how it was for Leon and Carol Isaac. Their son, Jeff, a Fresno County Deputy Sheriff, was killed on-duty in a vehicle collision in 1997. “After they told us about Jeff,” Leon said, “everything was in a fog,” Despite this, the Isaacs had to move quickly. “Jeff died on Monday, and we had to bury him on Thursday. After that, we were on our own with our grief.”

When a peace officer is killed on-duty, many things must happen at once—notifications, follow-up and scene investigations, arrests if a crime is involved, and coordination of the funeral services. The officer’s department is helpful and supportive, but it must keep the department running and support other officers in their grief. As time passes, the department’s ability to help becomes limited. This is where C.O.P.S. comes in.

Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) is a nation-wide organization, formed in 1984 to assist families of peace officers killed in the line of duty. C.O.P.S. members, who themselves have lost someone in law enforcement, volunteer to give comfort, support, and advice to devastated families. Over 14,000 families now belong. According to Jennifer Thacker, National President of C.O.P.S., between 140 and 160 officers are killed on the job each year. For every officer who dies in the line of duty, there are at least twelve people who are directly and adversely affected. “That is nearly 2,000 people each year who are forced into the throes of traumatic grief,” she said. Thacker’s husband, Brandon, a Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Control Investigator, was murdered in 1998.

Central California C.O.P.S.

California C.O.P.S. has three chapters: northern, central, and southern. Founded in 1999, the Central California Chapter serves Tulare County and thirteen other counties. Leon Isaac is the president.

When tragedy strikes and an officer in this region is killed, the Central California C.O.P.S. Board of Directors contacts the officer’s department and offers help for the survivors. Leon said that upon meeting the family, “we all generally embrace because we know what they are going through. We stress to them that we’ll be there for them for the funeral, for the memorial ceremonies, and for the long haul. As the weeks pass, we are in contact with them by email, telephone and visits. Their biggest need from this point onward is for friends who understand and care.”

Debbie Elium-Uruchurtu was the former wife of Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Elium when he died in an on-duty auto accident in 2005. Debbie and their two children, Sean, 16, and Courtney, 15, have high praise for the C.O.P.S. organization. According to Debbie, “They were compassionate, eased our feelings, and later helped us attend the National Police Memorial. C.O.P.S. has been in contact with us regularly since; and it’s like we have gained a second family.”

According to Leon, C.O.P.S. members do not have to pay membership fees, because “the price paid is already too high.” A retired state parole agent, Leon says all of his efforts for C.O.P.S. are to honor his son and “to help other survivors during their time of agony and stress.”

Another tribute to Leon’s son, Jeff, came in the form of a metal cross, made by Fresno Deputy Sheriff Keith Gray, Jeff’s friend. In 1998, Gray installed it at the site of Jeff’s fatal accident.

The Central California Chapter raises funds each year with a motorcycle “run.” Scheduled for March 27, this year’s run will trace a route from the Visalia Harley-Davidson Agency to Millerton Lake. Other funding comes from police associations. All members of the Tulare County Deputy Sheriff’s Association donate $1.50 to C.O.P.S. from their paychecks. Similarly, individual members of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and the Fresno Police Department have opted to donate via payroll deductions.

C.O.P.S. Hands-On Programs

The National C.O.P.S. Organization provides Hands-On programs to help survivors rebuild their shattered lives. Each year, the California Police Memorial Board pays lodging for two survivors to attend the State Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony in Sacramento. C.O.P.S. pays lodging for other family members.

Also, in May during National Police Week, the Central Chapter pays airfare and lodging for other survivors to attend the National Police Memorial in Washington, D.C. Tulare County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Scott Logue attended the 2006 National Police Memorial. He said it was “a powerful, emotional, and gut-wrenching experience.” The C.O.P.S. Central Chapter also pays for survivors to attend annual retreats for spouses, children, siblings, parents, in-laws, and significant others

Bette Landin, whose husband, Joe, was killed in 1985, joined the Central Chapter last year and attended the spouses’ retreat. “It was amazing and really helped. The companionship was great; and you gain friends with whom you have a lot in common.” Bette said she wishes she had joined C.O.P.S. years ago. She sees her work with new survivors as a chance to “let them know we’ve gone through the same things and are there to help.”

Talking with survivors, one comes away understanding that theirs is a story of profound grief and loss. But in a larger sense, theirs is a story of strength, courage, helping others, and changing through tragedy. In much of this, C.O.P.S. plays an important role.

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