"C.O.P.S. Kids/Teens"

Programs and Summer Activities

For children who have lost a parent to line-of-duty death according to Federal government criteria

National Police Week Activities

At the National Police Survivors' Seminars each May during National Police Week, children who have lost a parent to a line-of-duty death can participate in special activities. For many kids, this is the first time they have made contact with peers - other kids who have gone through the same thing they have - the loss of a parent to line-of-duty death. A dedicated staff of professionals and volunteers assess the children's emotional well-being, listen and guide them through any issues they wish to talk about, while participating in a variety of fun activities. Results of the emotional assessments are provided to parents after Police Week so that, if needed, additional counseling can be obtained at home.

Financial Assistance for Children's Counseling

On May 14, 1990, Ronald McDonald Children's Charities (RMCC) provided seed money for COPS to offer financial assistance to dependent-aged children who seek psychological counseling to help them cope with the trauma inflicted on them through the sudden, often violent, loss of their parent to the law enforcement profession.

This program provides services to children under the age of 18 whose parent was killed in the line of duty since January 1, 1990. Additionally, any child recommended for counseling through the annual May "C.O.P.S. Kids" Program is eligible for this reimbursement program regardless of the date of the line-of-duty death of the parent.

Since 1991, the Southeast Police Motorcycle Rodeo Committee, comprised of motorcycle officers in South Florida, has provided over $100,000 to help continue this program.

This program will reimburse up to $2,000 per year per eligible child for three years of out-of-pocket counseling expense. Families will be encouraged to use the services of their law enforcement agency's Psychological Services Unit, if available, and are expected to use any other private funding sources available, such as private health insurance, before filing for reimbursement through this program.

Summer Camp

 I went downstairs and I found Mommy lying in the kitchen floor. She was crying so hard she was shaking. So I went back upstairs and I cried 'til I shook, too.

When a child participating in the May "C.O.P.S. Kids" Program made this statement to a counselor, COPS' belief that children cannot heal if their surviving parent doesn't heal was reinforced. COPS' Summer Camp provides surviving spouses with children the opportunity to  work with professional counselors and trained mentors to improve communications within the family unit and resolve grief issues together.

Organized camp activities are supplemented with counseling during the week-long camp. Friendly competition, planned activities that encourage teambuilding, and shared fun times in a camp atmosphere help families recognize that the teamwork approach will help them cope with their grief.

Wilderness Experience

Instituted in 1998, COPS' Annual Wilderness Experience helps surviving older children (aged 15-21) build self-esteem with a group of  true peers who understand what it is like to lose a law enforcement parent to a line-of-duty death.. This annual activity might be mountain climbing in the Rockies in Colorado, or exploring the Boundary Waters of Minnesota from a canoe or white-water rafting in Utah.