Concerns of Police Survivors held elections during National Police Week for the National Board. The new board for the 2010-2011 term will lead the organization through its 27th year, providing services to the more than 15,000 surviving families who comprise the membership of C.O.P.S. 
 

Pictured in Back Row, Left to Right: Suzie Sawyer, C.O.P.S. Executive Director; Paul Armitage, Northeast Region Trustee; Jennifer Thacker, Immediate Past President; Cathy  Hill, Mountain Region Trustee; Linda Moon Gregory, National President; Eleanor Allione, Northern Seaboard Trustee; Madeline Neumann, Chapter Coordinator; Trina Scott, Southern Seaboard Trustee. Front Row, Left to Right: Emilio J. Miyares, Gulf Region Trustee; John Kalaman, Great Lakes Trustee; Andy Powell, Pacific Region Trustee; Paul Gertsen, Plains Region Trustee.

Retired Chief Paul Armitage of Middleton, MA, was re-elected to his 3rd one-year term as Northeast Region Trustee. Paul will work with law enforcement survivors and agencies in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.
 
Northern Seaboard Region Trustee Eleanor Allione of Middletown, DE, was re-elected to her 4th one-year term. Eleanor will represent C.O.P.S. in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia, and West Virginia.
 
The new Southern Seaboard Trustee is Trina Scott of Woodlawn, TN. Trina's service area covers North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
 
The new Gulf Region Trustee is Emilio J. Miyares of Miami, FL. Emilio will be working with law enforcement survivors and agencies in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Territories.
 
John Kalaman of Kettering, OH, was re-elected to the position of Great Lake Trustee for his 3rd one-year term. John will again be working with survivors and law enforcement agencies in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana.
 
Paul Gertsen of Roseville, MN, was re-elected to serve his 3rd one-year term as the Plains Region Trustee for National C.O.P.S. Paul's service area covers Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Colorado. 
 
The Mountain Region Trustee is Cathy Hill of Houston, TX. Cathy is a new board member and will be serving Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas.
 
Andy Powell of Temecula, CA, was re-elected to serve his 3rd one-year term as the Pacific Region Trustee. Andy will continue to serve California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, and the Mariana Islands on behalf of C.O.P.S.
 
Madeline Neumann of Mays Landing, NJ, was appointed to the National Chapter Coordinator position for the 2nd year and Suzie Sawyer of Camdenton, MO, was appointed as the Executive Director of C.O.P.S. for the 27th time. 

Charles Shinholser of Jacksonville, FL, was awarded Concerns of Police Survivors' Distinguished Service Award during National Police Week in Washington, DC, on May 14, 2010.  Every year the award is given to an individual who has showed exemplary support to law enforcement survivors and advocated for police survivor issues. Mr. Shinholser has displayed a tireless effort over the years to help law enforcement survivors across America. Several years ago, Charles retired from his job to "go to work for C.O.P.S." and he gives more than 40 hours every week to an organization he loves. 
 
Charles lost his son Ray to a line-of-duty death on December 14, 1988, while serving the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Charles has been active with Concerns of Police Survivors since shortly after his son's death. Charles was instrumental in the organization of the C.O.P.S. Northeast Florida Chapter in 1998 and has served as its Chapter Director since the inception. He has also been dedicated to setting up a payroll deduction program within the many local law enforcement departments in Florida and has helped other C.O.P.S. Chapters all across the nation to benefit from payroll deduction plans as well.
 
In May 2006, Charles was elected to the National Board of Concerns of Police Survivors as the Gulf Region Trustee. After numerous years of committed service and having served his four-year term limit on the National Board as Gulf Region Trustee, Charles will be greatly missed by the C.O.P.S. organization.

Brain Nadeau, FBI Special Agent, was presented with the Todd Ricks Memorial Award for Volunteerism during National Police Week in Washington, DC, by Concerns of Police Survivors. 

 
In 1993, Brian Nadeau started volunteering for C.O.P.S. while serving as a York (ME) Police Officer. Every year since 1993, Brian has worked the C.O.P.S. Kids/Teen Program for surviving children of fallen law enforcement officers during National Police Week and he has had a tremendous impact on the children every year. Because of his dedication to law enforcement surviving families, Brian's work is deserving of the Todd Ricks Memorial Award for Volunteerism.
 
The Todd Ricks Memorial Award for Volunteerism is given to an individual who serves in a volunteer position without compensation from C.O.P.S. and their efforts go above and beyond when working with law enforcement families. This award is named for Todd Ricks, a U.S. Park Police Motorcycle Officer. Officer Ricks coordinated the motorcycle efforts during National Police Week for several years and was the inaugural recipient of this award.

The 2010 C.O.P.S. Chapter of the Year was presented to the Washington State Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors. The chapter had an unprecedented 7 line-of-duty deaths in 2009, with chapter representatives attending all 9 memorial services. Dealing with multiple line-of-duty death, intense scrutiny over fundraising efforts, competing entities that seemed to have sprung up overnight, this chapter has cultivated more contacts than ever before in the history of the organization and has successfully met its most challenging year. Congratulations to Washington State C.O.P.S. Chapter for being the 2010 Chapter of the Year!

As 220 bicyclists arrived at the Pentagon Memorial in Washington, DC, on May 12, 2010, after a 3-day, 250-mile journey from Chesapeake, Virginia, there were tears, hugs, and congratulations on completing the strenuous challenge. The bicyclists were all members of Law Enforcement United, a new organization of law enforcement officers who are also bicycling enthusiast. Their journey, named the Road to Hope, focused on supporting the 15,000 surviving law enforcement families that comprise Concerns of Police Survivors' membership. Law Enforcement United (LEU) riders cycled with flags bearing the pictures of the 2009 fallen officers affixed to their bicycles.

 

Rich Gallo, a Law Enforcement United rider and former President of FLEOA, explained arriving at the ceremony, "The hardships of riding in the rain and into the wind all disappeared when we rode into a sea of survivors. While we were riding to honor the sacrifice of their loved one(s), there they were with smiles and hugs to show us their love; it made the grueling ride worth it."

 

Law Enforcement United's goal was to raise awareness of officers' deaths in 2009 and the healing work provided by C.O.P.S. LEU's ride raised funds for Concerns of Police Survivors and Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Presenting C.O.P.S. with a check for $110,000, LEU's President Kelly Cross stated, "Our primary goal in fundraising this year was to raise money for C.O.P.S. Kids Summer camp. Our $20,000 to Officer Down Memorial Page will help this premier law enforcement website to continue its good work and LEU looks forward to raising even more funds for these two organizations." Interested in joining LEU for 2011, registration will open at www.lawenforcementunited.org on July 1, 2010.

Pictured Left to Right: Tim Taylor and Harry French of Streamlight; Suzie Sawyer, C.O.P.S. Executive Director; Brad Penney, Streamlight; Jennifer Thacker, now C.O.P.S. Immediate Past President.

Pictured Left to Right: Michael Maiorana, Regional President Verizon Wireless; Bryan Vorndran, FBI Special Agent; Jennifer Thacker, now C.O.P.S. Immediate Past President; Chris Kelly, Booz Allen Hamilton.

 

The C.O.P.S. National Golf Tournament hosted by the Missouri Conservation Agents Association will be held Sunday, August 8, at Old Kinderhook Golf Course in mid Missouri near the National C.O.P.S office. All proceeds from this event are earmarked to underwrite the Surviving Spouses Retreat on September 17-20, 2010. 

 

You can be part of this fundraising effort for C.O.P.S. in a very special way! Special "In Memory Of Flags" with a fallen officer's picture, name, End of Watch, and agency can be displayed on the golf course on August 8 honoring their supreme sacrifice. July 19 is the FIRM DEADLINE to purchase this special commemorative flag.  Don't miss out on this opportunity to honor your fallen loved one and at the same time support Concerns of Police Survivors.

ORDER "IN MEMORY OF FLAG"

C.O.P.S. will hold a mandatory training for its 50 chapters nationwide on July 15-18, 2010, at the YMCA Trout Lodge in Potosi, MO, to discuss and learn about the paperwork required of chapters, issues volunteers need to know about running a nonprofit organization, and how to develop a healthy C.O.P.S. Chapter. Attendance is restricted to chapter representatives and pre-registration is mandatory.

 

"I was especially worried about my son, who was 11 when his father died, because every widow I spoke to of any type of death, not just cops' widows, who had a son who was teen age when his father died, told me about the son going through drugs, drinking, crime, etc. These people didn't have C.O.P.S. programs to go to. So I was determined to send my son to every program C.O.P.S. offers. I am happy to tell you that my son is 18, been accepted to the college of his choice, and drug-free. His life-long friends are into drugs and he refuses. And these boys have 2 good parents! I am constantly amazed by this; I must be doing something right, actually I must be doing a lot of things right.  So thank you from the bottom of my heart because I credit C.O.P.S.' kids programs for getting my son where he is today."

 

-Surviving Spouse

Visit COPSstore for merchandise. Roll Call items are available in several colors of short sleeve t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts and crew neck and hooded sweatshirts.  All C.O.P.S. and National Police Week merchandise can be found at http://www.COPSstore.com. COPSstore has been your official source for C.O.P.S. merchandise since 1992.

Concerns of Police Survivors has been awarded the "Best in America" seal of approval from Independent Charities of America.