Concerns Of Police Survivors

My husband and I have just returned from our annual winter meeting of C.O.P.S. (Concerns Of Police Survivors). It is probably the best C.O.P.S. meeting I have ever attended. Every year since I became the Suicide Liaison more suicide survivors have attended. This year we had three new survivors join us. It is a very hard step to take but these new people were welcomed with open arms. They felt accepted and loved and all participated in the activities. Line Of Duty Deaths and Law Enforcement suicides are both horrible. Unfortunately, suicide deaths are looked upon as being both selfish and destructive. People do not understand what a law enforcement officer sees/ goes through on a daily basis. We think of law enforcement officers as tough and strong and devoid of feelings. Wrong. We all have feelings that need to be expressed. If no one is willing to help them they often see no way out. As I have said before, I am out to save lives. Another person who attended our meeting was John Marx, executive director of CopsAlive. I was honored November 2012 to do a podcast with John on the topic of surviving the suicide of my son who was a sheriff's deputy. We are both on the same page with saving lives and plan on working together in some fashion. Our President, Troy, welcomed the suicide survivors and mentioned how important it is to include everyone in C.O.P.S. I am the only Suicide Liaison for C.O.P.S. in the United States. That has to change. It is a problem we can no longer ignore.