National Badge of Honor Memorial Foundation

The Badge of Honor Memorial Foundation (BOHMF) has two primary missions. The first is to assist the survivors and departments of officers who have been killed in the line of duty to obtain all Federal and state statutory death benefits that are available to them. Since its inception, the Foundation has contacted every department--police, sheriffs and state police--usually within 48 hours--to advise them of the Federal and state line-of-duty death benefits available to the survivors. The Badge of Honor Memorial Foundation helps families who, as a result of a law enforcement officer's death, are enduring personal hardship. The number one concern of any police officer is the financial security of his or her family. BOHMF is able to ensure the family's financial security by providing the procedures necessary to obtain the death benefits they are entitled to receive in the event of a line-of-duty death. As the national advocates for these families, our goal is to make sure no loved one is left behind.

The second mission of the Foundation is to train law enforcement departments nationwide on casualty planning, also known as death protocol. BOHMF provides a casualty plan that the individual departments can adapt to their particular circumstances to handle a line-of-duty death. 80% of officers that are killed in the line-of-duty are from departments that have never had an officer down. Many of these departments have less than 50 officers, and they have no idea what benefits are available to the survivors. The Foundation's programs directly address the needs a department experiences. The goal is to make sure that every department across the Nation has a casualty plan in place before a line-of-duty death occurs.

The mission of Badge of Honor Memorial Foundation is to assist the survivors and departments of officers who have been killed in the line of duty to obtain all statutory benefits that may be available to them. Since its inception, the Foundation has contacted every department--police, sheriffs and state police--usually within 48 hours--to advise them of the Federal and state line-of-duty death benefits available to the survivors. BOHMF has initiated a Train-The-Trainer program to develop a cadre of officers nationwide who can present casualty training to the departments in their respective regions in order to prepare every agency for the horrific contingency of a line-of-duty death. This training will prepare individuals to assist departments with the entire spectrum of assistance from the personal preplanning process, caring for the family of the fallen from the moment of notification, and development of a department-specific casualty plan including a funeral protocol. Individuals will also be trained on the application for Federal, state and local benefits, as well as the appeals process. The workshop presents scenarios designed to prepare a department to deal with active service and retired death and disability, as well as other special circumstances, including death from suicide. The survivors of public safety professionals killed in the line of duty are entitled to a substantial financial death benefit from the Federal government. (Federal PSOB benefit is $339,810). Thirty states also provide financial death benefits. Obtaining these benefits can be a complex and daunting process involving technical legal terminology and requirements for documentation. Additionally, there is a statutory deadline. Eighty percent of the officers lost are from departments that have never suffered a line-of-duty death, and many of these departments have fewer than 50 sworn. Frequently the individual preparing the claim needs help understanding the process and compiling the paperwork. Additionally, many departments have no protocol in place to handle notification of the next of kin or a proper funeral BOHMF has presented the Casualty Planning/Train-the-Trainer Workshop at 30 conferences (avg 100 depts per conference, avg 75 sworn officers per dept=avg over 225,000 law enforcement officers who have been reached). That represents only about one-quarter of the sworn officers in the US, and the goal is to reach everyone. The Foundation has 59 trainers in place, and the goal is to have 3-5 per State. The goal is to ensure that every department, in all 50 States and US territories, have a written death policy/death manual in place before they suffer an officer down.

The Badge of Honor Memorial Foundation (BOHMF) has presented the Casualty Planning/Train-the-Trainer Workshop at 30 conferences (avg 100 depts per conference, avg 75 sworn officers per dept=avg over 225,000 law enforcement officers who have been reached). That represents about one-quarter of the sworn officers in the US, and the goal is to reach everyone. The Foundation has 59 trainers in place, and the goal is to have 3-5 per state. The Foundation is anecdotally advised that the casualty planning guide is disseminated to the rank and file as a matter of course. The BOHMF likewise ensures there are in place at least three sworn officers per state to engage in outreach to departments that have recently lost an officer to help ensure that additional training is made available to educate departments on Casualty Planning and to present the BOHMF as an available asset to obtain all available Federal and state benefits. The goal is to ensure that every department, in all 50 States and US territories, have a written death policy/death manual in place before they lose an officer. The challenges the BOHMF has are encouraging departments to focus on the fact that they must have a plan in place for a catastrophic event long before that event occurs and that the department must keep it current. Simply stated, it is difficult to get momentum on the topic of death until it happens. The Foundation's biggest hurdle can only be overcome by time, persistence and manpower. Another challenge has been scheduling conferences within current budget limitations. BOHMF does not and will never have the resources to fund travel to every single police department. Therefore, the trainers must get on the agendas and attend as many conferences as possible that department command staff attend. The Motorola Grant has helped immensely and has allowed the BOHMF get closer to reaching the goal, making sure that no loved one is left behind. Getting a "top down" affirmation from command staffs and organizations like FBI National Academy Associates and International Association of Chiefs of Police was critical.

The Badge of Honor Memorial Foundation (BOHMF) has presented the Casualty Planning/Train-the-Trainer Workshop at 30 conferences (avg 100 depts per conference, avg 75 sworn officers per dept=avg over 225,000 law enforcement officers who have been reached). That represents about one-quarter of the sworn officers in the US, and the goal is to reach everyone. The Foundation has 59 trainers in place, and the goal is to have 3-5 per state. The Foundation is anecdotally advised that the casualty planning guide is disseminated to the rank and file as a matter of course. The BOHMF likewise ensures there are in place at least three sworn officers per state to engage in outreach to departments that have recently lost an officer to help ensure that additional training is made available to educate departments on Casualty Planning and to present the BOHMF as an available asset to obtain all available Federal and state benefits. The goal is to ensure that every department, in all 50 States and US territories, have a written death policy/death manual in place before they lose an officer. The challenges the BOHMF has are encouraging departments to focus on the fact that they must have a plan in place for a catastrophic event long before that event occurs and that the department must keep it current. Simply stated, it is difficult to get momentum on the topic of death until it happens. The Foundation's biggest hurdle can only be overcome by time, persistence and manpower. Another challenge has been scheduling conferences within current budget limitations. BOHMF does not and will never have the resources to fund travel to every single police department. Therefore, the trainers must get on the agendas and attend as many conferences as possible that department command staff attend. The Motorola Grant has helped immensely and has allowed the BOHMF get closer to reaching the goal, making sure that no loved one is left behind. Getting a "top down" affirmation from command staffs and organizations like FBI National Academy Associates and International Association of Chiefs of Police was critical.