Sr. Officer Kevin Frined of the Osage Beach Police Department to participate in 25-mile walk

Sr. Officer Kevin Frined of the Osage Beach Police Department to participate in 25-mile walk

Sr. Officer Kevin Friend of the Osage Beach Police Department will be walking 25 miles in 2 days to raise funds for Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) and their Hands-On Programs for families and co-workers of officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

The National C.O.P.S. office and the Arizona C.O.P.S. chapter will host the inaugural COPS WALK SOUTHWEST March 10-11^th, 2012, in Phoenix, AZ. The journey will start in the scenic South Mountain Park and continue along the Salt River Project Canals and other scenic and urban areas of Tempe and Phoenix, AZ.

Participants of COPS WALK SOUTHWEST are challenged to raise $2,500 each to help support programs that include retreats for survivors and conferences held in Washington D.C. for National Police Week each May. With the last two years being particularly deadly for police officers, Sr. Officer Friend has taken on that challenge to walk in honor of the six officers lost in Missouri in 2011.

 Chief of Police Jerry E. Hicks, Sr.
Leadwood Police Department, MO
EOW: Sunday, December 4, 2011
Cause of Death: Automobile accident

Patrolman Evan Burns
Caruthersville Police Department, MO
EOW: Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault

Trooper Frederick F. "Fred" Guthrie, Jr.
Missouri State Highway Patrol, MO
EOW: Monday, August 1, 2011
Cause of Death: Drowned

Master Patrolman Jefferson Taylor
Riverside Police Division, MO
EOW: Friday, June 3, 2011
Cause of Death: Weather/Natural disaster

Police Officer Daryl Hall
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, MO
EOW: Sunday, April 24, 2011
Cause of Death: Gunfire

District Administrator Debra Kay Collins
Missouri Department of Corrections, MO
EOW: Friday, March 4, 2011
Cause of Death: Automobile accident"I have spent 19 years in Law Enforcement and I see a need for the programs that C.O.P.S offers the survivors of our fallen Officers. I would greatly appreciate your support as I represent Missouri and its fallen Officers from about the State."

The original COPS WALK was held in Harper’s Ferry National Park in West Virginia in 2005. The West Virginia event raised over $255,000 in 2011, and over $1 million in the past 7 years. This event is considered a great success with more than 85 people participating annually. For more information about sponsoring Sr. Officer Kevin Friend or if you are interested in participating, please contact Patty Friend at 573-346-4911 or patty_friend@nationalcops.org. Registration for this event closes February 17.

Concerns of Police Survivorswas founded in 1984 for the surviving families of law enforcement officers, and today serves more than 15,000 surviving families nationwide. C.O.P.S. provides many programs at no cost to the survivor. C.O.P.S. hosts a summer camp for surviving children ages 6-14, an Outward Bound® Experience for surviving teens ages 15-20, and retreats for adult children, spouses, parents, siblings, in-laws, and affected co-workers. Each year, between 140 and 180 officers are killed in the line of duty. Their families and co-workers are left to cope with the tragic loss. C.O.P.S. provides resources to help them rebuild their shattered lives. There is no membership fee to join C.O.P.S., for the price paid is already too high.