What began as a desire to give back, became a reality …….
It began with a phone call no Law Enforcement Family wants to receive, “It is with great sadness that we inform you..."
Carmen's Message
What began as a desire to give back, became a reality ……
It began with a phone call no Law Enforcement Family wants to receive, “It is with great sadness that we inform you that your loved one has been killed while on duty.” The words and circumstances may be different but the loss, the grief, the emptiness is the same.
From that moment life became a blur and I functioned mechanically not really focusing on what was going on around me. So many thoughts and emotions, how was I ever going to go on? Would I ever feel like living again? How will I deal with the emptiness? Even if you don’t want to think about it, you worry about finances, how are we going to pay bills.
From the moment we received the notification; calls, messages, visits and mail began to come in from all over the country. All of these were from persons we did not even know but all had a common thread, the “Thin Blue Line”. Support was from Law Enforcement Families, Officers, and Supporters of Law Enforcement all sending love, support, and prayers. All of this support definitely helped us through some awful times and provided some comfort and peace.
One evening weeks after Floyd’s memorial as I sat at home with family writing thank you notes, I shared with them that I wanted to give some of that love and support back to others who found themselves in our situation. My family supported my idea 100 percent and even offered to help. They too wanted to do something to honor Floyd and help others, so we began to research needs of Law Enforcement Officers and their families.
We found so much data and information that we had to decide on what we could realistically do. When an officer dies in the line of duty families experience a loss of income immediately. Pay due and insurances are not quickly paid and can even take months depending on the type of death. So, one of our goals was to help a surviving family with immediate one-time financial assistance.
The other area we felt passionate about was helping the Law Enforcement surviving coworker. Law Enforcement Officers experience a tremendous amount of stress in their jobs already and when they lose a coworker friend additional stress is added. Many do not access departmental resources for fear of being labeled so we all agreed that we wanted to help them by providing supportive events to help cope with the loss and stress associated with their jobs.
And we want to do all this by engaging our local law enforcement groups and our community so we can work together and bring about change in perceptions of Law Enforcement here at home and across the country.
Texas635 is an IRS 501c3 certified organzation.
HELP US GIVE BACK TO THOSE THAT GIVE ALL
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and ensure our programs continue to be free of charge. Your generous donation will fund our programs.
Blue’s Space Program
Every year double the number officers commit suicide than officers killed in the line of duty. Approximately 140 to 160 Law Enforcement officers are killed in the Line of Duty each year.
Line of Duty Deaths (LODD) for 2020
342 LODD in 2020 with 73% of deaths being identified as other factors one of them being COVID-19
According to Officer Down Memorial Page
Leading Cause of Death in 2020
45 - gunfire
47 - Auto
250 - Other
Our Fallen Heroes (Currently 97 LODD 2021)
Deputy Sheriff Thomas Patrick Barnes
Deputy Sheriff Christopher Wilson Knight
Deputy Sheriff Thomas Patrick Barnes
Jefferson Davis County Sheriff's Department, Mississippi
End of Watch Saturday, April 10, 2021
Deputy Sheriff Pat Barnes was killed in a vehicle crash while responding to a domestic disturbance at a hotel in Prentiss, Mississippi.
He was responding to backup members of the Prentiss Police Department when his patrol car left the roadway an
Jefferson Davis County Sheriff's Department, Mississippi
End of Watch Saturday, April 10, 2021
Deputy Sheriff Pat Barnes was killed in a vehicle crash while responding to a domestic disturbance at a hotel in Prentiss, Mississippi.
He was responding to backup members of the Prentiss Police Department when his patrol car left the roadway and struck a tree near the intersection of Highway 42 and Ed Parkman Road.
Deputy Barnes also served as a part-time officer with the Prentiss Police Department. He is survived by his wife, two children, and one grandchild.
Sergeant James K. Smith
Deputy Sheriff Christopher Wilson Knight
Deputy Sheriff Thomas Patrick Barnes
Iowa State Patrol, Iowa
End of Watch Friday, April 9, 2021
Sergeant Jim Smith was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a subject who had assaulted and disarmed another law enforcement officer during a traffic stop near Grundy Center.
The subject initially fled as officers attempted to stop him but stopped and confronted them and ant
Iowa State Patrol, Iowa
End of Watch Friday, April 9, 2021
Sergeant Jim Smith was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a subject who had assaulted and disarmed another law enforcement officer during a traffic stop near Grundy Center.
The subject initially fled as officers attempted to stop him but stopped and confronted them and antagonized them to shoot him. The man then assaulted one of the officers and disarmed him after placing the officer in a chokehold. He was able to get back into his car and fled to his home at 305 G Avenue.
Responding officers established a perimeter around the home and established an arrest team. When the arrest team entered the home, the man opened fire with a shotgun, striking Sergeant Smith. Other members of the team were able to remove Sergeant Smith from the home. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The subject shot at an Iowa State Patrol tactical team at about 11:50 pm. The man was wounded by return fire, taken into custody, and charged with murder.
Sergeant Smith had served with the Iowa State Patrol for 27 years. He is survived by his wife, two children, mother, brother, and sister.
Deputy Sheriff Christopher Wilson Knight
Deputy Sheriff Christopher Wilson Knight
Deputy Sheriff Christopher Wilson Knight
Bibb County Sheriff's Office, Georgia
End of Watch Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Deputy Sheriff Christopher Knight was stabbed to death by a prisoner at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center at about 2:45 am.
He and another deputy were moving the prisoner to an observation area after the man made suicidal comments. The inmate began fighting wit
Bibb County Sheriff's Office, Georgia
End of Watch Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Deputy Sheriff Christopher Knight was stabbed to death by a prisoner at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center at about 2:45 am.
He and another deputy were moving the prisoner to an observation area after the man made suicidal comments. The inmate began fighting with both deputies and was able to gain control of Deputy Knight's knife, which he used to stab both deputies.
Deputy Knight was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds one hour later.
Deputy Knight had served with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office for three years. He is survived by his 2-year-old child and mother.
Help us give back to those that give all
Texas635 is an IRS certified 501c3 organization.
Your $15 donation helps us continue to provide necessary Mental wellness programs for our officers and provide necessary funds to Fallen Officer Families in need.