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..."
HELP US GIVE BACK TO THOSE THAT GIVE ALL
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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) Totals for 2020
139 LODD in 2020
146 LODD in 2019 a 20% decrease as compared to previous year.
According to Officer Down Memorial Page
Leading Cause of Death in 2019
47 - gunfire
45 - Auto
16 - Heart Attack
24 - Other
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.
Our Fallen Heroes
Deputy Sheriff Dylan Pickle
Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Mississippi
End of Watch Sunday, July 26, 2020
Deputy Sheriff Dylan Pickle was struck and killed by a vehicle while conducting a safety checkpoint on Hamilton Road near Seely Drive.
He and several other deputies were conducting the checkpoint when a vehicle struck him and a second deputy at about 9:45 pm. Both deputies were transported to a hospital in Tupelo where Deputy Pickle succumbed to his injuries shortly after midnight.
Deputy Pickle was a Mississippi National Guard Veteran.
Deputy Sheriff Oscar W. Rocha
Deputy Sheriff Oscar Rocha died after contracting COVID-19 during an outbreak among staff and inmates at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California.
He remained on a ventilator for approximately one month before passing away.
Deputy Rocha had served with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office for 25 years and was planning on retiring in January 2021. He is survived by his wife, son, two stepchildren, and parents.
In early 2020, thousands of law enforcement officers and other first responders throughout the country contracted COVID-19 during the worldwide pandemic due to requirements of their job. Many of these first responders died as a result of COVID-19.
Corrections Officer IV Jackson Pongay
Corrections Officer IV Jackson Pongay died after contracting COVID-19 during an outbreak among staff and inmates at the Lychner State Jail in Humble.
Officer Pongay had served with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for four years. He is survived by his wife and one child.
In early 2020, thousands of law enforcement officers and other first responders throughout the country contracted COVID-19 during the worldwide pandemic due to requirements of their job. Many of these first responders died as a result of COVID-19.
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.