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) Totals for 2020
44 LODD in 2021
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
Police Officer Mitchell Penton
Dallas Police Department, Texas
End of Watch Saturday, February 13, 2021
Police Officer Mitchell Penton was struck and killed by a vehicle operated by an intoxicated driver at about 1:45 am.
He was working at the scene of a vehicle collision in the northbound lanes of the North Central Expressway at Walnut Hill Lane. He was securing traffic with the emergency lights from his patrol car when a vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver, traveling at a high rate speed, hit the back of his patrol car. The collision pushed the patrol car into Officer Penton.
Officer Penton was transported to Baylor University Medical Center when he died from his injuries.
The driver of the vehicle that struck Officer Penton was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter of a police officer and intoxication assault.
Officer Penton had served with the Dallas Police Department for two years and was assigned to the Northeast Patrol Division. He is survived by his expectant wife and stepson.
Deputy Sheriff Ross Dixon
Cambria County Sheriff's Office, Pennsylvania
End of Watch Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Deputy Sheriff Ross Dixon died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in a presumed exposure while on duty at the Cambria County Courthouse.
Deputy Dixon had served with the Cambria County Sheriff's Office for 35 years. He is survived by his wife and four children.
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.
Agent Juan Rosado-López
Puerto Rico Police Department, Puerto Rico
End of Watch Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Agent Juan Rosado-López died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Agent Rosado-López had served with the Puerto Rico Police Department for 23 years and was assigned to the Caguas Highway Division.
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.