C.O.P.S. Criteria

According to the National C.O.P.S. Bylaws: C.O.P.S. ministers to the needs of families who have suffered the loss of a law enforcement officer in the line of duty per C.O.P.S. criteria. The criteria are as follows:

BJA’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program - one-time death benefit awarded to the surviving family according to the payment hierarchy. The current benefit amount for this fiscal year (10/1/22-9/30/23) is $422,035. Applications can be filed at www.psob.gov

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) LEOKA Program - the FBI records line of duty deaths for statistical use for felonious and accidental deaths only. The FBI provides C.O.P.S. a list of approved line of duty deaths each month. More information can be found at www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr/leoka

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) - includes fallen officer names on the memorial wall in Washington, D.C. To find if an officer is on the memorial, visit www.nleomf.org

The Fraternal Order of Police & Auxiliary - honor fallen law enforcement officers during the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service on May 15 each year during National Police Week. To find if an officer has been honored, visit www.policeweek.org

To be considered a line-of-duty death by C.O.P.S., a fallen officer must be approved for one or more of the above. If you have additional questions regarding eligibility, contact the C.O.P.S. office at (573) 346-4911.