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September 2, 2006
FOP Foundation Gets Grant to Develop Model Policy for Law Enforcement Families During Critical Incidents
Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, announced today that the National FOP Foundation has been awarded a grant to develop the Law Enforcement Families Readiness Initiative.
“It is fitting that the Foundation received this news at the start of National Preparedness Month, because what we hope to develop with this grant will help law enforcement officers and their families be better prepared for large scale critical incidents,” Canterbury said.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, which is a component of the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice, has awarded a two-year, $750,000 grant to the National FOP Foundation to develop the Law Enforcement Families Readiness Initiative—a comprehensive model policy or best practices guide for use by local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies to design and implement a law enforcement family readiness plan.
“In the event of a critical incident which calls for an extended deployment or the evacuation of a widespread area, law enforcement officers are sworn to answer the call of duty,” Canterbury explained. “But these officers have families which may also be in harm’s way during a natural disaster, a large scale terrorist attack, or a pandemic outbreak. In such a situation, the officer must find a way to resolve the conflict between duty to his job and duty to see his family safe.”
The National FOP Foundation will develop guidelines and model policies which can be implemented by law enforcement agencies to ensure a greater state of readiness of the families of law enforcement officers in the event of a critical incident. Readiness will entail sharing with law enforcement families current response scenarios as appropriate, briefing them on evacuation plans, and preparing them for situations in which their family member may be on duty for an extended period or time or separated from that family member because of an evacuation or quarantine.
“The officer, having the peace of mind that his family is informed and accepting of the role he must perform in these circumstances, will be able to wholly devote himself to his duty,” said Canterbury. “It will improve the readiness, the morale, and the effectiveness of the law enforcement officer and his agency as a whole.”