Statistics reveal that Law Enforcement remains one of the most dangerous professions in America. Incidental to each death, there exists extraordinary funeral expenses currently not covered by insurance policies. All expenses not covered by insurance are borne by the surviving family and the Board of Directors expects the fund to help defray the expenses for the surviving spouse/family.
A significant majority of law enforcement officers' benefits related to wages, hours and working conditions are identified within labor agreements, while other benefits and rights fundamental to a fair or equitable work environment are not so clearly enunciated in the labor agreement. When legislative action or civil litigation occurs against an officer's interests, which legislation or litigation results in diminution of benefits, rights i.e. disabilities or basic constitutional rights, the individual police officer bears the expense of civil litigation. The Board of Directors will determine which violations constitute the most egregious and select the attorney to pursue relief on behalf of the law enforcement officer.
Each calendar year the Board of Directors may select an organized sports entity primarily related to the development of our youth to assist financially. The children targeted to participate are disproportionately residing in economically disenfranchised areas in the City of Milwaukee. The activities are related to organized sporting events geared towards achievement.
During the spring of each calendar year, the Board of Directors may facilitate the direct sponsorship of supervised intramural sports directed towards the development of our youth. Currently the Board of Directors sponsors the following Milwaukee area Little League Baseball teams: Wilson Park Little League, North Central Little League, Northeast Little League, Southside Baseball, Inc. and Northwest Little League. It is imperative to emphasize the need for police officers to have positive interaction with our youth. In the past we have found the need to balance negative publicity with real life contact through this type of mentoring.
On occasion technological advancements occur in the private sector wherein the application of such discovery for law enforcement personnel creates substantial safety enhancements. An example of prior application is the revelation of Kevlar properties. Today, Kevlar is worn by almost every police officer in the United States in the form of a "bullet resistant vest. "This product has saved hundreds of police officers' lives over the years. All too often the cost consideration over the application prevails, to the detriment of officers.
The Police Officer Defense Fund Inc. provides Scholarships to the children of Law Enforcement personnel, paying particular attention to the needs of the children of Police Officers killed-in-the-line of-duty. The Scholarships To Recognize Intelligence Vision and Excellence” or STRIVE, awards scholarships on an annual basis. The terms for eligibility and the actual application is posted and available on the Scholarship For The Children Of Law Enforcement Personnel page of this website.