Since its inception in 2016, the Law Enforcement Charitable Foundation (LECF) has prioritized assisting the families of fallen officers. Additionally, the Foundation offers grants for protective equipment to law-enforcement agencies and promotes a strong relationship between communities and local law enforcement through education, programs, and briefings. The LECF is a non-profit organization that operates with one part-time staff member and is recognized as a 501(c)(3) entity by the IRS.
The LECF is honored to introduce a Medal of Valor to pay tribute to police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. These officers deserve to be honored for their bravery and sacrifice. Awarding them a Medal of Valor is a fitting tribute to their dedication to keeping our communities safe. These officers put themselves in harm’s way to protect others, and their service should never be forgotten. Let us honor and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
The LECF will use the guidelines set forth in the federal Public Safety Officer Support Act of 2022 to help determine the recipients of the medal. Who is eligible? Law-enforcement officers, including corrections officers, are eligible to receive the medal. How does the LECF define “killed in the line of duty”? This term applies to any officer who dies as a direct and proximate result of a personal injury or exposure sustained in the line of duty. This includes officers who, while in an off-duty capacity, are killed while responding to a crime. It also includes off-duty officers who are killed while en route to or from a specific emergency or request for assistance, as well as officers who are killed while driving (as required or authorized by law or condition of employment) their own vehicle or their employer’s vehicle to or from work. Additionally, the term includes suicides determined to result from an officer being “exposed” to a traumatic event, including if the officer, while on duty, directly experiences or witnesses a traumatic event or is intensely subjected to aversive consequences of a traumatic event (e.g., a public-safety officer collecting human remains).
The medals (pictured) are 1.50” x 1.44” in size with a blue and black ribbon. The center emblem contains the LECF logo. The top rocker of the medal is inscribed with the words, “In Valor There Is Hope.” The bottom rocker will be engraved with the name of the fallen officer. The estimated annual cost of the medals is $6,000. This is based on a yearly average of 300 fallen heroes and includes costs for a case, engraving, and shipping. If you want to donate to help offset the cost of the medals, you can do so by scanning the QR next to the ribbon in the picture above, or by mailing a donation to the Law Enforcement Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 1241, Appleton, WI 54912.
We understand this is a polarizing subject that involves personal and religious convictions, among other factors. However, these heroes need to know it’s okay to not be okay. They are humans with emotions. Those emotions and the way our bodies and minds involuntarily react to an incident — or a lifetime of incidents — will not be diminished by a lack of support for a brother or sister in need.
— Matt Harper, Director, LECF, Inc
(920) 225-5763