Honoring National Police Week: The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program

National Police Week, taking place May 12 – 18 this year, commemorates and honors those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. In honor of National Police Week, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) would like to take a moment to highlight the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Program. Enacted in 1976, the PSOB Act allows the U.S. Department of Justice to recognize and honor the ultimate sacrifice of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders killed in the line of duty by providing a federal benefit to their eligible survivors. The BJA PSOB Office administers the Death, Disability, and Educational Assistance Programs. The benefits administered by these programs assist families often struggling with finances in the aftermath of tragedy, officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty, as well as spouse and children seeking educational assistance to attend institutions of higher education. The PSOB Office considers it an honor to assist families and agencies of America’s fallen law enforcement heroes throughout the review of their PSOB cases. As law enforcement from around the world visit Washington, D.C., for National Police Week, BJA will participate in a number of events including the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) Annual Survivors Conference. For more information on PSOB Programs, click on the link below.