Established - 1990
Washington, D.C.

 

Currently, there are more than 870,000 law enforcement officers serving in the United States. Each year, an average of 164 officers are killed and 17,000 are injured. Since the first recorded public death in 1792, more than 17,000 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty.
 



 

Japanese American Friends of Law Enforcement Foundation (JAFLEF) was created as a private foundation on September 27th, 1990.

The purpose of JAFLEF is to provide financial assistance to the families of law enforcement officers killed or injured in the line of duty and to support other charitable, educational, and scientific causes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S Internal Revenue Code.

The Foundation’s primary asset is a restricted fund balance of three million dollars ($3,000,000), which is invested to maximize earnings. These earnings are then used to provide support to these families.

Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc., or COPS (www.nationalcops.org), is a nationwide nonprofit organization providing resources such as counseling and scholarships to families of slain officers. Since 1991, JAFLEF has donated $1.5 million to COPS to help more than 560 widows and 960 children rebuild their lives.

The Foundation provides grants to organizations such as COPS in order to utilize their vast network of resources to identify the most worthy grant recipients.

"Hey Daddy, I miss you so much. I just got back from camp. It was full of kids about my age. This camp saved my life, Dad. I used to think I was alone and I didn’t think any other kids my age felt the same way. I came to realize that there are kids that feel the exact same way! I am so happy I went."

- a surviving child’s note to her slain father after she attended "C.O.P.S. Kids" Summer Camp 2005

"I’ve attended COPS’ Spouses Retreat three times and I’m already registered for the one this September. Since Rick was killed, I’ve had to be both mom and dad to our four kids. Spouses Retreat is the only time I get to cry. There I can open up with the one group of friends who really, truly know the pain that never leaves your heart."

"But I can also laugh and know I won’t be criticized. I don’t have to edit what I’m feeling. People talk about closure, but there is no such thing. How can you forget the man you were married to and had kids with? You can heal and you can love again, but you never, ever forget hearing the words that changed your life and turned it upside-down. COPS and the Spouses Retreat help me stay right-side-up."

- Julie Weinhold, surviving spouse of St. Louis County Police Officer Richard Weinhold, end of watch 10-31-2000

 

 

Through its latest fiscal year, the Foundation has authorized grants totaling more than $2 million dollars to assist widows and children of officers killed in the line of duty. In order to minimize operational and administrative costs, JAFLEF directors and officers serve on a voluntary basis without compensation.


 

Contact Information: JAFLEF
c/o Hanson & Molloy
1320 19th Street, N.W. Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20036-1636

 

Board Members:

Mr. Hiroyoshi Mizuno - Sr. Advisor
X-Arc Urban Architects, Inc.

Mr. William Wells - Consultant
Law Enforcement Systems

Mr. Edwin Meese - Ronald Reagan
Distinguished Fellow
The Heritage Foundation