MERIDEN -- On Peace Officers Memorial Day, Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation establishing the "Fallen Officer Fund" Wednesday morning at the Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial.
“Our local and state police officers put their lives on the line every day while protecting our communities, and they should know that this fund is there to provide their families with some support should the unthinkable happen,” Gov. Lamont said. “We need to always remember that the families of police officers are consistently making many sacrifices over the course of their loved one’s commitment to protecting and serving our communities.''
The act codifies establishment of the Fallen Officer Fund, which provides a lump sum, nontaxable payment of $100,000 to the families of officers killed in the line of duty. It also provides insurance coverage for up to five years for family members.
"The Fallen Officers Fund ensures that the state of Connecticut wraps its arms around the family of a fallen officer in their time of need. Connecticut’s Fallen Officer Fund is the most generous in New England," said DESPP Commissioner Ronnell A. Higgins, who served as a police officer and vice president for public safety at Yale University.
“I stand with all others to show gratitude for all the men and women in our state law enforcement community, who make extraordinary sacrifices every day,’’ said Higgins, who is the son of a New Haven police officer.
The state of Connecticut has lost 157 officers in the line of service since 1833. Nationally, there are 24,067 names on the National Law Enforcement Memorial. The names of 25 state police officers are on the memorial, dating back to the death of Pearle R. Roberts in 1922, who died when his motorcycle crashed. Sgt. Brian Mohl, the most recent CSP officer to die in the line of duty, perished when his cruiser was swamped by floodwaters in 2021.
For more information, contact:
- Rick Green, Director of Communications, 860-828-6681, richard.green@ct.gov