Kirk Clark has always loved to fish. It relaxes him. It gives him time to clear his head and he appreciates the sense of peacefulness it provides.
The night of July 26, 1990, however, was anything but peaceful...

Kirk and his partner, Officer Warren C. Sanders, both with the Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff's Office, attempted to arrest drug dealers. After a brief foot chase, one suspect turned and put his hands up as if to surrender; but the second suspect opened fire. He shot and killed Sanders and Kirk Clark was hit 9 times, twice in his bullet resistant vest. Kirk credits body armor with saving his live.

But he found no joy in surviving the attack. Instead he suffered through deep depression, chronic severe pain, anxiety, and reverted into a shell. He retired in April 1995 because of his injuries and psychological issues. Shortly after his retirement, Kirk met Lonnie Miller, Jr., the surviving son of a fallen Jacksonville officer, and Lonnie introduced Kirk to Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) through the Northeast Florida Chapter of C.O.P.S. You see, C.O.P.S. isn't only reaching out to the surviving families of fallen officers, but to the affected coworkers as well.

Charles Shinholser, a surviving father and the Chapter Director of the Northeast Florida Chapter of C.O.P.S., persistently called Kirk, checking up to see how he was doing and encouraging Kirk to become active with the chapter. Kirk Clark traveled to Washington, DC, and took part in the C.O.P.S. 20th anniversary celebration. It was there that Kirk realized he had found a second family in C.O.P.S.

Kirk Clark gets up early every morning at "C.O.P.S. Kids" Summer Camp and goes fishing. The first morning, he fishes by himself. By the end of the week, he has several of the surviving children of fallen officers at the camp fishing with him. Kirk goes to camp to serve as a mentor for the nearly 100 children that are now attending that C.O.P.S. activity. "Being a mentor at the camp makes my spirit soar and makes me realize that I am part of the C.O.P.S.' family, C.O.P.S. has helped me and now I'm giving back," says a proud Kirk Clark.

And through his actions, he is helping kids learn to love to fish. It will relax them. It will give them time to clear their heads, and they will appreciate the sense of peacefulness it provides.

Concerns of Police Survivors has seen firsthand the effects a fellow officer's death has on coworkers like Kirk Clark. So starting in the fall of 2010 C.O.P.S. is offering a weekend retreat for affected coworkers. The weekend retreat will be held at the YMCA Trout Lodge in Potosi, Missouri, October 1-4, 2010. The weekend will provide strong peer support, professional counseling and physical challenges, just like the retreats C.O.P.S. provides for the surviving family members of fallen officers. Also, like surviving family retreats, participants will be responsible for their travel costs into St. Louis, Missouri; and, once C.O.P.S. picks up the participants at the airport, costs for the weekend retreat will be met by C.O.P.S. At the retreat, coworkers will recognize that they are not alone in the debilitating grief that often plagues the coworker of a fallen officer. C.O.P.S. will provide professional mental health services to help coworkers communicate and work on resolving issues by sharing feelings freely with others who have also experienced the grief of losing a fellow officer. One of the people attending that retreat will be Kirk Clark. Why? Because he knows firsthand of the tremendous support he received from C.O.P.S. that helped him to live again.

C.O.P.S. main mission since 1984 has been to help law enforcement survivors "rebuild their shattered lives" through strong peer support...survivors helping survivors, the foundation on which the organization was built. C.O.P.S.' affected coworkers retreat will be a great resource for police officers who have been affected by a law enforcement officer's death. Officers interested in attending this inaugural retreat should visit www.nationalcops.org to learn more about the upcoming coworkers' retreat and other C.O.P.S. programs.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites