On
July 13, 2009, I thought my world was over. That's the day my
son, Deputy Shane Detwiler, was shot and killed answering a
disturbance/shots fired call. I then met Jean Hill and Pat Hurst
who came to the house that very day and spent time with me.
This meant so very much to me to be able to talk with someone
who had walked in the same shoes I was about to walk in. Jean
and Pat both sat with me, cried with me and told me that they
would be there for me for the long haul. Jean told me that my
husband, Mike, and I should go to the C.O.P.S.
Parent's Retreat and
boy, were we glad we did. As
fresh as our situation was, it was one of the best things we
have ever done for ourselves. Since that time, I knew that I
needed to be involved with helping other surviving families
through the loss of their officer. So, from day one, to where I
am today, WOW! C.O.P.S. has made such an impact
on my ability to get through this traumatic loss. I believe I
have truly found my “sweet spot”.
Cheryl is the surviving mom of
Deputy Shane Detwiler,
Chambers County Sheriff's Office - EOW 7/13/2009
Cathy Hill - Immediate Past President//
Mountain Region Trustee
On a chilly
December morning, Cathy Hill kissed her husband goodbye and told
him that she loved him. Little did she know that within an hour
after telling him goodbye, she would learn that she had told him
goodbye for the last time. She was left alone with two
daughters to raise by herself. How could this happen to her?
This wasn't supposed to happen. All the dreams she and Barry
had shared and planned for the last 20 years were gone. Cathy
is committed to the cause of
C.O.P.S. and is ready
to help others who have to follow in her footsteps.
Cathy is the is the surviving spouse of
Deputy
Barry Hill, Harris County Sheriff's Office - EOW
12/4/2000.
Nancy Kincaid - Vice President
My husband, Sergeant Kent Kincaid,
had worked for the Houston Police Department for fourteen years
when he was killed in the line of duty on May 23, 1998. We would
have been married sixteen years in November of that year. Our
daughters were ten and six at the time. I was devastated and I
had no idea how to deal with my grief or how to help my children
deal with their grief. His death changed everything and how I
viewed the future for my family. It was Marybess Salvaggio who
introduced me to
Concerns of Police Survivors. My
children and I attended Natonal Police Week and Kid’s Camp for
several years. I was amazed at how many survivors understood
exactly what we were going through.
C.O.P.S. had
given me hope that we were going to be OK. We have continued to
heal by attending the hands-on-programs that
C.O.P.S.
has to offer and have developed many friendships through the
years. I am excited to share my experiences with other survivors
so they will know that
Concerns of Police Survivors is there to
help them with their healing.Nancy is
the surviving spouse of Sergeant Kent Kincaid, Houston Police
Department - EOW 5/23/1998.
Carol Lane -
Secretary
At approximately 3:00 a.m. on
September 16, 2004, the most dreaded phone call I ever received
was made by my brother's wife of twenty-nine years, Renee Lane.
She said Mike had been flying the helicopter for the Beaumont
Police Department that night and his helicopter had crashed.
Later we learned Mike had been killed instantly. Mike was an
accomplished pilot. C.O.P.S. has helped me
realize that there are others who have experienced the pain of
losing a loved one in the line of duty. Now, I am ready to help
other survivors.
Carol is the surviving sibling of
Sergeant Mike Lane,
Beaumont Police Department - EOW
9/16/2004.
Amanda Wass - Treasurer
Being a widow at age 34 and left
with a daughter to raise 0n my own is something I never imagined
would happen to me, but it did. On April 23, 2006,my
loving husband of eight years, Deputy Sheriff Donald Wass, was
tragically killed in a motorcycle accident enroute to the
department headquarters. A speeding driver entered his
lane and struck his motorcycle head-on. Part of me died on
that day too.
C.O.P.S. has given me the support I so
desperately needed. Meeting and talking with other
C.O.P.S.
survivors has really helped me in my grief journey and I look
forward to helping other survivors with their healing.
Mandi is the surviving spouse of
Deputy Donald Wass,
Washington County Sheriff's Office - EOW
4/23/2006.
Past Presidents
Marybess Salvaggio - Co-Founder/Past President
(1985-2002)
Marybess Salvaggio became a law
enforcement survivor on November 25, 1990, when her husband,
Officer John Salvaggio of the Houston Police Department, was
killed in the line of duty. He was a six year veteran officer,
a loving husband, a father of three children, a son, a brother,
and a friend. Marybess and her family went to the
Concerns of
Police Survivors seminars at National Police Week in 1991 and
came back feeling stronger and not so alone. It took several
years, but with the help of the The 100 Club of Houston, a new
chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) was formed and
calledGreater Houston C.O.P.S. Marybess served as the first
president for several years, hoping to help other local
survivors on their journey of rebuilding their lives. Many
friendships have formed over the years in the club that nobody
wants to join, and Marybess is very proud of the fact that she
helped start this group which allows its members a safe place to
grieve, counsel, and begin to live again. Her personal
motto is "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called
children of God". Our deceased loved ones were not the
only peacemakers. We are too. Marybess is the surviving spouse of Officer John Salvaggio, Houston
Police Department - EOW 11/25/1990. Marybess can be
reached at
marybess.salvaggio@yahoo.com.
Jean Hill - Past
President (2002-2005) / Immediate Past National President
Jean
Hill's life was changed forever the morning
of December 4, 2000 when she received a phone call from her
daughter-in-law telling her that she and her husband needed
to come to her house immediately because something had
happened to their son. Deputy Barry Hill was
literally executed by a man who had been breaking into cars
and stealing parts. Barry was shot seven times.
Life will never be normal again in the Hill family because
normal is having Barry with them; but Jean and her family
are survivors and, with the emotional support of
C.O.P.S., they
know they can make it through the hard times. Working with the
C.O.P.S. organization has enabled Jean to focus
on the grief of other police survivors and to work towards
helping them rebuild their lives as she slowly rebuilds hers.
Jean is
the surviving mom of
Deputy Barry Hill, Harris County Sheriff's
Office - EOW 12/4/2000. Jean can be reached at
bjeanhill@sbcglobal.net.
1600 State Street * Houston, TX
77007
*
832-200-3455 * 832-257-149
My husband, Sergeant Kent Kincaid,
had worked for the Houston Police Department for fourteen years
when he was killed in the line of duty on May 23, 1998. We would
have been married sixteen years in November of that year. Our
daughters were ten and six at the time. I was devastated and I
had no idea how to deal with my grief or how to help my children
deal with their grief. His death changed everything and how I
viewed the future for my family. It was Marybess Salvaggio who
introduced me to
Marybess Salvaggio became a law
enforcement survivor on November 25, 1990, when her husband,
Officer John Salvaggio of the Houston Police Department, was
killed in the line of duty. He was a six year veteran officer,
a loving husband, a father of three children, a son, a brother,
and a friend. Marybess and her family went to the
