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Genesee Valley C.O.P.S. Chatter

Fall 2012

The Chapter can be contacted at their email address: gvcops@live.com or by contacting

a board member: Ellen Guerdat: President: 585-957-3878, Carl Rath: Vice President: 585-

469-1655, Larry Crawford: Secretary: 585-278-6027, or Jim VanBrederode: Treasurer: 585-

281-8440. Feel free to contact anyone on the board if youd like to contribute an article or

photos to a future newsletter.

Ellens Message

On Saturday, August 25, 2012 the Renegade Pigs Finger Lakes NY Chapter held

their Annual Irish Pub Run. This year, the Charity they chose to donate the money to

was Genesee Valley Concerns of Police Survivors. Some of our survivors participated

in the ride and enjoyed themselves immensely.

Several of you have asked how you can continue to support our chapters

mission. I would like to encourage all members of GV C.O.P.S. to attend any event

whether it is a GV C.O.P.S. event or a different organization sponsoring us as their

Charity. I understand the other commitments, as it is hard with the short time period of

nice weather in Upstate NY to not have conflicting events for fallen Officers, but if you

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dont have a conflict it would be greatly appreciated if you can attend the events

supporting us.

Whether it is a motorcycle ride, run, golf, or whatever, just show up. If you dont do

what the event is just being there to give support speaks volumes. In addition, the par-

ticipants really develop a better understanding of who we are and why we exist. It puts aface to the organization. For example, at the Renegade Pigs ride, after I got on stage to

introduce myself and to thank everyone for their donation, one of our survivors followed

and also thanked everyone who rode for coming out to support the event and Genesee

Valley C.O.P.S. He mentioned how instrumental our organization has been to helping

his family to heal since losing their officer. Shortly following, the winners of the monetary

prizes from the event gave the money right back to me for Genesee Valley C.O.P.S.

Oftentimes the sponsors are Law Enforcement organizations and so those participating

have attended funerals for many of our fallen officers. This helps them see the survi-

vors; whether they be families or coworkers and that their efforts are appreciated andput to a good cause. It also helps you continue the contact with the Law Enforcement

family many of you miss.

Our Chapters name is starting to get out into the community as we expand and as a

result there will be more events. I hope we can take turns showing up and supporting

these organizations who want to support us. After all, we are all part of the family of

blue. And its always great to spend time with you.

See you at the events!

Ellen

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Honoring The Fallen

LINE OF DUTY

OnFebruary 18, 2012 Greece Auxiliary Police Officer Don Wasserdied of a heart

attack shortly after participating in Defensive Tactics training. He is survived by his wife

Angelina, son Don who is a Rochester Police Officer and son Steven who is a Border

Patrol Agent. Please keep Auxiliary Officer Wasser, his family and co workers in your

thoughts and prayers.

On May 26, 2012 New York State Police Trooper Amanda Anna died as a result of acar accident. Trooper Anna is survived by her Mother, stepfather, stepbrothers, 4 yr- old

son, and fiance. Please keep Trooper Anna, her family, and coworkers in your

thoughts and prayers.

On July 19, 2012, Border Patrol Agent James Dominguez was struck by a motor ve-

hicle while assisting a disabled vehicle near Cline, Texas. Agent Dominguez is survived

by his wife and four children, as well as several coworkers who had him as their Field

Training Officer and are now working within our Chapter Boundaries. Please keep

Agent Dominguez, his family and co workers in your thoughts and prayers.

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NON LINE OF DUTY

On January 8, 2012 Monroe County Sheriffs Jail Deputy Sebastiano Meli died of a

heart attack. He is survived by his parents, brother, and co workers. Please keep Dep-

uty Meli, his family and co workers in your thoughts and prayers.

On May 23, 2012 Schuyler County Sheriffs Deputy David Centurelli died after suf-

fering a heart attack seven weeks earlier and never recovering from it. Deputy Centurelli

is survived by his wife of five months. Please keep Deputy Centurelli, his family and co-

workers in your thoughts and prayers.

On June 22, 2012, eight year-old Dewitt Honorary Police Officer Ashton Fox diedafter a courageous battle with leukemia. Ashtons dream was to be a Police Officer.

When the Dewitt Police Department learned of Ashtons dream, they worked with the

Make A Wish Foundation and in early June, he was sworn in as an Honorary Police Of-

ficer to the Dewitt Police Department. Please keep Ashton, his family, and the Dewitt

Police Department who became close with Ashton and his family in your thoughts and

prayers.

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On September 18, 2012, NewYork State Police Sergeant Ted Islas died after fighting

a courageous battle with cancer. He was a 23 year veteran with the New York State Po-

lice, last serving with the Forensic Investigation Center. He is survived by his wife Jenni-

fer, daughter Tiara 7, and two sons, Mateo 9, and Tate 11. Please keep Sgt. Islas, his

family, and coworkers in your thoughts and prayers.

On October 18, 2012, Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputy Dan Groverdied of can-

cer. He is survived by his wife Stephanie and infant daughter Meeyah. Please continueto keep Deputy Grover, his family, and coworkers in your thoughts and prayers.

Death of a Survivor

On Sunday, September 2, 2012 past Northeast Regional Trustee Ray Payne died

from complications of Myeloma Cancer contracted after he responded to Ground Zero

to give support to the Emergency Personnel who responded to the Twin Towers after

the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.Ray was the surviving Father of Officer

David Payne, Lewiston, Maine, EOW: 7/23/88. He was well known for his big heart for

his fellow survivors. Ellen attended representing C.O.P.S. and Syracuse PD invited her

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to ride with them and she gratefully accepted. The photo below is of LEOs from the

Syracuse area as well as an Investigator with the NYSP NY City area and Rays wife,

Barb.Please keep Ray and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Trial Update

LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE: the convicted killer ofDekalb County GA Police Officers

Eric Barker and Ricky Bryant (Rochester native) has been decided. Please continue

to keep the Barkers, Bryants, their coworkers at Dekalb County Police Department and

those who served on the jury in your thoughts and prayers.

Oneida County Sheriffs Investigator Dave Nowakowski : Post Traumatic Stress is

an Injury, Not a Mental Defect

Investigator Dave Nowakowski is one of the Police Liaisons for Genesee ValleyC.O.P.S. As he shares in this article, he is a coworker survivor of Oneida County Sher-

iffs Deputy Kurt Wyman EOW 6/7/12. Dave and Ellen Guerdat, President of Genesee

Valley C.O.P.S. , do a joint presentation to Law Enforcement Agencies around NY State

where Dave goes into more detail about the information he has put in the below article.

New York State DCJS (Division of Criminal Justice Services) has incorporated the joint

training in with a two -day training on PTSD for Law Enforcement Agencies throughout

New York State. We thank him for sharing a personal part of his life so that other Law

Enforcement Officers know that it is okay to seek assistance.

Shhhdont tell anyone, Im going to let you in on in on a little secret: Cops arehuman beings. Believe it or not, the things we see, and things we do, are going to have

an effect on us. Although we all deal with it in different ways, it will have an effect on us.

You would almost think that society in general believes that Police Officers dont have

feelings, and God forbid if you do, you most certainly dont ever show, or talk about it.

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It was 1990 when I got my badge, I held it in my hand, it felt heavy, and it felt

good. I was a cop and I was going to save the world and stop crime. Little did I know the

emotional weight that badge could also carry with it.

After 22 years on the job, I have seen my share of pain, suffering, homicides, and

the death of children, child abuse, and the worst of the worst. Like most Cops, I dealtwith it by not dealing with it. In Law Enforcement, we all prepare for the physical battles

that can occur every day. We have physical training, defensive tactics, and firearms.

We carry tasers, pepper spray, and wear our vest. Hopefully, we all have the winning

mindset to survive a physical or a deadly force encounter. So I have to ask, are we pre-

pared for the second battle for survival, the psychological one?

It was early morning hours of June 7, 2011 that an armed suspect opened fire on

us. I witnessed a twenty four year old officer murdered in front of me and I returned fire

on the suspect through a patrol car windshield as the suspect fired his shotgun at me. I

was lucky; I survived the deadly force encounter. What I wasnt prepared for was thesecond battle, the battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or what I like to call Post

Traumatic Stress Injury. I was having night terrors, it seemed I could not stop the shoot-

ing from replaying in my head, and I felt I like I no longer had control of my thoughts or

feelings. I had to learn and realize that I was not crazy or losing my mind. I was having a

normal reaction to an abnormal event.

I want to change the mindset of officers and departments that Post Traumatic

Stress is an injury and not a mental defect. It is an injury as real as a six inch gash

caused by a beer bottle to the head. It is an invisible injury that affects the lives of morepolice officers then we will ever know. It is an injury and all injuries heal, even the invisi-

ble ones.

Cops in general need to be in control and strong and believe that they must keep

their emotions and feelings to themselves. Too seek treatment, to talk about feelings or

stress they have due to the things they have seen or done that effect their mental well

being is seen as a weakness.

Every year, we mourn our brothers and sisters in law enforcement that are killed

in the line of duty, but every year, three times as many cops will kill themselves then arekilled by perpetrators. (Source: P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation) Officers and depart-

ments must have the mindset that IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, we will have deadly force

encounters, we will have line of duty deaths, we will have officers with PTSD, and Trau-

matic Stress.

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Symptoms of PTSD include: replays of incident, flashbacks, nightmares, dis-

rupted sleep, impaired memory, inability to concentrate, headaches, depression, emo-

tional withdrawal, and of the worst cases, Suicidal Thoughts, and Homicidal Thoughts.

We need to know that these are some of the things we are going to experience in

response to critical incidents, deadly force encounters, and other tragic incidents. But ifwe are prepared and realize that they are normal reactions it can ease the effect and

speed up the recovery.

I knew as a police officer that something like this could happen. I was pre-

pared for that when I took this job, Doyle told the Rapid City Journal. I think that

helped me in the recovery process because I didnt have to go back and deal with oh

my God this can happen. I already knew it. For me it was a focus on the recovery and

getting back to work.(Source: Rapid City Journal) Officer Doyle was wounded in a

deadly force encounter in which three of his co-workers were killed.

Its ironic when you think about it, how much money and time does your depart-

ment spend each month or year on maintaining and servicing its fleet of patrol vehicles?

Now, how much time and money does your department spend each month or year

maintaining the physical and psychologicalwell- being of its Officers?

We as Police Officers must stay in shape both physically and mentally and have

the mindset of IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, and to turn the unexpected into the expected.

Not only must we have the mindset to survive the physical battles, but the psy-

chological battles. We must have the mindset that it is not a weakness, to prepare

for, fight, and WIN both battles, but very much a STRENGTH.

Facebook Vanity URL

You can now get directly to the Genesee Valley C.O.P.S. Facebook page by typing in

our pages new vanity URL at https://www.facebook.com/gvcops. We very much appreciate

your liking and sharing our content with your friends.

2012 National Board/Chapter Training

On July 12-15, Genesee Valley C.O.P.S. President Ellen Guerdat and survivor Lisa

Dobson attended National Board/Chapter Training at the St. Louis Hilton Frontenac.

This training is supported by a grant awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Of-

fice of Justice Programs, U. S. Department of Justice and the goal is to help chapters

understand how their business practices reflect on the National organization and vice

versa.

Topics included:

https://www.facebook.com/gvcopshttps://www.facebook.com/gvcopshttps://www.facebook.com/gvcops

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Public Safety Officers Benefits Programs

Running a Chapter Board

Whats New With National C.O.P.S.

C.O.P.S. Website

Rebranding and New Logo

What C.O.P.S. Chapters Can Do

Contact Ellen for details or if you have questions.

Donations

GV C.O.P.S. is funded exclusively by donations and the money received is used to as-

sist the survivors of the fallen officers. We would like to thank the following for their gen-erous donations. Please forgive us if we have forgotten anyone.

Larry Crawford $100

Robert Lee $100

Don Baird $100

Gates Police Keystone Club $400

Greece Police Gold Badge $200

Elmira PBA $200

Lawrence & Lakkana Barciniak $100

Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club Finger Lakes Chapter $ 514

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, November 13 at 7 PM: GV C.O.P.S. Party:Gates Town Hall 1605 Buffalo

Rd Rochester, NY Bring an appetizer to pass. Pop and coffee will be provided.

Wednesday, November 28 at 7 PM: Rochester Area Support Group: Gates Ambu-

lance Headquarters 1001 Elmgrove Road Rochester NY.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 7 PM: Genesee Valley Concerns of Police Survivors

Annual Candlelight Memories Vigil

Syracuse Area Support Group: Date and location to be announced.

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Event Photos

Our chapter was honored with receiving the proceeds of this years 2012 Renegade

Pigs Irish Pub Run. The Finger Lakes Chapter is a local chapter of the Renegade Pigs,a non-profit organization that hosts and attends numerous charity events in support of

public safety officers and their families. Their membership is comprised of law enforce-

ment officers and fire service personnel who share the common love of riding their

American made motorcycles, and who believe that loyalty and camaraderie are core

values for public safety personnel. We sincerely appreciate each and every person who

rode, attended and contributed to the event. It was a beautiful day and the ride was ex-

tremely successful!

2012 Renegade Pigs Irish Pub Run

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Additional Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?

set=a.354867581258415.82544.127410574004118&type=1

Bicycling Across America For C.O.P.S.

Retired FBI-Special Agent Jim Caverly spent the summer of 2012 bicycling across the

nation to honor local, county, state and federal law enforcement officers killed in the lineof duty. Caverlys goal is to raise awareness and $30,000 forConcerns of Police Sur-

vivors (C.O.P.S.), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing ongoing healing support

through hands-on programs free of charge nationwide for surviving family members and

affected co-workers to help heal the pain of traumatic grief. Donate:http://

www.bicyclingacrossamericaforcops.org/how-to-donate

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Family and coworker survivors and area police agencies: Thank you to all who assisted

GV C.O.P.S. in welcoming the Caverlys as they arrived in your area. Your time and hos-

pitality are very much appreciated!

Retired FBI Agent Jim Caverly Riding Across America

Ellen, GV C.O.P.S. President, Monroe County SO, NYSP Trooper, Jim Caverly, Brock-

port Police after greeting Jim in Brockport

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Town of Gates 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony with the Caverlys attending

Gates Police escorting Jim to the Erie Canal

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Jim and Ellen

Syracuse Police with the Caverlys at Green Lakes Park

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Syracuse Area Police Agencies with the Caverlys

Survivors from Oneida County and New Hartford with Jim at Lock 20 in Oneida County

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NYSP Longobardo family and coworker survivors with Jim in Amsterdam, NY

Assistance Needed

We received this letter from fellow C.O.P.S. member, Brenda Parker, surviving spouse

ofOfficer Ron Parker.If you have a moment, we know Brenda would truly appreciate

your assistance.

C.O.P.S. Family,

I need your assistance to keep my husbands murderer in prison. I know I can count on

you.

Brenda Parker, Widow

Officer Ron Parker-EOW 1/12/1975

(Letter follows on next page)

http://www.odmp.org/officer/10375-deputy-marshal-ronald-alfred-parkerhttp://www.odmp.org/officer/10375-deputy-marshal-ronald-alfred-parkerhttp://www.odmp.org/officer/10375-deputy-marshal-ronald-alfred-parker

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NYSP Longobardo family and coworker survivors with Jim in Amsterdam, NY

Additional Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.361102973968209.84395.127410574004118&type=1

Resources

National C.O.P.S. Survivors Resources

http://www.nationalcops.org/# >>Click Survivor Information"

Just Like Me: Kids of Fallen Officers Find Comfort, Fun at Camp

http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_695a405a-dd09-11e1-be7d-

0019bb2963f4.html#.UB_TWuZciw0.twitter

Action Needed

We received this letter requesting assistance from C.O.P.S. member Brenda Parker

C.O.P.S. Family,

I need your assistance to keep my husbands murderer in prison. I know I can count on you.

Brenda Parker, Widow

Officer Ron Parker-EOW 1/12/1975