RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)- The Fraternal Order of Police held their annual Rally Day at the State Capitol to shed light on one of the organization's key concerns- benefits for those killed in the line of duty Wednesday.
The FOP and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli want to help pass legislation that would give families of fallen officers an immediate $20,000 stipend, instead of making them wait for state police to complete their often lengthy investigations.
"At a point and time when this family's world has been rocked at the loss of their officer, family member, they won't have to worry about funeral expenses," said Cuccinelli. "They don't have to worry about sudden changes that frankly require money, in some instances, to deal with. When that benefit is there, we will be prepared to move it faster to families, as in immediately."
In addition to the proposed benefits legislation, the FOP and the Attorney General are hoping to help change the law for campus police officers who lose their lives while on the job.
As it stands now, suspects convicted of crimes against campus officers would not automatically face capital murder charges.
