The Law Enforcement Assistance Fund (LEAF) has been around since 2008, and its primary function is to provide support for the families of officers who were killed in the line of duty. LEAF helps provide funds for fallen officers’ children to go to college and provides them with birthday and Christmas presents. The fund also provides a yearly $5,000 scholarship for LVPPA members’ children. 

This year, instead of one scholarship, the fund will be awarding six $5,000 scholarships. To qualify for these scholarships, your child must be a high school senior and you must be a member of the LVPPA. 

Every year, the Department pushes United Way charities on you and even forces you to sign the donation forms and turn them back in. First of all, I’d like to say that I’m not bashing the United Way or its charities. Now that I’ve said that, I’d like to say that I wish the Department would support LEAF with the same level of intensity that it does when it is shoving the United Way donation forms in your face and requiring that you turn them in. 

LEAF’s sole purpose is to provide support to law enforcement families — to your families. This year, we can give out more scholarships because of the fund’s strong return on its investments, not because of increased donations. I urge you to think about donating to a fund that directly supports the families of your fellow officers first, so that we can continue to increase the number of scholarships given out every year.

Within the next month, we will be sending out information on how to apply for these scholarships. If you wish to donate to LEAF, you can do so by filling out the LVMPD payroll deduction form and entering your desired donation amount in the LEAF donation slot.