“He was an amazing husband,” shares Carolyn Sullivan. “We were married for 16-and-a-half years. He was a great Dad. I have so many home movies of him mowing the lawn and the kids following behind with a plastic lawn mower." University of Nevada, Reno Police Sergeant George Sullivan served our community. He was also a family man. "My children were 15, 11, six and three... and that was too young." She is referring to a tragedy that not only rocked their family - but the entire community. After an early morning traffic stop in January of 1998, a man approached Sgt. Sullivan's car, whom unbeknownst to him, was armed with a hatchet. Carolyn says law enforcement is trained not to be in a position of disadvantage, so "he would have gotten out of his car and was immediately assaulted with a hatchet and killed after about 40-50 blows."
Nearly 20 years have passed. Sgt. Sullivan now has grandchildren he was never able to meet. Although difficult, his children’s lives have moved on. While his wife often reflects on their lives together, she now uses her pain for good. While there was a lot of support after her husband died, "We circle the wagons and we do everything we're supposed to do and then after that everybody is like, ‘Oh, shh, shh... don't say that person's name; it'll make her cry.'" When in reality, she says, the last thing a survivor wants is for their loved one to be forgotten. Since 1995, our area has lost 17 officers in the line-of-duty. The number nearly doubles statewide and that loss trickles down to family and friends. So she was instrumental in bringing a national organization to town - to honor surviving loved ones. It's called Northern Nevada Concerns of Police Survivors or C.O.P.S. "What we do is we circle the wagon, but we don't leave. We stay there." C.O.P.S. hosts nearly a dozen free weekend retreats every year for surviving children, spouses, parents, grandparents, even co-workers. It also sends survivors to Washington, D.C. for National Police Week. Most of all, someone who has also experienced this tragic type of loss is available to speak with 24/7. Even though the pain remains and these efforts won't bring their loved one back, Carolyn says it’s important to remember that there’s a community of law enforcement family and friends who will always have your back.
You, too, can support our law enforcement and their families at the second annual Evening in Blue. The black-tie gala is happening Saturday, October 7th at the Nugget Casino in Sparks. Tickets are $100 and all the money raised will stay right here in our community to support survivors. To buy tickets, log on to: http://www.northernnvcops.org/
