Decorah PD's Dave Smutzler selected to attend a Washington, D.C. conference

Decorah Police Assistant Chief David Smutzler has been chosen to attend National Police week in Washington DC from May 11th to May 18th.

Smutzler, a graduate of the FBI National Academy, was chosen to attend by the FBI National Academy Iowa chapter and the Iowa chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.)

Each year, between 140 and 160 officers are killed in the line of duty.  C.O.P.S. provides resources to help the families of killed police officers to rebuild their shattered lives.

At National Police Week each May, children and siblings who have lost a parent or sibling to a line-of-duty death can participate in special activities.  Fallen officers' children/step-children and siblings, in kindergarten through 12th grade, will have the opportunity to attend grief counseling sessions, as well as age-appropriate fun and social activities.  The program is held off-site at local and federal law enforcement academies.

There have been 33 law enforcement line of duty deaths in the United States since January of this year.  There were 163 such deaths in 2018.