Foundation to support law enforcement in East Texas

Mount Pleasant Police Chief Wayne Isbell speaks at the 100 Club of East Texas press conference Thursday.

Police Chiefs and Sheriffs from 20 East Texas counties held a press conference at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Kilgore Police Department. The press conference and mass gathering of law enforcement officials was to publicly support the 100 Club of East Texas, a non-profit 501(c)(3) Foundation.

Law Enforcement in East Texas has fought hard to improve how they police.  Unfortunately, they we do not always get the support they need from community members or even governing bodies.  More law enforcement officers - 144 - died in the line of duty in the United States in 2018 than in 2017, reversing a one-year decline, according to a report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Texas was one of four states leading the number of officer deaths will 11 fallen officers. Seeing a regional need in East Texas, a regional group of civic and business leaders have come together to create a non-profit organization to support dependents and spouses of fallen officers who are killed or catastrophically injured in the line of duty.

This foundation will provide support to law enforcement in 20 east Texas counties.  As the foundation grows, the foundation will provide financial assistance for training and equipment not budgeted through governing bodies.

Current and past presidents from the Texas Police Chiefs Association, East Texas Police Chiefs Association and the Texas Sheriffs Association were in attendance, including Mount Pleasant Police Chief Wayne Isbell, 2018 President of the East Texas Police Chiefs, and Texas Police Chiefs Association - Region 15 Director.

For more information on the 100 Club of East Texas go to https://www.easttexas100club.org/