VIDEO: Utah Legislature Votes to Help Families of Fallen Officers
Utah state and local officials thought they were doing a good job taking care of the families of police officers killed in the line of duty.
But the fatal shootings of Draper Police Sgt. Derek Johnson and Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Cory Wride within five months of each other in late 2013 and early 2014 told them differently.
"It was so hard when all this first happened because you're so overwhelmed and so numb. So many things are going through your mind like, 'How am I going to pick up all these pieces,'" said Wride's widow, Nannette Wride.
"Then you get hit with, 'Oh, yeah, you don't have any more money,' and 'Oh, yeah, you don't have health insurance.'"
With insight from Wride and Johnson's widow, Shante Johnson, Utah lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year to remove some of the financial uncertainty for families of fallen officers, KSL TV reports. http://www.ksl.com/?sid=35320209&nid=
Cities and counties will now pay into a pool to provide familes with six months of the lost officer's salary immediately and continue their health care coverage. Previously, survivors received only $1,500, which Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, said doesn't go very far.
