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SALT LAKE CITY — 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.
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.
"This puts us in position to make sure families have what they need," said Ray, who sponsored HB288 after Wride and Johnson approached him.
Ray said he learned that while Utah Highway Patrol has a way to provide for the families of troopers who die on the job, most local police departments do not.
"We anticipated all the agencies were taken care of and we found out that wasn't the case," he said.
Public safety agencies and the state will also designate a person to help families work through the paperwork to obtain benefits and grants.
Ray said the program is unique to Utah. He said other states have asked about it and Nevada is now running the same legislation.
This just means so much. It's a step in the right direction in providing exactly what these officers need to help them know that their families will be taken care of when and if anything ever happens to them.
–Nannette Wride, Cory Wride's widow
On Wednesday, Gov. Gary Herbert held a ceremonial bill signing at the law enforcement memorial wall on the west side of the state Capitol.
"It's not enough just to remember," he said. "It's important to remember those who have given this ultimate sacrifice but we also need to do something."
Wride said it will make "huge" difference for widows and widowers and their families going forward.
"This just means so much. It's a step in the right direction in providing exactly what these officers need to help them know that their families will be taken care of when and if anything ever happens to them," she said.
Wride said it shows good things can come from something bad. "This has been a blessing in place of Cory's life," she said.
Eight Utah law enforcement officers have died on duty since 2010.
Ray said the bill is not retroactive, but he's considering legislation that would give health benefits to the families of those who died recently.
Contributing: Keith McCord
