Background: The Disabled Police Officers of America, Inc. (DPOA), formerly known as the Disabled and Retired Police Officers Educational Fund, Inc. (DRPOEF), was established in 1998. With 11 years of experience in providing career counseling to retired and disabled police officers, the founders of the DPOA had come to recognize a common scenario that developed for many officers seeking civilian employment. In this scenario many retired officers scored high in their aptitude tests for various career fields but a good number of these potential new fields required specific college degrees or vocational training which they did not have and could not afford to pursue on their own.

The DPOA Mission is to provide financial assistance to disabled and regularly retired officers to pursue the academic degree or vocational training required to obtain civilian employment following their retirement from law enforcement. In addition the DPOA provides financial assistance for a variety of uses to help retired and disabled officers though a short-term financial crisis.

Annual DPOA Scholarships of up to $ 1,000.00 can be awarded to those officers who apply and qualify. There are no limits as to how many scholarships a disabled or regularly retired officer may receive. The DPOA through its scholarship program will do it’s utmost to help these officers achieve their goal of finding meaningful employment following retirement.

Over the years we have been contacted by many officers from around the country in need of financial aid but not for education. Some retired officers have found themselves on tough times due to the reduced income of a retirement pension and find it hard to always make ends meet. Requests for assistance have ranged from help paying for medications, utility bills, rent, emergency repairs, etc. The DPOA Board of Directors decided that they would assist officers in need of these types of miscellaneous financial assistance. The assistance, funding permitting, is for temporary, non-recurring financial emergencies. This type of assistance is not intended to be steady income or a stipend for the officers it is short term aid for the general welfare of the retired officers.