COPS Teams With The Wounded Blue to Support Injured and Disabled Law Enforcement Officers

When the television show COPS first hit the airwaves in 1989, it pulled viewers inside the daily realities of policing. Thirty-six years later, its executive producer, Morgan Langley, is stepping off the screen and into the lives of officers in a different way, by helping fund a national initiative aimed at the men and women who have borne the scars of the job.

This September, Langley and an anonymous donor will cover the costs for any officer injured in the line of duty, or battling PTSD/PTSI, to attend the 5th Annual National Law Enforcement Survival Summit in Las Vegas. Their spouses are included too. The decision means that for four days, from September 22 to 25, 2025, those officers will have access to something that policing often withholds: space to heal, connect, and be understood.

A Summit for Survival

Hosted by The Wounded Blue, a nonprofit founded by retired Las Vegas police lieutenant Randy Sutton, the Summit is part training, part therapy, and part rallying cry. Its mission is to give officers the tools not only to endure their careers, but to find ways to thrive in spite of them.

“Never Forgotten, Never Alone” is the group’s creed, and Sutton says it defines the Summit as much as the organization itself. “This is about emotional survival and law enforcement resilience,” Sutton explains. “Now more than ever, officers need to know they are not alone in their struggles.”

Retired Las Vegas police lieutenant Randy Sutton

That message resonates at a time when departments across the country are facing historic pressures. Policing has become not just physically dangerous but emotionally punishing, with burnout, financial strain, and fractured family lives all too common. The Summit responds with a curriculum spanning trauma recovery, wellness, financial strength, and even strategies for reimagining policing.

Voices in the Room

The 2025 agenda reads like a who’s who of law enforcement voices and survivor-advocates. Keynote speakers include Captain Tom Rizzo, known for his “IVORY TOWER” seminar; Sgt. John Kelly (Ret.), host of the Sometimes Heroes Need Help podcast; Dr. Trevor Wilkins, better known as The Angry Viking Therapist™; and Sgt. John Mattingly, author of 12 Seconds in the Dark.

They will be joined by financial educator Nick Daugherty of FinancialCop, author Doug White, and wellness duo Nicole and Marc Junkerman, among others. More than a dozen sessions are scheduled, ranging from the forward-looking “Positive Impacts in Policing” to the starkly titled “Duty Driven Deterioration,” which confronts the physical and emotional toll of wearing the badge.

Some of the most anticipated moments may come from the “Campfire Conversations,” intimate peer-support gatherings where officers share their stories of survival in a confidential setting.

Breaking Barriers

Langley, whose family legacy is intertwined with the portrayal of policing on television, says this partnership with The Wounded Blue is about extending that connection to real life. “For more than three decades we have been working with police officers across this nation and have seen the effects of both physical and emotional injuries,” he says. “We couldn’t be more proud than to team with The Wounded Blue to help heal those who have sacrificed so much.”

By underwriting travel and registration for those most affected, the gesture removes a barrier that often keeps officers from seeking help. For many, attending the Summit could mean the difference between isolation and belonging, or despair and hope.

What to Expect in Las Vegas

The Summit will take place at Palace Station Hotel & Casino, which is offering special lodging rates for attendees. Registration is open to active and retired officers, police leaders, peer supporters, and spouses. Breakfast and lunch are included, but the real draw is the content—a rare convergence of training, honesty, and community.

For Sutton, who spent three decades in policing and became one of the most decorated officers in Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department history, it is about creating a cultural shift. His hope is that the Summit empowers officers to view wellness not as a luxury, but as a necessary survival skill.

A Larger Mission

Beyond the Summit, The Wounded Blue’s work extends to daily peer support, financial assistance, and legislative advocacy for officers sidelined by injuries. It is a lifeline for those who too often feel forgotten once the sirens fade.

Sutton, who has authored several books including the forthcoming Rescuing 9-1-1: The Fight for America’s Safety, frames the effort as part of a larger battle for the soul of policing. “Our mission is to ensure that every wounded officer knows they matter,” he says. “They’re not forgotten. They’re not alone.”

If You Go

What: 5th Annual National Law Enforcement Survival Summit
When: September 22–25, 2025
Where: Palace Station Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Who Can Attend: Active and retired officers, police leaders, spouses, peer supporters
Registration: thewoundedblue.org/summit