(Memphis) Widow Betsy Warren is working to make sure the voices of Memphis Police officers are heard.
Warren’s husband Timothy was killed in the line of duty in July of 2011.
Now she is fighting for officer benefits, “They have lost so much as of right now and it looks like every time we go before city council they are always being turned down for everything they ask for. With the state the economy is in, they need that 4.6 percent back.”
Soon after her husband was killed, Memphis city workers took at 4.6 pay cut.
The city is in the process of negotiating employment contracts with unions.
Warren said restoring that 4.6 percent needs to be the priority.
She said she has even voiced her concerns to Mayor A C Wharton.
“I cornered him at the 100 Club dinner. I asked him right then when are those officers going to get that 4.6 back?”
Warren is asking for officers to participate in a rally organized by Memphis Police Association this Saturday at Poplar and Highland.
She also wants for the city to do more to help officers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“When people have PTSD, it’s hard to focus on their job. It is hard to do their job. Physically you might be capable of going back to work, but mentally and emotionally you’re not ready,” explained Warren.
She is handing out a letter she wrote to officers at all Memphis Police stations and also posted her letter asking for their support on Facebook.
Warren said she is fighting for officers in honor of her husband, “Tim encouraged me to fight back when I was in school. I would never stand up for myself. He’s the one who always did it. Now he’s not here, so it’s me.”