The Downed Officer Foundation is a 501-3C non-profit organization, dedicated to helping the families of police officers, deputies and firefighters, who have lost their lives in the line of duty, or who die of any cause while in the active service of their communities, with special emphasis on children and teens. The foundation works with any agency in the Southern California area, with plans of expanding to a larger area in the future. The foundation's services are to be offered to any agency at no cost to the agency or the survivors.

The Downed Officer Foundation was formed in July of 1999, by Sergeant Robert Norlemann of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He saw a need in the law enforcement and public safety community, to provide emotional support to surviving family members of police officers, deputies and firefighters who die while in the active service of their communities. He observed, first hand, how the officers/firefighters agencies helped the survivors along through the funeral process, but then the agencies go about their business and the families are left to deal with the tremendous grief on their own.

The foundation is totally supported by donations from the public. The main funding comes from the Downed Officer Support Ride. The participants pay a donation to go on the ride, and participate in the day's events. We also accept donations at any time, and in any amount. Thank you.

Robert Norlemann is the founder of the Downed Officer Support Ride and the Downed Officer Support Ride Foundation. Bob retired in January of 2005 from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, as a Sergeant, after 24 years of dedicated service.

Bob started the Downed Officer Support Ride in 1996, when a friend, Raphael Casillas, a California Highway Patrol Officer, was shot, and critically injured, at the termination of a pursuit in Granada Hills, California. Ralphael survived his injuries, but unfortunately had to retire from the C.H.P.

Bob was looking for a way to help Raphael's family, and families of other officers who were either killed or injured in the line of duty. He searched for a program to donate the proceeds from the first ride, one that could accomplish his goal, provide aid to the officers survivors. He found the L.A.P.D. Family Support Group.

The first three years of the ride, the proceeds were all donated to the L.A.P.D. Family Support Group. During this three year period, Bob attempted to get a similar group started on his department. After knocking on many doors, then Chief Leroy Baca (now Sheriff Leroy Baca) took interest and introduced the idea to then Sheriff Sherman Block. Sheriff Block gave the L.A.S.D's Survivors in Partnership his blessing. The L.A.S.D. group was off and running. The Downed Officer Support Ride donated money to both of these fine groups. Sergeant Norlemann then founded the Downed Officer Support Ride Foundation to better manage the mission of the Downed Officer Support Ride.

With the new Downed Officer Ride Foundation in place, Bob was able to help other agencies in the Southern California area. In June of 2001, the Foundation donated $1,000 to the L.A. City Fire Department's Widow's and Orphan's Fund. This began a new tradition of assisting Firefighters and their families after an injury or death in the line of duty.

The Foundation has sent several survivors to be trained as grief facilitators. The Foundation is looking for volunteer police officers/firefighters who would like to become big brother type figures, for surviving kids, on field trips to the zoo, a baseball game, or some other type outings, so that these surviving kids can maintain their ties to the law enforcement/firefighter communities that they have been cut off from, by the death of their loved one.

If you know of a police officer or firefighter's family that is in need of assistance, or if you would like to become a volunteer, please e-mail any of the dedicated members of the Downed Officer Support Foundation. We would be honored to help if at all possible.