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The hardest day in the life of an injured police officer is not always the day they are injured on the job.
For many, retired Las Vegas police officers, Lt. Randy Sutton, he said, was the day they realized they had been forgotten.
Sutton knows that feeling firsthand. After surviving a career-ending layoff, the former officer founded The Wounded Blue, the only non-profit organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to injured and disabled law enforcement officers.
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Randy Sutton speaks at a fundraiser in support of an injured police officer. (Injured Blue)
Over the past eight years, the organization has helped more than 17,000 officers across the country with peer support, advocacy and valuable resources.
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Sutton hopes the nation takes time to recognize not only those who wore the badge, but also those whose service continues long after they left it.
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“If you were to ask me what I was going to do in my retirement years after 34 years in the police force, this wouldn’t be in the back of my mind,” Sutton told Fox News Digital. “But fate works in very strange ways.”
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Randy Sutton provides peer support to the injured officer. (Injured Blue)
That twist of fate began one night when Sutton was patrolling the Las Vegas Strip.
“I literally felt my brain shrink,” he recalled. “I stopped the car and said, ‘Get me a doctor. I’m having a stroke.’
The disease ended his career in law enforcement, but Sutton said what happened after he left the hospital changed his life.
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“I lost my job,” he said. “I lost my identity.”
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While fighting for her medical benefits, Sutton said she began receiving phone calls and text messages from officials across the country sharing similar stories.
“‘Randy, I got shot on the job.’ ‘Randy, I was disabled when my police car was hit by a drunk driver.’ He was followed by the police, I didn’t know,” he said. “I realized at that time that this is a national issue and there were no national resources for these men and women. So I created it.”
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That organization became The Wounded Blue, whose slogan, “Never Forget. Never Alone,” was born out of Sutton’s experience.
“Since I have experienced it, I came up with this slogan for what I felt when I felt forgotten, when I felt alone,” he said. “He took me to the darkest places.”
Today, The Wounded Blue peer support team is made up entirely of police officers who have survived shootings, stabbings, traumatic accidents, post-traumatic stress and other life-changing injuries.
“Our whole team is made up of police officers who have been shot or stabbed or beaten or run over… and come out the other side,” said Sutton.
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Members of The Wounded Blue stand with Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a Houston teenager with terminal brain and spinal cord cancer whose work swearing in 1,000 law enforcement agencies has inspired officials across the country. (Injured Blue)
Of the more than 17,000 police officers the organization has helped, one story continues with him.
A Utah police officer suffered a broken leg after being hit by a tractor trailer driven by a man under the influence of cocaine. Sutton said the officer’s department abandoned him, leaving him with a prosthesis so worn that he was “walking on a bloody stump.”
Then came a call from what Sutton affectionately calls “The Voice on the Phone,” an anonymous donor who first contacted him after seeing him discuss The Wounded Blue on Fox News.
When Sutton learned that a prosthetic device could cost more than $117,000, she called a donor.
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“That man is a hero,” Sutton remembers the donor telling him. “He deserves the best prosthetic leg money can buy.”
The generosity did not end there. After finding out that the police officer and his wife had two children with special needs, Sutton said The Wounded Blue and its community service partners completely renovated the family’s home.
“That’s The Wounded Blue,” Sutton said.
Another story still brings a smile to Sutton’s face.
A Texas police officer suffered a severe spinal cord injury during a scuffle with a suspect and underwent 16 surgeries before doctors told him he would never walk again. Sutton said The Wounded Blue first purchased a wheelchair for the officer before connecting him with a well-known spine surgeon through the anonymous donor.
“Three months ago he was dancing with his daughter at her wedding,” said Sutton. “He got his life back.”
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Those issues continue to fuel Sutton’s cause.
A few days before speaking to Fox News Digital, he traveled to Mississippi to spend nearly a week with a deputy who was seriously injured after being dragged and hit with an AK-47.
“My wish is that one day we have the resources to euthanize all police officers who have been seriously injured on duty,” said Sutton. “If one day we have the resources to do it, you can bet that’s where I’ll be.”
Deputy Yates Rodney of the Covington County Sheriff’s Office is transported by ambulance after suffering serious injuries in an ambush in Mississippi while family members and other law enforcement officers watch. (Injured Blue)
In addition to more bedside support, Sutton hopes to continue to grow the annual Wounded Blue National Law Enforcement Survivor Conference, which brings together officers and their spouses to focus on recovery, mental health and life after duty.
“It’s all aspects of surviving law enforcement — physical, emotional, mental, spiritual,” he said.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Sutton hopes the country remembers that supporting those who protect their communities doesn’t have to end when the headlines hit.
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Yates Deputy Rodney is recovering after an ambush in Mississippi. (Injured Blue)
“The men and women who serve today are heroes,” he said. “They are willing to sacrifice their lives for their communities.”
For those who want to get involved, Sutton is encouraging Americans to support The Wounded Blue through its “9-1-1 Campaign,” which asks fans to donate $9.11 a month. Businesses can also partner with a nonprofit organization, while current and retired executives in need are encouraged to reach out directly.
“If you are or have been a police officer and you are struggling, contact us,” said Sutton. “Wounded Blue is there for you.”
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If there’s one message Sutton hopes Americans remember as they celebrate the nation’s historic birthday, it’s the one shared by an anonymous donor whose generosity has changed so many lives.
“America cares about its heroes.”
