The Wounded Blue says it has helped 17,000 injured police officers
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The hardest day in an injured police officer’s life is not always the day he is injured in the line of duty.
Retired Las Vegas police Lt. Randy Sutton said for many, this is the day they realize they’ve been forgotten.
Sutton knows this feeling firsthand. After recovering from a career-ending stroke, the former police officer founded The Wounded Blue, the nation’s only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to injured and disabled law enforcement officers.
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Randy Sutton speaks at a fundraiser in support of an injured police officer. (Wounded Blue)
Over the past eight years, the organization has assisted more than 17,000 officers nationwide through peer support, advocacy and critical resources.
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Sutton hopes it will take time for the nation to recognize not only those who wear the badge, but also those who continue to serve long after they are gone.
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“If you had asked me what I would be doing in my retirement years after 34 years of police service, it would never have been in the information packet of my brain,” Sutton told Fox News Digital. “But fate works in very, very strange ways.”
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Randy Sutton provides peer support to an injured police officer. (Wounded Blue)
These twists of fate began one night while Sutton was patrolling the Las Vegas Strip.
“I literally felt like my brain was slowing down,” he recalled. “I stopped the car and said, ‘Call a doctor for me. I’m having a stroke.'”
The stroke ended his law enforcement career, but Sutton said what happened after he left the hospital changed the course of his life even further.
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“I lost my career,” he said. “I’ve lost my identification.”
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As she fought for her medical benefits, Sutton said she began receiving calls and messages from officers across the country sharing similar stories.
“‘Randy, I was shot in the line of duty.’ ‘Randy, I was paralyzed when a drunk driver crashed into my police car.’ “Police officers I didn’t know were coming one after another,” he said. “I realized at that point that this was a national issue and not a national resource for these men and women. That’s why I created it.”
This organization became The Wounded Blue, whose slogan “Never Forgotten. Never Alone” was born from Sutton’s own experience.
“After experiencing this, I came up with this slogan by thinking about how it made me feel when I felt forgotten, when I felt alone,” he said. “It took me to some very dark places.”
Today, The Wounded Blue’s peer support team is comprised entirely of officers who have survived shootings, stabbings, devastating accidents, post-traumatic stress, and other life-altering injuries.
“Our entire team is made up of cops who have been shot, stabbed, beaten or run over… and they came out the other side,” Sutton said.
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Members of The Wounded Blue pose with Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a Houston teenager battling terminal brain and spinal cord cancer whose mission, sworn by 1,000 law enforcement agencies, has inspired officers nationwide. (Wounded Blue)
He remains one of the more than 17,000 officers the organization has helped.
A police officer in Utah lost his leg when he was hit by a tractor trailer driven by a man under the influence of cocaine. Sutton said the police department abandoned him, leaving him with a worn-out prosthesis “so damaged that he was walking around on a bloody stump.”
Then came a call from an anonymous donor whom Sutton affectionately calls “The Voice on the Phone”; An anonymous donor first contacted him after seeing him talk about The Wounded Blue on Fox News.
When Sutton learned the replacement prosthesis would cost more than $117,000, she called the donor.
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“This man is a hero,” Sutton recalled the donor telling him. “He deserves the best prosthetic leg money can buy.”
The generosity didn’t end there. After learning that the officer and his wife had adopted two children with special needs, Sutton said The Wounded Blue and its philanthropic partners completely renovated the family’s home.
“This is Wounded Blue,” Sutton said.
Another story still brings a smile to Sutton’s face.
A Texas police officer suffered a severe spinal cord injury while fighting with a suspect and endured 16 botched surgeries before doctors told him he would never walk again. Sutton said The Wounded Blue first bought the officer a wheelchair, then connected him with a famous spine surgeon through the same anonymous donor.
“He danced with her at his daughter’s wedding three months ago,” Sutton said. “He got his life back.”
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These stories continue to fuel Sutton’s mission.
Just days before speaking to Fox News Digital, he traveled to Mississippi to spend almost a week with a lawmaker who was ambushed and severely injured by an AK-47 round.
“My wish is that one day we will have the resources to go to the bedside of every officer who is seriously injured in the line of duty,” Sutton said. “If we ever have the resources to do it, you can bet I’ll be there, too.”
Covington County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Yates Rodney was transported by ambulance as family members and other law enforcement officers watched after he was critically injured in an ambush in Mississippi. (Wounded Blue)
Beyond expanding bedside support, Sutton hopes to continue growing The Wounded Blue’s annual National Law Enforcement Survivorship Summit, which brings together officers and their spouses to focus on recovery, mental health and life after work.
“It’s every aspect of surviving a law enforcement career – physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually,” he said.
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Sutton hopes the country remembers that supporting those protecting their communities doesn’t have to end when the headlines end.
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Deputy Yates Rodney recovers after the ambush in Mississippi. (Wounded Blue)
“The men and women serving today are heroes,” he said. “They are ready to give their lives for their community.”
For those looking to get involved, Sutton encourages Americans To support The Wounded Blue through the “9-1-1 Campaign,” which asks supporters to donate $9.11 a month. Businesses can also partner with nonprofits, while current and retired officials in need are encouraged to reach out directly for assistance.
“If you are or work in law enforcement and are struggling, contact us,” Sutton said. “Scarred Blue is there for you.”
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If there’s one message Sutton hopes Americans remember as they celebrate the nation’s landmark birthday, it’s the message shared by the anonymous donor whose generosity changed countless lives.
“America cares about its heroes.”
