Cops on Top to Memorialize Fallen Police Officers with Climbing Expeditions in All 50 States; Summit for Heroes Planned for National Police Week.

FARMINGTON, N.M. -- From Mount McKinley in Alaska to Mount Marcy in New York, more than 200 law enforcement officers from more than 80 different agencies nationwide will participate in the Cops on Top Summit for Heroes on Saturday, May 20, simultaneously climbing to the highest peaks in all 50 states to honor their comrades who have been killed in the line of duty.

Sgt. Keith McPheeters with the Farmington New Mexico Police Department leads Cops on Top, a national non-profit group coordinating the Summit for Heroes. McPheeters will be climbing Granite Peak in Montana, one of the most difficult mountains in the U.S. to summit.

"We are extremely excited at facing the challenging and record-setting attempt of placing teams on the highest peak of each state in honor of our fallen comrades," McPheeters said. "Although this has been a difficult goal to undertake, the numerous touching and heartfelt letters and calls from the families and friends of the fallen officers for whom we are climbing make these expeditions so special to us."

The Summit for Heroes is funded by The Force(R) brand, which is owned by VF Imagewear, Inc. As part of its support, The Force brand will match donations up to $20,000 made in May to Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS), a non-profit organization that assists families of fallen law enforcement officers.

"Law enforcement officers put their lives in danger every time they put on their uniforms," said Janet Rives, marketing manager for VF Imagewear. "The sacrifices they make enable us to live better lives. We are proud to sponsor the Summit for Heroes and make sure their sacrifices will never be forgotten."

Rocky Fails, also with the Farmington Police Department, will be joining McPheeters on the Granite Peak expedition. Fails has a very personal perspective on the climbs as an officer who has lost friends in the line of duty and as a survivor of his own battle with cancer.

"Throughout my cancer treatments, the goal of climbing Kilimanjaro was what helped me to overcome cancer," said Fails, who successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro just eight months after being diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell cancer. "The treatments of radiation and chemo were dark days of my life, but they were temporary. The tragic loss that the death of a police officer has on his family and friends lasts forever. I am honored and privileged to climb on their behalf."

Many of the Summit for Heroes volunteers have very special reasons for climbing and are making long journeys to participate in the expeditions.

Denise Jones, a police widow and former deputy, will be climbing Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, in memory of her husband. Trooper Stu Frink of the Washington State Patrol will be climbing while cherishing the memory of his own brother, killed in the line of duty, also for the Washington State Patrol. Officers from the Frankfort, Ind. police department are joining expedition teams in Montana, North Carolina and Tennessee. Lane McPheeters, representing the Weber County Utah Sheriff's Office, and his two teenage sons will be climbing Gannett Peak in Wyoming. Two U.S. Secret Service agents will join a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and several Portland and Bridgton, Maine police officers to summit Mount Katahdin in Maine.

The climbs occur during National Police Week, May 14 to 20, and the teams are expected to summit on May 20. Family, friends and law enforcement organizations nominate the fallen officers on whose behalf the Cops on Top teams climb.

In 2005, 166 officers were killed in the line of duty nationally, having a direct impact on more than 2,000 family members, according to statistics from COPS.

Cops on Top expedition teams made multiple, simultaneous climbs in 2002, 2003 and 2004 to high points around the United States to memorialize fire and police personnel who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 terror attacks. In 2005, Cops on Top teams climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Elbrus in the Russian Federation and Mount McKinley in Denali National Park, Alaska.

Visit www.theforceonline.com/copsontop for information about the Summit for Heroes.

About Cops on Top www.copsontop.com

Cops on Top is a non-profit organization headquartered in Farmington, N.M. that is dedicated to honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Cops on Top was founded in 1998 by Sergeant Keith McPheeters of the Farmington, N.M. Police Department after working on a special task force searching for the killers of Dale Claxton, a Cortez, Colo. police officer. Cops on Top seeks to raise public awareness to the dangers, stress and life-altering effects law enforcement officers face everyday in their jobs. Through its mission, Cops on Top hopes to aid in the grieving and healing process for family members who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. The goal of Cops on Top is to ensure that no fallen officer is ever forgotten.

About The Force(R) www.theforceonline.com

The Force(R) is a highly technical line of performance uniforms and apparel designed for the demands of law enforcement and public safety officers. These uniforms utilize sophisticated fabrics and innovative design to deliver practical features, durability, comfort and professional appearance. The Force(R) brand sets a new standard for law enforcement apparel. The Force(R) apparel line is manufactured by VF Imagewear, Inc.

About Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) www.nationalcops.com

Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. is a non-profit organization providing resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty as determined by Federal criteria. Furthermore, COPS provides training to law enforcement agencies on survivor victimization issues and educates the public of the need to support the law enforcement profession and its survivors.