Category: News
Project 2000 – XXXIV
The Correctional Peace Officers Foundation will be hosting PROJECT 2000 XXXIV in St. Louis, Missouri From June 15 – June 18, 2023. The annual memorial service honoring Correctional Staff who lost their lives in the Line of Duty will take place Friday, June 16, 2023. Attendees are limited to 500 for this event, be sure […]
Legacy Friday: Patrick Gallaway—The Prison Guard Who Chose to Be Part of It
Patrick Gallaway describes himself simply: a prison guard from Attica. Yet behind those words is a lifetime of service—as a Correction Officer, Honor Guard member, critical-incident responder, historian, firefighter, CPOF representative and National Director. At every stage, Patrick has made the same choice: when people, history or the profession needed someone to step forward, he […]
Legacy Friday: Ron Barnes—The Leader Who Stayed Visible
Ron Barnes built his correctional career by remaining visible, accessible and connected to the people he led. From walking the grounds of California Correctional Center as Warden to guiding CPOF through a pivotal period of loss, transition and renewal, Ron has demonstrated that leadership begins with showing up. Some leaders are known primarily through their […]
The Next Generation of Corrections: Why Membership Matters
Building relationships, strengthening the correctional family, and carrying CPOF’s mission into the future. Every correctional professional begins their career somewhere. For some, it starts in a training academy. For others, it begins with their first day inside a correctional institution, probation or parole office, or another essential role supporting the correctional system. Regardless of their […]
Legacy Friday: Perry Speth—A Bridge Between Generations of Service
Second-generation Correctional Peace Officer Perry Speth has spent more than four decades serving the correctional profession. From the California Youth Authority and CCPOA to the earliest years of CPOF and his current role as Treasurer and National Director, Perry represents a living connection between the Foundation’s founders and the leaders carrying their mission forward. Some […]
Legacy Friday: William “Bill” Hutto—Building a Legacy of Service
William “Bill” Hutto has spent his life building—stronger correctional systems, safer operations, more connected communities and opportunities for others to serve. Today, as Secretary and a National Director of the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation, he continues building upon the promise that has guided CPOF for more than four decades: taking care of our own. Some […]
Legacy Friday: Kim Potter-Blair—When Service Become
Legacy Friday continues its recognition of the leaders currently entrusted with carrying CPOF’s mission forward. This week, we recognize Vice-Chair Kim Potter-Blair—a Correctional Officer who rose to statewide executive leadership, a longtime advocate for reentry and professional development, the first woman elected CPOF Vice-Chair, and a leader whose understanding of “Taking Care of Our Own” […]
Remembering Charles “Charlie” Leroy Bennett Sr.: A Life of Service
The Correctional Peace Officers Foundation joins the corrections and law enforcement communities in mourning the passing of Charles “Charlie” Leroy Bennett Sr., who passed away on July 22, 2026, at the age of 81. Charlie was born on April 23, 1945, and was the adopted son of Warren and Mary Bennett of Middlesboro, Kentucky. Throughout […]
Legacy Friday: Chevi Amrein—Leading with Strength and Serving with Humanity
After honoring the leaders who carried the vision of CPOF’s Founding Five forward, Legacy Friday now turns toward those entrusted with leading the Foundation today. We begin with Chevi Amrein—an accomplished correctional leader, longtime Honor Guard Commander, victims’ rights advocate and the first woman elected Chairman of CPOF’s Board of Directors. Her legacy is still […]
Attica at 55: Training, Remembrance and a Promise to Never Forget
Fifty-five years after the tragedy at Attica, correctional professionals, survivors, families and honor guard teams once again gathered in Western New York with a shared purpose: to remember the fallen, honor the survivors and ensure that the lessons and sacrifices of Attica are never forgotten. For the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation, this year’s remembrance extended […]