About Us
The Foundation was formed on November 17, 2020 by a Board of Directors that were like minded and passionate about officer safety. Some never met before launching the Foundation. The goal was to advocate for officer safety in the profession through awareness, education, training, and support.
In 2018, Founding Board Member Timothy Sun, launched a GoFundMe to buy body armor for Code Enforcement Officers in memory of the recent murder of Jill Robinson (West Valley, Utah). Over the next few years, he raised thousands of dollars and donated several vests nationwide. It was his dream to create a Code Enforcement Officer Safety Foundation.
In early 2020, Founding Board Member Justin Edson, created a website to track national incidents against Code Enforcement Officers. This also included a quarterly newsletter. In the Fall of 2020, Tim and Justin approached the other founding members – Travis Guess, Kirk Palmer, and Carrie Rios with the idea. The website and newsletter transitioned over to the Foundation and official paperwork was started to become a 501c3 nonprofit charity.
Founding Board of Directors:
-
Justin Edson, President
-
Timothy Sun, Vice President
-
Carrie Rios, Secretary/Treasurer
-
Travis Guess, Director
-
Kirk Palmer, Director
In the Spring of 2021, the Foundation entered into an official MOU with the International Code Council and launched the Code Official Safety Specialist (COSS) training with Dedicated Threat Solutions.
In June of 2022, the Foundation officially became a 501c3 nonprofit charity. In September, the Board of Directors approved the creation of several national awards. Then in November of 2022, in partnership with ICC, the Credential of Learning Achievement – Code Official Safety was launched.
With the partnership with a bylaw association in Canada, the Foundation officially became international in May of 2023 and created a new global logo.
In April of 2025, the Foundation created the Advanced Operational Awareness (COSS-AOA) certification in partnership with Dedicated Threat Solutions.
The Board of Directors and Regional Representatives are all volunteers and serve with their hearts and passion for officer safety. We are grateful for all the Board Members and Regional Representatives that have helped us along the way. Lastly, we are sincerely appreciative of our sponsors and partners who have helped us grow our reach and share our mission.
