News

First responders, please stay safe, prepared and aware. The leading causes of first responder deaths in our 28 county coverage area are.. •  #1 Gunshot Wounds- Wear your body armor and maintain personal protective equipment and be proficient in their usage. Learn more here. • #2 Vehicle Crashes- […]

The 38th Annual Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses presented $1 million to BackStoppers for the fifth consecutive year! Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses has raised $14 million for our mission since 1987. For 38 years, Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses has been a marquee fundraiser for our cause. What […]

We are honored to provide assistance to St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Stoll and Officer Kelly Smith who were critically injured in the line of duty on January 23, 2026. Officer Stoll and Officer Smith were involved in a vehicle crash when an individual […]

The BackStoppers service region covers 18 counties in Missouri and 10 in Illinois. Nestled within the most western reaches of our coverage area and about 80 miles from St. Louis is Gasconade County, where a dedicated group, Gasconade County BackStoppers, works to elevate our mission. The […]

According to the National Fraternal Order of Police, as of midnight on December 31, 2025, there have been 347 officers shot in the line of duty in 2025.  Of those officers, 45 of them were killed. View the National Fraternal Order of Police Monthly Update. We recognize […]

Most supporters know that our mission provides immediate and ongoing assistance to families of fallen public safety officers. The second part of our mission is to serve catastrophically injured public safety officers, which can often be new information to those that hear about BackStoppers. We […]

We are now assisting the family of Lt. Sarah McCarthy who died in the line of duty on December 9, 2025, as a result of a cardiac event suffered 18 days prior. Lt. McCarthy was 48 years old. She served as a police dispatcher for the […]

Alanna Cova, surviving spouse of Affton Fire Capt. Jim Cova, EOW 7/9/24, shares her husband’s legacy and a message of hope after tragedy. “Jim was a decorated firefighter, captain, leader and mentor. But beyond the uniform and the titles, he was so much more. Jim was a […]

We would like to recognize Spotlight Supporters, Jim and Terry Coleman! Jim and Terry have donated $135,000 to BackStoppers since 2019. This kind of generosity is what sustains our mission of serving families of fallen or catastrophically injured heroes. Thank you, Jim and Terry, for […]

We are honored to provide assistance to Granite City Police Officer Tyler Timmons who was shot multiple times in the line of duty on December 5, 2025. "I am honored to present this support to Officer Timmons. We are always on standby and ready to assist […]