• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Good Samaritan praised for freeing officer from chokehold in struggle...
        “We’re told nothing”: Chicago police officers work to assist...
        Multigenerational family of police officers honored for their service...
        Portland police reinstate traffic enforcement unit, but advocates...
        FBI data shows decrease in line-of-duty deaths, rise in officer...
    • Labor
      • Southern California police agencies continue to face staffing...
        Phoenix City Council approves new police union contract with pay...
        Los Angeles County sheriff requests funding for recruitment, equipment
        “It’s a scary time for Cleveland”: City attracts smallest...
        Portland State University rearms campus police officers
    • Tech
      • California sheriff’s department pays $1.1 million to cyber...
        Bay Area businesses embrace AI surveillance protection amid crime...
        California family tracks down and recovers stolen e-bike using Apple...
        Indianapolis law enforcement team up with legislators to fight...
        Peeling the onion
    • Training
      • Understanding privacy coins
        Unlock your potential
        Crisis intervention team training
        What’s the best way to train law enforcement leaders?
        Ohio police officer and father of autistic son launches autism...
    • Policy
      • Tennessee governor signs bill to fund school security months after...
        Washington state on brink of decriminalizing drug possession
        California AG launches investigation into Antioch police following...
        Back the Blue Act aims to enhance penalties for killing law...
        Alaska state troopers to be equipped with body cameras by end of year
    • Health/Wellness
      • Massachusetts police agencies receive grant to support mental health...
        Peacekeeper Initiative offers support and healing for retired police...
        Serenity in the saddle
        Worried about someone’s drinking?
        Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
    • Community
      • A catastrophic threat
        A symbol of hope
        A legacy never forgotten
        High school students participate in job shadow day with New York...
        Officers helping officers
    • Offbeat
      • Kansas burglary suspect uses ride-share app to escape while...
        A case of mistaken identity: Oklahoma police officers respond to...
        Kansas deputy pulls over man in Bud Light costume during DUI traffic...
        “Arrest them!”: Florida residents call 9-1-1 on two angry goats...
        Minnesota deputies detain escaped emu looking for love in all the...
    • We Remember
      • Honoring Fallen Heroes
        “Our hearts are broken once again”: Off-duty Chicago police...
        Choosing to serve
        A legacy of “service and sacrifice”: NYPD detective dies after...
        Philadelphia Phillies honor fallen Temple University police officer...
  • On the Job
    • Good Samaritan praised for freeing officer from chokehold in struggle...
      “We’re told nothing”: Chicago police officers work to assist...
      Multigenerational family of police officers honored for their service...
      Portland police reinstate traffic enforcement unit, but advocates...
      FBI data shows decrease in line-of-duty deaths, rise in officer...
  • Labor
    • Southern California police agencies continue to face staffing...
      Phoenix City Council approves new police union contract with pay...
      Los Angeles County sheriff requests funding for recruitment, equipment
      “It’s a scary time for Cleveland”: City attracts smallest...
      Portland State University rearms campus police officers
  • Tech
    • California sheriff’s department pays $1.1 million to cyber...
      Bay Area businesses embrace AI surveillance protection amid crime...
      California family tracks down and recovers stolen e-bike using Apple...
      Indianapolis law enforcement team up with legislators to fight...
      Peeling the onion
  • Training
    • Understanding privacy coins
      Unlock your potential
      Crisis intervention team training
      What’s the best way to train law enforcement leaders?
      Ohio police officer and father of autistic son launches autism...
  • Policy
    • Tennessee governor signs bill to fund school security months after...
      Washington state on brink of decriminalizing drug possession
      California AG launches investigation into Antioch police following...
      Back the Blue Act aims to enhance penalties for killing law...
      Alaska state troopers to be equipped with body cameras by end of year
  • Health/Wellness
    • Massachusetts police agencies receive grant to support mental health...
      Peacekeeper Initiative offers support and healing for retired police...
      Serenity in the saddle
      Worried about someone’s drinking?
      Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
  • Community
    • A catastrophic threat
      A symbol of hope
      A legacy never forgotten
      High school students participate in job shadow day with New York...
      Officers helping officers
  • Offbeat
    • Kansas burglary suspect uses ride-share app to escape while...
      A case of mistaken identity: Oklahoma police officers respond to...
      Kansas deputy pulls over man in Bud Light costume during DUI traffic...
      “Arrest them!”: Florida residents call 9-1-1 on two angry goats...
      Minnesota deputies detain escaped emu looking for love in all the...
  • We Remember
    • Honoring Fallen Heroes
      “Our hearts are broken once again”: Off-duty Chicago police...
      Choosing to serve
      A legacy of “service and sacrifice”: NYPD detective dies after...
      Philadelphia Phillies honor fallen Temple University police officer...
  • Between the Lines
    • The unspoken truth behind the recruitment and retention crisis
      The police reform goal: use of force without options
      The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
      The rule of law is worthless without order
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Partners in the News

C.O.P.S. survivor story: Captain Matt Bloesch

Sara Slone Published May 17, 2023 @ 3:09 pm PDT

Matt Bloesch
Captain Matt Bloesch (Matt Bloesch)

Matt Bloesch was a typical 13-year-old trying to find his place in the world. His dad was his best friend, who he respected and looked to for guidance. Matt’s world was completely shattered on August 2, 1988, when his dad, San Francisco, California, Police Officer James Bloesch, was accidentally shot and killed while on duty.

Through the rest of his teen years and into adulthood, Matt became fiercely independent and distracted himself with sports, partying and, eventually, his career. “I was good at things like work because there was an instruction manual. But I never learned how to be a good dad, husband or friend because I never learned how to deal with my emotions,” Matt said.

Matt’s world started to collapse around him, and he knew he needed help. He found it at the West Coast Post-Trauma Retreat, a center for first responders living with post-traumatic stress injury. “I was trapped for a long time because I thought I was the only one suffering and feeling the way I felt,” Matt said. “When other people opened up to me about what they were going through, I no longer felt alone, and I felt safe talking about all of the dark things that had been running around in my head.” 

Getting his life back on track meant Matt was ready to focus on his future. Wanting to be like his dad and work in a field where he could help people every day, Matt took courses in administration of justice. “Ten minutes into my first law class, I knew that law enforcement was my calling. I have loved every day of this career.”

Matt and his wife, Karen, attend the C.O.P.S. Adult Children’s Retreat each June. In 2022, Matt was grateful for the opportunity to serve as a mentor at both Kids Camp and Young Adults Camp. “They were both great experiences, but I related more to the young adults because I remember being that age and trying to navigate life without my dad,” he said. “Life between the ages of 15–20 was the hardest years of my life. I talked about some of the things I dealt with at that age, the mistakes I made, where I wish I would have zigged instead of zagged, and the things that really helped me through those years.”

Knowing how lonely losing a parent at that age can feel, Matt wants every surviving child to know he is at least one person who truly “gets it.” The advice he gives is this: “Be good to yourself. Your parent who you lost loved you very much. The best thing you can do to honor them is to live a whole and happy life and carry on the legacy. This is something I learned along the way after having my own kids. I want them to be happy and healthy. If anything ever happened to me, I would still want them to be happy and healthy, and to remember me by doing their part to make the world a better place.”

On December 2, 2022, Matt was promoted to captain at the Fairfield, (California), Police Department. He will oversee the Operations Division. He is pictured with his wife (Karin), daughter (Bridget) and son (James).

Sara Slone

Sara Slone

Sara Slone is the communications director for C.O.P.S.

View articles by Sara Slone

As seen in the May 2023 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: Partners in the News

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Good Samaritan praised for freeing officer from chokehold in struggle at New Jersey mall
  • “We’re told nothing”: Chicago police officers work to assist refugees amidst migrant crisis without help from city
  • Multigenerational family of police officers honored for their service by Denver Police Museum
  • Massachusetts police agencies receive grant to support mental health and stress management programs
  • Tennessee governor signs bill to fund school security months after deadly Nashville mass shooting
  • Southern California police agencies continue to face staffing shortages amid national reckoning on policing
  • Portland police reinstate traffic enforcement unit, but advocates continue push for more speed cameras
  • Kansas burglary suspect uses ride-share app to escape while surrounded by officers
  • A case of mistaken identity: Oklahoma police officers respond to cries for help from what turns out to be a bleating goat
  • Peacekeeper Initiative offers support and healing for retired police officers with mental health issues

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.