PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A former police officer who was shot on duty and permanently disabled says his department never told him he could apply for federal benefits. A new watchdog report suggests many public safety agencies don’t know these benefits exist.

Preston Brogdon, a former sergeant with the Yavapai-Apache Police Department, said he learned about the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program during a chance encounter at a spring training game.

Brogdon was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch after the shooting, and while there, he happened to speak with an officer from another department who was aware of the program.

“It angers me that police officers don’t know about it,” said Brogdon.

He was able to gather the documents and apply this summer, more than two and a half years after the shooting. The deadline to file a claim is three years.

The Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program (PSOB) has existed since 1976. It offers local, state, and federal police officers, firefighters, and EMTs more than $400,000 in benefits if they are killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.

However, a report last week from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office says many small police and fire departments are unaware of it. One expert estimates that up to two-thirds of the nation’s public safety agencies are unaware of PSOB and its benefits.

The report noted that PSOB does not directly contact departments. Instead, it provides grants to two nonprofit agencies—Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation—to spread the word and help departments and officers process claims.

“We’ll make the phone calls. We’ll make the connections. We’ll travel wherever they need us to go,” said Jim Warriner, the immediate past president of C.O.P.S Arizona.

Warriner said the nonprofit holds outreach events and trainings with Arizona police departments every few months to update them on changes with the program, but he acknowledged large departments may be more aware of the benefits than smaller ones.

Another gap may involve the disability benefit portion of the prorgam. As of May, there were more than twice as many applications seeking benefits for a death than a disability – 267 compared to 109. The GAO report notes that while several groups track officers killed on duty, no organization monitors officers who are disabled.

“It saddens me that agencies aren’t aware of the disability, if that’s the case, especially our smaller agencies,” said Warriner. “But I think with you taking on this story, it’s going to help get the word out.”

PSOB has expanded eligibility since 2020, allowing for claims in certain conditions for COVID-10 and for suicide. That has nearly doubled the claims from about 500 in fiscal year 2019 to about 900 in fiscal year 2023, the report said.

That has also slowed the agency’s ability to process claims. Based on the last analysis of claims processing from 2006 to 2008, it took PSOB between 17 and 26 months to determine disability claims. The report implies the time frame may be longer now.

Brogdon submitted his application about two months ago. He said the $400,000 benefit would essentially replace the state pension benefits he does not qualify for because the Yavapai-Apache Police Department was not a member of the pension system at the time.

Arizona’s Family Investigates reported earlier this year that the Yavapai-Apache Police Department joined the system after firing Brogdon.

“I’ve been fighting for so long,” he said, “I pray to God that it just gets to me.”

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ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers revealed their second injury report ahead of Week 5.

DNP – Isaiah Adams (thumb) Matt Prater (knee), Garrett Williams (groin)

Limited – Christian Jones (ankle), Khyiris Tonga (knee), Kelvin Beachum (hamstring),

Full – Trey McBride (concussion)

The Cardinals received good news today with Beachum and McBride seeing an upgrade in status.

On the other side of the coin, Williams and Prater both not practicing for a second straight day does not bode well for their outlook later this week.

DNP – Chris Conley (oblique), Jacob Cowing (shoulder), Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), George Kittle (ribs), Fred Warner (ankle), Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf)

Limited – Kevin Givens (triceps), Talanoa Hufanga (ankle), Dee Winters (ankle), Isaac Yiadom (thigh)

Full – Kalia Davis (knee), Kyle Juszcyk (shoulder), Trent Williams (rest)

The 49ers had more movement on their Thursday report, as Winters and Williams saw upgrades in their status from Wednesday.

Yiadom was added today while Flannigan-Fowles saw a downgrade after practicing yesterday.

The Cardinals and 49ers will host one more practice before both teams are required to place injury designations such as out, doubtful and questionable.

Teams are allowed to make two standard practice squad elevations on Saturday with official inactives required to be declared 90 minutes prior to kickoff on Sunday.

Make sure to bookmark Cardinals On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more.

– Cardinals Get Bad News on Starter

– 49ers, Cardinals Missing Several Stars on Injury Report
– Cardinals Make Roster Moves
– Cardinals LT Named One of Most Improved Players

The Arizona Diamondbacks went into the 2023-2024 offseason coming off a wildly successful Postseason run. After squeaking into the playoffs with an 84-78 record to capture the third NL Wild Card, they went all the way to the World Series before bowing out in five games to the Texas Rangers.

General Manager Mike Hazen and his baseball operations set about the task of trying to improve the roster even further, looking to insure a trip back to the playoffs once again in 2024.

Speaking at the end of the 2023 season, Hazen outlined his offseason plan. Starting pitching was at the very top of the list. Short a fourth starter option, the D-backs had infamously thrown bullpen games twice in the Postseason, once in the NLCS and once in the World Series.

The next priority was a right-hand bat, for both outfield and designated hitter. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. became a free agent, as did key mid-season acquisition Tommy Pham. Hazen would later add left-hand DH to that wish list as well.

Third base was also a priority. Evan Longoria was not brought back, and ultimately retired. None of the team’s prospects were ready to take over the hot corner, and the team needed stability. Finally, just like every season, adding to the bullpen was on the list.

At the same time principal owner Ken Kendrick pledged to increase payroll as a result of the added revenue from the Postseason run and anticipated increases in season ticket sales projections. The team ultimately blew past the projection of $140 million I projected in this article.

The first big move came November 22. Hazen brought in third basemen Eugenio Suarez from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for relief prospect Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala. Suarez had one year left on his contract for $11.3 million, with a team option for $15 million for 2025 or a $3 million buyout.

While Suarez was coming off somewhat of a down season, batting .232 and leading the league in strikeouts, he still hit 22 homers and drove in 96 runs. The 32 year old had been a durable player and a constant power source throughout his career. Suarez hit 246 career homers and averaged 153 games played between 2016-2023.

On December 8, just as the winter meetings wrapped up, the D-backs made their big splash in free agency. Left-hand pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was signed to a four year, $80 million dollar contract. Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo knew Rodriguez well from their days in Boston

A veteran of eight seasons at the time, the then 31 year old Rodriguez had a career 82-53 record with a 4.03 ERA. He’d battled a long list of various injuries over the years, but never shoulder or elbow. He was coming off one of his best seasons in 2023, going 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 153 innings.

The next big move came on December 22. Fan favorite Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was brought back on a three year, $42 million dollar contract. He was coming off a solid year with the D-backs. He played in 145 games, hitting .261/.309/.463, .777 OPS, or 107 OPS+. That came with 24 homers, 82 RBI, and surprisingly, +14 defensive runs saved.

Moving down his list of things to do, Hazen then beefed up the DH position. Left-hand batter Joc Pederson was signed on January 30 to a one year, $9.5 million dollar contract. That included a $14 million mutual option for 2025 or a $3 million dollar buyout.

Pederson was a 31 year old veteran of 10 seasons with 186 career homers and a .800 OPS, or 116 OPS+. He came with an extensive Postseason track record as well. No longer able to play a league average defense, and never much of a hitter against left-hand pitching, Pederson was brought in to face righties, against whom he’d always hit well.

Then, just as spring training opened, right hand batter Randal Grichuk was signed on February 17 to a one year $1.5 million contract. There was a $6 million dollar mutual option with a $500 K buyout.

Grichuk was another 31 year old, 10 year veteran. He had a strong reputation for hitting left-hand pitching and had smacked 191 career homers with a .762 OPS, or 102 OPS+

With the combination of Pederson and Grichuk to man the DH spot, the addition of Suarez, and the return of Gurriel, Hazen had stunningly overhauled his offense, pivoting from speed to power. All while adding a veteran starter to solidify the rotation.

Along the way Hazen also added back up catcher Tucker Barnhart, and relievers such as Logan Allen, and Brandon Hughes. But the big addition to the bullpen never materialized.

Finally, just before the regular season opened, the shocking news that the Diamondbacks had signed left-handed free agent Jordan Montgomery broke. The deal was finalized on March 29, one game into the start of the regular season.

The 30 year old Montgomery was one of the “Boras four” , a group of free agents that were looking for long term deals, but failed to get one. He was coming off his third straight season of 30 or more starts, and had posted a career best 3.20 ERA. Montgomery starred for the Texas Rangers in the Postseason, helping them to a World Series title.

Unknown at the time, owner Kendrick went to Hazen and the baseball operations group, and suggested the team try to sign Montgomery. This despite having already passed the franchise record payroll prior to that point.

Hazen agreed, and Montgomery was brought in on a one year, $25 million dollar contract with player vesting options for 2025 that could be worth between $20-25 million depending on the number of starts.

Having missed all of spring training, Montgomery would go to Triple-A Reno to make several starts before making his season debut on April 19.

With that, the D-backs had pulled off what appeared to be a major coup, at least on paper. They added two veteran starting pitchers and four veteran position players to solidify their rotation, lineup, and clubhouse.

The owner was true to his word, as the team blew past previous franchise payroll highs by over $30 million dollars.

The team went into the 2024 season with the entire industry singing their praises for being agressive and capitalizing on their financial windfall from their playoff run. Adding this mix of veterans to the strong young core the team already possessed put the team in a great position to contend for a World Series yet again.

Next Up: Spring Training 2024