SAN ANTONIO -- When officers put their lives on the line, entire communities stand behind them.
However when families lose an officer they love, that support can sometimes fade as the days and weeks pass.
But a group of SAPD men and women in blue are making sure that's not the case. The group is called the Family Assistance Team, and is made up of officers who volunteer to put themselves in the line of someone else's grief.
“We will basically say if you need this, we are here,” said Sgt. Tina Baron, who swore to protect and serve.
But for Baron, serving doesn't stop at the end of her shift.
“We respond to any officers involved in critical incidents. Killed in the line of duty, catastrophic illness, or serious body injury,” she said.
Baron is part of a group that volunteers to step in when one of their own goes down. The calls including helping families after an officer is killed in the line of duty.
“Whether it be paperwork with the city, paperwork with the state, the federal paperwork, the actual funeral planning...We do all the police honors, which they may not understand, what parts of the police honors are appropriate for their family or not,” said Baron.
The program began back in the 1970s, though then two or three officers at most were part of the team. Now almost 30 are there to answer the call.
“They may have spent weeks with a family,” said SAPD Psychologist Melissa Graham who also steps in, providing support for the team as they support the families.
These family assistance officers are likely never noticed.
“When we're actually doing any services, we are in polo shirts versus uniforms,” said Baron.
The officers who apply to be part of the team all go through a stringent interview process. They not only help families of the fallen, but also the families of officers who have illnesses or other serious situations where help is needed to keep a household running.
WATCH: Full interview with Officer Baron below: