Fallen Medfield Officer's Wife Knows Pain Of Line Of Duty Deaths

BRAINTREE (CBS) – Kim McCarthy is very familiar with the pain of losing a loved one in the line of duty.

"I just remember feeling defeated and so sad, so heartbroken and absolutely crushed," McCarthy recalled.

Related: Funeral Arrangements Announced For Slain Auburn Officer

Medfield Police Sgt. Daniel McCarthy was killed when a pick-up truck struck him during a traffic detail in 2000.

He left behind Kim and his five children, who were forced to navigate the court system and life without their dad.

"I think one of the hardest things I've ever had to do was tell our five children that dad went to work last night and he's never coming home again," McCarthy said.

McCarthy is now the President of the New England Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a group that reaches out to the families of police officers who died in the line of duty.

She hopes the group can assist the family of Auburn Police Officer Ronald Tarentino, who was killed by a gunman during a traffic stop over the weekend.

The group's executive director has been in touch with the liaison officer for the Auburn Police Department.

"We let them know about the benefits that are there for the family and more so, just being there for the family," McCarthy said.

It is a support network that McCarthy only wishes was not necessary.

"It's a great organization but there's too many of us now and I just wish we didn't have to welcome anybody else in," she said.