(a)
(1)
(A) When any police officer of the Department of Arkansas State Police shall have lost his or her life in the course of employment, then upon satisfactory proof of that fact made to the Arkansas State Police Commission, a death benefit in the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) shall be paid to the spouse of the deceased officer.
(B) In case no spouse survives the officer, the death benefit shall be distributed equally among the officer's children.
(2) The sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) shall be paid from the Department of Arkansas State Police Fund.
(b) As used in this section, “in the course of employment” means at any time when an officer is on duty as a police officer or is performing an act ordinarily performed by a police officer although the officer is not actually on duty at the time.
(c) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to limit or extinguish the right of any officer or the officer's survivors to any other benefits provided by law.