FACTS ABOUT NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY
NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY
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| Photo: National Day Calendar |
Across the country on January 9th each year, citizens take the lead to show support on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.
Law Enforcement Officers of every rank and file have chosen a profession that puts their life on the line every day for their communities. They’ve answered a call to public service that is demanding and often unappreciated.
From local, state and federal, their duties command dedication. The jobs are often thankless and take them away from their families for long hours. Rarely do they know what their days have in store for them. Often law enforcement are the only paid emergency resource a community has. More often they work in coordination with other local, state, and federal organizations to make communities safer, cites nationaldaycalendar.
On National Law Enforcement Day, we have an opportunity to thank them for their service and offer a token of respect.
HOW TO OBSERVE #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay
There are several ways to show your support. Send a note of thanks to your local, county or state police agency. Wear blue, turn your social media channels blue or shine a blue porch light to show your support. Find more ideas at Concerns of Police Survivors and share your support using #NationalLawEnforcementAppreciationDay to share on social media.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY
For a while the United States’ idea of law enforcement was fairly loose. The Wild West was, well, wild. And most states and cities didn’t consider emergency services like firefighters and police officers to be necessary until much later than most would think. In the mid 1800s, most law enforcement was carried out in the form of posse comitatus, where the sheriff and a posse of volunteers and deputies (much like the stereotypical Westerns of the 1960s) would enforce laws rather than a centralized police force.
Once the 20th century rolled around most larger cities, counties, and states had developed a centralized police or sheriff’s department. In doing so, most of the country slowly started to see a reduction in the “Wild West” and a more tame and domesticated America, despite many of the newly formed local authorities needing to pick sides in a rise of unionizing laborers going on strike.
Whether its civil unrest, labor strikes, huge sporting events, or just helping a cat get down from a tree, law enforcement officers are a critical part of our lives, woven into the everyday fabric of living in America. They keep our neighborhoods safe and help ensure that whatever it is you need to do, you can do with peace of mind.
National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day was created by multiple organizations in 2015 to express their gratitude for officers in the United States. In support of their services citizens are encouraged to do their part in thanking the law enforcers on this day. One of the main organizations to take the lead in this is C.O.P.S – Concerns of Police Survivors. According to them, law enforcement officers need to be shown that the difficult career path they have chosen is recognized by the people who they protect and uphold the law for.
This holiday was triggered by the chain of events in 2014, when a police officer was involved in a crossfire shooting in Missouri. The backlash and violence that followed this event led C.O.P.S to take the initiative to change this negative portrayal of police officers in the news in recent years into a positive one. With over 900,000 officers in the United States, the organization believes it is essential to support law enforcers during difficult times, and a holiday dedicated to them does just that. The day also raises awareness on the importance of understanding that the difficult decisions taken by police officers are in the best interest of citizens and the law.
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NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION STATS
2.5 million – The number of residents who celebrated National Night Out with local law enforcement.
292 – The number of officers in the United States Mint Police.
46 – The number of officers feloniously killed in 2017
708,569 – The all-time-high number of law enforcement officers, which was in 2008.
626,942 – The lowest number of law enforcement officers, which was in 2013.
⅓ – The amount of a police officer’s time that is spent on enforcing criminal law
9 – The number of female police officers were killed in the line of duty in 2017
NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION DAY ACTIVITIES
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| Photo: National Today |
Show support on social media and by wearing blue
To promote awareness of support for law enforcement on L.E.A.D., consider showing support on your social media outlets. Perhaps change your profile photo to a badge or a thin blue line logo. And you can wear blue on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day to show support. Not everyone knows a police officer personally, so social media is a good place to start making a difference.
Organize a Neighborhood Watch program
Although the National Crime Prevention Council oversees the Neighborhood Watch program, local law enforcement will work with you on setting up and running one of these programs in your neighborhood. Contact your local police department to receive some help in organizing a program.
Volunteer or donate to your local Crime Stoppers program
| Local law enforcement agencies operate their Crime Stoppers programs, and they need donations and volunteers from the community to run them successfully. Some Crime Stoppers organizations even have oversight boards that are made up of community members. These boards often are involved in helping to determine rewards or in publicizing crimes where rewards are available. Contact your local law enforcement agency to see what kind of work is needed in this area or to attend a monthly meeting, according to nationaltoday. |
