On my hour long drive home from the office this evening as I listened to one of my favorite talk radio hosts, someone called in and said something not so kind about police officers. I won’t repeat what was said because it really doesn’t bear repeating, but it suffices to say that it was something I not only didn’t like and certainly didn’t agree with. To that end, I want to start a campaign that I’m calling “Thank a Cop”. This isn’t an original idea on my part, as it is born out of something that happens to me nearly every time that I wear one of my US Army hats. It doesn’t matter if I’m traveling by plane, train or automobile, someone will see the hat and come over, offer a handshake and thank me for my service to the country. When I tell them that I’ve been out of the Army for more than 30 years, most just repeat, thank you for doing what so many either can’t or won’t do. I remember how surprised I was the first time someone approached me at Dulles airport and offered to pay for my drink as a thank you. I tried to tell the person that it wasn’t necessary, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. In Atlanta, several months ago I watched in amazement as people in an airport restaurant rushed to be the first to pay for the meal of a soldier who was traveling. I served during the Vietnam War and still remember being instructed not to wear my uniform when traveling for fear someone would try to bring us harm so it definitely is a pleasure to see the change that has taken place over the years.
I now want to extend that spirit to police officers all over America so that they know how much the rest of us appreciate what they do for us every day. That’s right I want you to, “THANK A COP” I know that most who read this will support my effort, but for those of you who have doubts, think about the following. There are easily over 100,000 police officers in America, and 99% serve without ever expecting or receiving a thank you from anyone and yet if one goes astray, we condemn everyone wearing the uniform. Condemning all officers for the acts of a few is no more fair than saying that because one black man robs a 7-11, all black men are robbers! Who do you call when someone breaks into your house or car? If we get robbed, have an emergency with a family member, have an automobile accident, we all reach for the phone to call the police. If your child disappears, or you can’t reach a loved one by phone, you call the police. So please “Thank a Cop”.
I bet that everyone reading this either knows someone who works in law enforcement or perhaps like me has a family member who does. At Thanksgiving this year my brother in-law along with many thousands of other officers were on call throughout the entire Thanksgiving weekend and we all know that those same officers are on call over the Christmas and New Year holidays as well.
Think about how great you feel when someone says thank you for doing your job well? Now, think about what a police officer goes through to do his/her job and how great it would feel if people just randomly started coming up to them and saying something like “thank you officer for protecting my community”. No matter where you live the Thank a Cop campaign will help your community and everyone in it regardless of social economic status. It will also tell the police that most of the community is with them.
Since I’m hoping this campaign will go viral, let me be the first to say to the police officers of my small community of Warrenton, Virginia, THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING MY COMMUNITY. Since I travel a lot, let me also say thanks to police officers everywhere, please know that most Americans respect and appreciate you.
I am asking that if you have a chance to read this that you please Share on Your Face Book and Twitter feeds.
I’m Just Sayin. #Thank a Cop
