To our community police officers,

I cannot thank you enough for all you do. You are the ones that keep our communities safe while we sleep, the ones who make sure we cross the street safely, and avoid getting into accidents. While we are all going about our days, you are the ones directing traffic, responding to medical calls, getting those who have been drinking too much off the streets and catching the bad guys. You put your lives on the line day in and day out without question so that we can live safely. You are the ones who miss birthdays and holidays, weddings and anniversary parties. There are concert tickets that go unused when you are ordered in to work and dates that are cancelled because of an accident report that is taking longer than usual to file. There are the mothers and fathers who come home from their midnight shift just in time to see their kids off to school, do some house work, and catch a few hours of sleep before the kids return home. You miss your child being born, their first steps, their first words all because you took an oath to keep your community safe. I know that saying thank you will never bring back all that you have missed, but I appreciate you all more than you will ever know.

Maybe I was spoiled growing up with a father as a police officer and a brother who dreamed, and eventually did, follow in my father’s footsteps to become a police officer. Maybe I was spoiled because my father and my brother have set the standard so high, and I was brought up believing every police officer was just like them. Yes, there are some bad eggs, the officers that somehow slipped through the cracks and have abused their power. But if you look around, there are so many more good eggs than bad ones. Police officers aren’t there to ruin your day; they are there to protect you. It isn’t their fault that you decided to drink and drive, but they will pull you over and give you a ticket because they need to protect the other drivers on the street and the passengers in your car. They didn’t make the decision not to re-register your car, you did; they are simply doing their job by giving you a ticket for violating the law. It isn’t their fault that you didn’t put on your seat belt when you got in the car, but they are going to pull you over so that they can keep you safe. They are the ones that respond to drug overdoses and concerned 911 calls from family members and passersby. They see more and deal with more in one week than many of us will in a lifetime.

I fear daily that my brother won’t walk through the door after his shift and that my days of making him breakfast and doing his dishes will be over. He and the officers in my town truly dedicate themselves to creating a safe community for all of us, just as officers in other towns across our country do. I hope, despite recent events, that our country continues to embrace the work that you do. That this country continues to recognize that it is not about the color of someone’s skin, their gender or religion; it’s about abiding and enforcing the law.

I hope that more people begin waving as they drive by you when you’re directing traffic and say thank you or hello when they see you out in the community. I appreciate you and I thank you. I hope one day we can all open our eyes wide and see the great work that you do for us when we aren’t even watching.