National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

If someone you know is a police officer, National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on January 9 is a wonderful time to show them that we understand how difficult their jobs are. It may be the understanding about their hard work and appreciate their sacrifice and risk.

History of National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

For a while, the idea of ​​US law enforcement was quite lax.  The Wild West is very wild.  And most states and cities don't consider emergency services like firefighters and police necessary until much later than most people think.  In the mid-1800s, most law enforcement was done in the form of sheriffs, and an army of volunteers and deputies (like the Westerners of the 1960s) would enforce the law, not a centralized police force.

As the 20th century revolved around most cities, counties and larger states developed a centralized police or police department.  In doing so, most of the country began to decline the “Wild West” and a more tame and tame America, although many of the newly established local governments needed to take sides in the face of the rise.  of unionized workers on strike.

Whether civil unrest, labor strikes, major sporting events, or just helping a cat from a tree, law enforcement officers are an important part of our lives, weaving  daily life in America.  They keep our neighborhood safe and help ensure that whatever you need to do, you can do it with peace of mind.

National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day was established in 2015 to show their attitude to officers in the United States.  To support their services, citizens are encouraged to do their part in thanking law enforcement on this day.  One of the main organizations at the forefront of this is the C.O.P.S - Police Survivors Concern.  According to them, law enforcement officers need to be shown that those they protect and uphold the law recognize the difficult career path they have chosen.

The holiday was triggered by a series of events in 2014, when a police officer was involved in a shootout in Missouri.  The backlash and violence after this event led C.O.P.S to proactively change the negative image of police officers in the news in recent years to a positive one.  With more than 900,000 officers in the United States, the organization believes it's essential to support law enforcement during these difficult times, and a holiday dedicated to them will do just that.  Its meaning is to raise awareness of the difficult decisions made by police officers that are in the best interests of citizens and the law.

National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day tradition

As its name, the tradition of National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day is to express gratitude to your local law enforcement.  People dressed in blue unite with police officers, write letters or send cards to the local police department, share their positive experiences with law enforcement on social media  and strictly follow the law as respect their services.  At the state and federal levels, a number of honor ceremonies and award distributions are held for police officers and rangers.

Some figures relating National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

2.5 million – The quantity of residents celebrated National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day with local law enforcement.

292 – The quantity of officers in the United States Mint Police.

46 – The quantity of officers feloniously killed in 2017

708,569 – The quantity of law enforcement officers in 2008.

626,942 – The quantity of law enforcement officers in 2013.

⅓ – The amount of time that is spent on enforcing criminal law of a police officer

9 – The quantity of female police officers were killed in 2017 when were in duty

How to hold National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

To promote the high awareness of the job to support the law on L.E.A.D., consider supporting it on your social media.  Your photo profile can be changed to a badge or a blue line icon.  Moreover, you can default to blue on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day to show support.  Most people don’t know how a police officer is, so social media is a good place to start making a difference.

While the National Crime Prevention Council oversees the Neighborhood Watch program, local law enforcement will work with you to set up and operate one of these programs in your neighborhood.  Contact your local police department to get some help in organizing a show.

Local law enforcement agencies must apply Crime stopping programs, and they need donations and volunteers from the community to run them successfully.  Some Crime Stoppers even have supervisory boards made up of community members.  These boards are often involved in helping determine rewards or in publicizing crimes where rewards are available.  Contact your local law enforcement to see what kind of work is needed in this area or to attend the monthly meeting.