What:
Thank A Police Officer Day is a national observance, created by the Whole Truth Project in 2012, and observed each year on the third Saturday of September.
When:
The official date is Saturday, September 15th. With the help of Team Captains who contact their agencies ahead of time to coordinate deliveries, etc, many of the visits will actually take place on the day before (Friday the 14th) as some facilities do not have a full staff on weekends.
Where:
There are a total of 14 counties (9 on Maryland's eastern shore, 3 in Delaware and 2 on the eastern shore of Virginia). As long as there are people excited and willing to sign up for a particular location we can add that agency to our list.
What is a Team Captain?
This is a key person who organizes planning for their specific department, coordinates the delivery of cards, lunch, treats and visit. It can be one person (or several) who are in charge of making /displaying a giant card around their neighborhood for residents to sign, calling ahead to set up a time to come to the department, contacting local restaurants for a meal, etc. We have been so fortunate to have wonderful Team Captains who worked together to make sure each location in their area was visited, that each officer had a card to open, and that they enjoyed homemade goodies or treats delivered from local businesses.
We would never have imagined that so many officers could have their day made a little brighter but seeing the smiles when kids visit, or when a group comes in to sing for an agency, or deliver pizza is an amazing thing.
Are you interested in becoming a Team Captain?
We are looking for people to sign up and adopt a department! At this time we ask that each person chooses just one agency to ensure that we can have lots of participants and the opportunity for many folks to participate (we may definitely have more locations available later on).
I don't want to be a Team Captain so can I still be involved?
Absolutely! You can help us organize card-writing events or get your office or school together to sign a scroll with messages of support. You can contribute snacks or treats to your neighborhood PD and coordinate with the Team Captain for that area. This is a big project and the help of everyone is gratefully accepted!
How do we get all these cards?
School classes, neighborhood groups, local organizations and friends and family are the ones who help create messages of support. We’ve seen cards of all kinds and varieties, from Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to Sunday School classes and retirement homes! You can get started anytime and we’ll announce drop off locations for the cards soon. The drop off locations allow cards to be collected and distributed across our entire area (since some counties have a higher number of folks who know about this and participate). NOTE: If you are organizing a group letter or card-writing campaign, please address them to a “Delmarva Law Enforcement Officer”.
What else is involved?
Show your support for our law enforcement. You can choose to fly a blue line flag at your house, change the porch light to a blue bulb or tie ribbons around the trees in your yard. You could quietly pick up the bill for an officer’s lunch or cup of coffee, place a thin blue line on your vehicle and let our LEO’s know that we stand with them!
Can you do your own thing?
Of course! If you wish to do something different for your local agency please go right ahead and celebrate their service in your own way. We do however suggest that you ALWAYS contact a department ahead of time to ask what suits them as far as a time to visit, which types of food items can be accepted, etc. Please keep in mind that not all departments will accept homemade items for safety reasons! Sad but understandable so please call ahead to find out that info in advance.
Visit our Facebook page for more details and contact us through the page if you would like to be a part of this effort. Thank you for your interest in this project and for helping to acknowledge the men and women who serve and protect us all each day.
Our cause was established to acknowledge local departments and agencies across the fourteen counties which make up the Delmarva Peninsula, as well as working to promote an attitude of respect.
Sincerely,
Delmarva Supports Law Enforcement
