Thanksgiving Greetings for Law Enforcement Officers

Good morning! It is November 26th, just two days before Thanksgiving, meaning a wildly chaotic week juggling the demands of five days into three (a bit of extra caffeine perhaps!?) 😁 We know many of you will be celebrating Thanksgiving early or late, due to shifts and schedules, and whatever festivities you will be holding, wherever you are gathering, we wish you and your family a very happy holiday.

Celebrating the Month of Love: Hearts for LEO

February has arrived, and we thought this would be a terrific time to spotlight love, kindness and hearts. Welcome to our "Hearts for Law Enforcement" project! We started asking in January what wording or agency people would like to see, and folks have requested specific departments and designs which are featured on our Facebook page. Each heart is then added to our bulletin board and sent to the person who requested it.

"Fight With What You Have"

The last few weeks..... December felt as if the bad news every time I glanced at social media just kept getting worse. Maybe it was the holidays....maybe we just needed to make it to January, I thought, despite knowing a flip of the calendar wouldn't solve anything.

Signs, Images and Graphics for National "Thank A Police Officer Day"

Show your appreciation for law enforcement this week - and everyday of the year - with our downloadable designs! 

25 Ways To Participate in "Thank A Police Officer Day"

How can you get involved in honoring local law enforcement? We've put together a list of ideas suitable for neighborhood collaboration, families, local businesses and anyone who wishes to make a difference by saying “thank you”.

Happy Independence Day! Honoring America's Law Enforcement

Thank you to all who are serving and protecting our communities over the holiday weekend. We know it's just, as you so often say, "part of the job", but we appreciate all of you who are out there safeguarding citizens in your community. Please feel free to share, download and save these images as we wish all law enforcement officers a safe weekend. God bless and we are thinking of you!

Happy Mother's Day to Our Law Enforcement Moms and Families

Today we're honoring the women of law enforcement with images and graphics celebrating Mother's Day. Whether you are proud to have raised a son or daughter who now serves and protects, or if you are a police mom, we thank you!

Holiday Greetings for Police and Law Enforcement

The following images are a collection of seasonal greetings and Christmas messages of appreciation for the men and women who serve and protect us every day. Some of these have been created by Delmarva Supports Law Enforcement, and you can see more on the Facebook page.

September 12th is National Police Women's Day

Did you know that in addition to "Thank a Police Officer Day", observed on the 3rd Saturday in September, there is also another important date for law enforcement? On Thursday we celebrate the women who serve and protect all over the world with National Police Woman Day!

Maryland's Eastern Shore Law Enforcement | Inspector George T. Mullikin, MNRP

Wednesday 5/9: Today we remember Inspector George T. Mullikin of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. End of Watch: Friday, April 1st, 1966. ODMP

Fifty years ago, on April 1, 1966, District Inspector George T. Mullikin was participating in an oyster propagation project near the Choptank River Bridge when he suffered a fatal heart attack. Inspector Mullikin was a member of a scuba-diving team that had been examining the effects of various harvesting devices on oyster bottoms.

After having completed several hours of underwater work, he was in the process of freeing the anchor of the research vessel when he surfaced in obvious distress. After being retrieved from the water, he stopped breathing and efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Inspector Mullikin had been a sworn member of the Maryland Marine Police for ten years. Source: Maryland Conservation History Facebook page.

May 2017, via the MNRP Facebook page: Trautman salutes Inspector George T. Mullikin, a diver who died in a drowning accident in 1966.

Thank you to all of our law enforcement agencies and departments. We are grateful for you each and every day! Stay safe and God bless you all.



Sincerely,
Delmarva Supports Law Enforcement
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest

Disrespect in New York

Even before I read Mr. Sutton's post on Facebook this evening, I'd already seen and heard about the last week in NY as a family struggles.

We Stand With Law Enforcement | Police Departments of the Delmarva Peninsula (part 2)

This is the second post featuring graphics in support of local police departments across the eastern shore of Maryland and state of Delaware. Please feel free to save, share or make these your profile images. Find the complete listing on our Facebook Page album here.

Cpl. Stephen Ballard, Delaware State Police • E.O.W. 4/26/17

"I didn't know you and I probably would never have met you."



Thursday, May 4th, 2017:

This past week, as our state grieved, as our officers mourned, as we began to learn about a life cut short, we now know a little bit about Cpl. Stephen Ballard. As strangers joined together at the place where his life was taken, as we gathered in the darkness on Monday night and held candles to honor his service and sacrifice, we became aware of his family and loved ones and accomplishments and dedication.

Did we forget so soon?

Today's interaction, although small, to me seemed to speak volumes. When I thought it over a couple of hours later, I felt it showed that support for our law enforcement still isn't front and center in many places. It surprised me to hear the officer say "we don't see that much around here" - almost as if that way of life has become accepted. I hate that - I hate they are out there doing jobs that many of us couldn't do - and it's become the norm to see so little respect or appreciation?? I'm grateful that he took the time to tell me it mattered - but wish it wasn't so rare for them to notice that people care. I wish we as a society had begun to shift in that new direction that it seemed we leaned towards just a few months ago during Thank a Police Officer Day and again on January 9th. But it didn't last - and it sure seems that we owe them a hell of a lot more respect than what they are seeing....still.

 

Here's the link to the earlier post when someone noticed our sign of support - https://www.facebook.com/DelmarvaSupportsLawEnforcement/photos/a.1214489728576726.1073741827.1214484575243908/1356523507706680/?type=3

We mourn together.

Since Saturday night I've scrolled through my Facebook feed full of comments and condolences; seen images tinged with blue and black fade in and out across Instagram; watched the short and impartial news clips on tv. There's that quote about how when we lose an officer it's not just a department, it's a nation that feels that loss. Today, that is once again, painfully clear.

We mourn together.

This is not an incident isolated to a specific area. Everyone who believes in what these men and women go out to do every day, each of us with a friend, loved one, spouse and neighbor who serves and protects; we feel the same sadness too. Whether you lived in Virginia or know a police officer or simply stand with law enforcement, in some way, we are all connected to each of these tragedies.

I don't remember when we stopped caring about the people who do a job that few can. Maybe I missed how things have become or the way issues and politics and causes fueled by celebrities have divided us. Surely I wasn't paying attention when it became mainstream to declare a war on authority, disrespect authority and run wild with so little regard for one another. To me certain people deserve respect because they have earned it but in a world full of entitlement it seems that few feel the same.

As someone who grew up just minutes from where the events of Saturday night unfolded, I'm connected. And angry. And fed up. But mostly, tonight, I'm sad for a family and a department and a society which has turned into something that no longer stands for what is right.

We mourn together.