How can I show suport to cops?

[PoliceRock83]

Hello all,
I've been a registered member on this forum for only a few days...And already I feel like part of the "family". :p
I am not a cop...unfortunately. Although its always been a dream of mine to be one...Well like I said even though its only been a few days I already feel like part of the family......so I feel comfortable in mentioning this...I wont go into detail...basically I have some medical problems preventing me from being a cop. Now that said.....I'll continue. I figure since I cant be a cop I want to show my support the best way I can.....That's where you all come in. I was wondering if you all could give me suggestions on what I could do to show my support and show how grateful I am for the hard work and dedication to the job. When I was younger(17) I was part of a church youth group and I help organize a "police appreciation day" were all the youth(12-17y/o) baked cookies and made cards that we then took down to the local PD. That was a few years ago. Since then I've also donated to several police organizations. However Id still love to do more to show my appreciation. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. Thank you in advance to all who respond.

[K9Cop]

I had a couple of outstanding citizens from my last department approach me with that same question - more specifically as to what assistance they might be able to provide to our K-9 Unit. Two caring, concerned and dedicated individuals started a fund for equipment that our K-9's needed such as ballistic vests, cool pads, harnesses etc., - items that were needed but not available with budget constraints. Our Standard Operating Procedures would not allow an officer to solicite funds from a business or resident. These two wonderful citizens took up the challenge and presented our plight to the citizens of our community as well as to various civic organizations. A K-9 Unit Fund through a local bank emerged . Thanks to their diligence and the generosity of business owners, individual citizens and various organizations in the city - our K-9's have all the equipment to train and work that much safer in the field. Seems to me it brought the community as a whole together. I often smile when I hear someone refer to my 4 legged partner as "our police dog".

We also had the same thing happen with our bike patrol - where they received a couple of new bikes and gear. Although I gotta tell ya that the cops in shorts (no offense to all you bike patrol officers) did not receive half the attention that our 4 legged officers did - especially from those of the female persuasion

Great idea of having a police appreciation day - I'm sure the officers were very greatful and touched.

Hope this helped some.....Good Luck and thanks for caring.......

[Stump]

That is awesome that your group had a police appreciation day. It doesn't happen very often, and here, they usually only have them if the city sponsers it. It is especially nice when it is a spontaneous gesture from an outside group.
You can call up your PD and ask if there is anything you can do - volunteering comes to mind.
Write a letter to the newspaper, the chief, the actual PD and thank them. Mention specific situations and make it personalized.
If you can't be a cop, what about working behind the scenes? I am a dispatcher and love it. I've never wanted to be a cop, but this is my perfect job. I must warn you, we get MUCH less appreciation than cops, and are rarely, if ever, in the public eye to get public gratitude. There are a lot of support positions that can give you a feel for policework.
Good luck, and thanks for the nice post.

[metallicat]

That is if the dispatchers there aren't LEO. Here, the cops do the actual dispatching. But that would be a cool job to have.

[hwpd]

or u can get a degree, go to police academy and become a Police Officer... some departments even hire people without any degree

[PoliceRock83]

Originally posted by hwpd
or u can get a degree, go to police academy and become a Police Officer... some departments even hire people without any degree

Hmmm...Unfortunately I don't think most departments would hire someone in a wheelchair.........:confused: ....Unless you know of a department?...

To everyone else thanks for all the great ideas.
Stump-I've actually visited the dispatch center down here. It was kinda funny how many people call 911 by accidentally sitting on their phones... But I don't think I would have the patients to deal with the people over the phone....Im more of a "Hands on" person. I like the volunteering idea. I'm definitely gonna look into that.
And Thanks K9Cop that gave me some good ideas too.

[metallicat]

I thought she meant dispatcher as in talking to the police officers and sending them on calls and whatnot. Unless in the USA they do both at the same time.

[Stump]

It all depends on the center, metallicat. Here, we have phone operators who take calls from citizens, and we have dispatchers (who have been trained as operators) that tell cops where to go on the air.

[Island_Girl]

I'm a glorified dispatcher myself, I tell Batman where to go and how fast to get there. Sometimes I even dispatch him for milk.....ever get any calls like that Stumpinator?:p


PoliceRock: DON'T ever say or believe that you aren't capable of doing something, that is what the real disability is when people are physically restricted from doing certain things. Believe that whatever you want, you can have....just make the effort to make it happen. There are tons of LE jobs that are "behind the scenes". Have faith, you can do it!


As for support of the uniform, you sound like you are doing an excellent job already. Perhaps you could:

* become a writer for the local newspaper with a section for recognizing the men & women of the badge (in your area).
* have a yearly festival to raise money for new equipment or to help out officers that have been injured on duty etc. (You could call it "Law-LawPALOOZA")
* open up your own cop shop/website and offer officers amazing discounts
* buy RealPolice.net (heehee)
* just continue to tell people how terrific you think cops are
* just be a good citizen
* keep posting at RealPolice.net

[mcsap]

We have a one legged computer/warrant screen operator in our control center. ( All civilians) Does an out standing job. With 2 good hands and a clear head he fits in well. He knows the ins and outs of NCIC, warrant screens, running out of state tags etc and is quite an asset.

[Officer Moe]

Originally posted by PoliceRock83
Hmmm...Unfortunately I don't think most departments would hire someone in a wheelchair.........:confused: ....Unless you know of a department?...

To everyone else thanks for all the great ideas.
Stump-I've actually visited the dispatch center down here. It was kinda funny how many people call 911 by accidentally sitting on their phones... But I don't think I would have the patients to deal with the people over the phone....Im more of a "Hands on" person. I like the volunteering idea. I'm definitely gonna look into that.
And Thanks K9Cop that gave me some good ideas too.

I don't know why you are in a wheel chair and don't want to get too personal but I will tell you we had an officer retire recently (After 5 years) and is now in law school. Big deal huh? He was a patrol officer the whole time, working on the streets and had one leg. He was very much an inspiration to me. He made fun of a fleeing suspect one night when he caught him.

[KottonmouthKING]

F T P

[zander_zye]

Originally posted by KottonmouthKING
F T P

I doubt that you meant "file transfer protocol". Please avoid bashing the police.

Thank you, and have a fine and dandy day...

[Stump]

I thought that meant Fluffy Toilet Paper.... was I wrong?

[Officer Moe]

No I think they meant "Fork" the Perpetrator.