National Police Week 2022| Back the Blue Appreciation

"Policeman. A Policeman is a composite of what all men are, mingling of a saint and sinner, dust and deity.

What that really means is that they are exceptional, they are unusual, they are not commonplace.

Buried under the froth is the fact: Less than one half of the one percent of policemen misfit the uniform. That's a better average than you'd find among clergy.

What is a policeman? He, of all men, is once the most needed and the most wanted. He's a strangely nameless creature who is "sir" to his face and "pig" to his back.

He must be such a diplomat that he can settle differences between individuals so that each will think he won. But...if a policeman is neat he's conceited, if he's careless he's a bum, if he's pleasant he's a flirt, if he's not he's a grouch.

He must make an instant decision which would require months for a lawyer to make.

But...If he hurries, he's careless; if he's deliberate, he's lazy. He must be first to an accident and infallible with his diagnosis. He must be able to start breathing, stop bleeding, tie splints and, above all, be sure the victim goes home without a limp. Or expect to be sued.

The police officer must know every gun, draw on the run, and hit where it doesn't hurt. He must be able to whip two men twice his size and half his age without damaging his uniform and without being "brutal." If you hit him, he's a coward, if he hits you, he's a bully.

The policeman, from a single human hair, must be able to describe the crime, the weapon, the criminal, and tell you where the criminal is hiding.

But...if he catches the criminal, he's lucky, if he doesn't, he's a dunce. He runs files and writes reports until his eyes ache, to build a case against some felon who will get dealed out by a shameless shamus.

The policeman must be a minister, a social worker, a diplomat, a tough guy and a gentleman.

And, of course, he will have to be a genius...For he will have to feed a family on a policeman's salary." ~ Paul Harvey

Thank you to each and every Law Enforcement Officer that participated in these sessions. Thank you for putting on that badge and that uniform and heading off to your shift to protect your community.

These are husbands, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. They are people with families waiting at home to hear the sound of velcro (if you know, you know). I am a LEO wife and these people mean the world to me.