Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and it has all of us reflecting on the things we appreciate in our homes and communities. Our C.O.P.S. Arizona family is deeply grateful to our local police officers for serving as the frontline keeping our communities safe.
If you are looking for ways to share gratitude and appreciation with your local law enforcement during this Thanksgiving season, we have a few practical ideas you can use. Here are five ways to say “thank you” to local police officers.
1. Share handwritten thank you notes.
Police officers face lots of negativity on a regular basis. Hearing that members of their community appreciate their hard work means the world to them. Grab a pack of thank you notes and gather up a few friends or family members to write one to each officer in your local police department. If you like crafts or have kids who want to participate, you could also decorate homemade cards with supplies you already have around the house.
2. Send a gift card for a snack.
While the rest of us spend the holidays snuggled around the fireplace with our families, many police officers are still on duty around the clock. Unfortunately, crime doesn’t take a break on Thanksgiving or Christmas, so police departments don’t get one either. Since some of your local officers may miss out on Thanksgiving dinner, send them a gift card to a local restaurant where they can still enjoy a nice meal or a favorite snack.
3. Share positivity on social media.
Even if you don’t have the budget to send a gift or the time to create homemade cards, you can still support your local police department. Write them a thank you note on social media and share it with your network. A little online positivity goes a long way.
4. Display a Thin Blue Line flag.
The term “thin blue line” represents the concept of our police as the frontline keeping society from descending into violence and chaos. This is represented visually by the Thin Blue Line flag, a black and white American flag with one singular blue line. Displaying the thin blue line flag in your yard, on a decal, on your license plate, or even online communicates to others that you stand in solidarity and support of your local police officers.
5. Participate in Project Blue Light over the holidays.
One of the most popular nationwide public movements designed to support the police force and remember fallen officers is Project Blue Light: a memorial that illuminates the night sky every holiday season. To participate, simply put a single blue LED light in your window in honor of officers killed in the line of duty from your community.
We hope these ideas inspire you to share some positive words or kinds gestures with your local police department this season. Happy Thanksgiving from C.O.P.S. Arizona!
C.O.P.S. Arizona is dedicated to rebuilding shattered lives of survivors and co-workers affected by line of duty deaths. We offer programs and scholarships for survivors in our local Arizona chapter. For more information, visit https://www.copsarizona.org/.
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