Every year, the annual commemorations during National Police Week and Thank a Police Officer Day and First Responders Day and National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, among others convey respect, honor, and heartfelt sentiments for cops. The National Police Association (NPA) honors police personnel, and we’ve got competition…making for a win-win scenario.
There is a small-in-stature vast army out there revering America’s cops day in/day out, often depicted in artistic expressions illustrating heart and soul sentiments from youngsters for their beloved law enforcement officers.
Are crafty renderings from children being gifted to cops symbolic of kids’ views of who they see as superheroes?
You be the judge…
Even in the saddest of times, skilled young people have a way of expressing their stirred emotions when an officer goes down in the line of duty.
The Euclid, Ohio, police department suffered a grievous loss in May 2024 when Officer Jacob Derbin was shot and killed during a disturbance created by a convicted felon who ambushed the policeman who was in his tenth month of service with EPD.
Tragic indeed…and some talented young hands made it known to the men and women at the Euclid PD that they are not alone…
(Photo courtesy of the Euclid Police Department.)
Acknowledging the gesture and heartfelt artwork, a Euclid Police spokesperson wrote: “Support from all over the country, and even from around the world, has been sent to us at the Euclid Police Department. A Special Olympic athlete from Port Orchard, Washington sent his drawing of Officer Jacob Derbin #14. Thank you for the lovely tribute.”
Canine-Centric
There is a boatload of police canine accounts on social media. One ripe with culinary flair is called Deputy dog Radar, the partnership of which posts mostly in-cruiser moments sharing treats sent in by any of its 31,000 followers.
One admirer sent in a treat of the non-edible kind, to post on a wall of fame either at the sheriff’s office or at the canine handler’s home.
(Photo courtesy of Deputy dog Radar.)
Cops’ Collage
Cops who visit school settings to put on demonstrations and show-and-tell segments will candidly convey how uplifting these meet-and-greets can be for everyone.
I’ve experienced this several times and always felt the mountain of stress melt away from the interactions with young innocents and their expressions of endearment with LEOs.
In Amsterdam, New York, the police department and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office personnel arranged with the teachers at Mom’s Morning Out Preschool on May 20, 2024. Along with county deputies, a faction of Amsterdam’s finest rolled up and rolled out many of their wares used in policing, which the riveted kids loved.
In turn, the class unexpectedly gifted the officers with a collage comprised of police badge cutouts with the first names of students on them, all encircling a beautifully rendered police cruiser along with the words “Thank You.”
(Photo courtesy of the Amsterdam Police Department.)
Back in the day, it was rather informal that cops and community members sync up and plan to engage children at schools or other venues, putting on a show of sorts, mostly having to do with law enforcement purposes. The highlights always engender the array of gadgets on police duty belts and how each tool is used.
Nowadays, the duty belt and its gadgets get attention but technology usually wows the kids. Drones are an up-and-coming feat that youngsters marvel over, among other technological wonders employed by law enforcement officials.
Contemporary policing has expanded. Many law enforcement organizations have launched Community Affairs or Community Engagement units. These are staffed with sworn and non-sworn police personnel culled from the force and responsible for interacting with members in their jurisdiction (sometimes in another agency’s area, by invitation due to some special equipment one has that the other does not).
My department’s Community Liaison Unit is supervised by a sergeant who oversees frontline officers serving as conduits to bring police programs and personnel to venues in the city, providing law enforcement resources, educating the citizenry in police operations and protocols, and forging bonds.
It is common to see hung artworks in the hallways of Police HQ, sometimes in the main lobby, near the elevator bank, or adorning walls flanking walkways. Speaking of artworks in walkways…
Solid Art Projects in Blue
It is always delightful to witness an educational system supportive of its police personnel, especially those assigned to campuses as school resource officers (SROs), overseeing the safety and security of hundreds or thousands of students and the teachers/faculty. Or it is just being that proverbial listening ear that has ample life experience and offers advice stemming from professional endurance.
A high school senior with artistic skills decided to show her appreciation for law enforcement in general…her SRO in particular.
Exhibiting the iconic Thin Blue Line (TBL) flag theme as a background, this young lady went as big with her masterpiece as her admiration for cops and all they stand for.
(Photo courtesy of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.)
This is a work of art that the school administration and district figureheads approved: the painting’s canvas is directly on a cinderblock wall where folks walking the hallway will gaze upon the gigantic mural depicted in distinct TBL colors and the representative agency’s badge.
“Lakeshore High School senior, Alexis Olson, completed her Talented Arts project at the end of the school year. She painted a mural on the wall of her SRO’s office. Deputy Wesley Dupuy couldn’t be happier,” a St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office press release stated.
Cruiser as Canvas
Sometimes it is an actual police cruiser that serves as the artist’s canvas.
The Haines City, Florida, police department engaged their community during a city event.
(Photo courtesy of the Haines City Police Department.)
Besides the artwork (washable) imprinted on a Haines City police cruiser, the gleeful expressions of families’ faces matched those of the cops in attendance for a special function at a city venue.
A Haines City Police press release expressed “A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended the Pool Party for Families of Children with Special Needs! We had an amazing time connecting with our community.”
Hands-Down Pro-Police Art
Throughout the lunacy of the anti-police movement in recent years, I often introspected, wondering how children would be impacted by such a derogatory and shameful message regarding an American institution any citizen cannot do without.
The “first impressions” credo stayed in my mind. How did kiddos process this ugly nonsense against cops?
Although I cannot say with certainty how many young lives have drawn the answer and painted how they feel about LEOs, this material you are consuming attests to some anecdotal portrayals easily found on the Internet.
These kids exhibit their skills to succinctly convey their love and adoration for the courageous cops who have vowed to lay down their lives for them, should circumstances arise and life-saving measures are tacitly necessitated.
(Photo courtesy of the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station.)
There is heart in art…and speaking from the heart about art, San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station deputies (Riverside County, California) let it be known how mutual aid extends to, well…younger heroes:
“Superheroes come in all sizes.
“WOW! These superheroes were all under 5 feet tall and residents of San Jacinto. BANG! Peter, Parker, Bruce, and Logan came by the San Jacinto Station to drop off notes of appreciation to our deputies. BOOM! Captain Burton and Lt. ‘Thanos’ Roy were on hand to greet these small warriors. ZAPP! Even Heroes have Heroes. Thank you for the support.”
Since pictures say a thousand words, youngsters do a crafty job of letting their law enforcement officers know they are loved. Sometimes it is all for one and one for all!