“Thank You, Mr. Policeman!”

Every once in a while, something will happen that prompts me to reach out and give props to someone. One time I called the manager at my local Tim Horton’s to tell them how one of their staff was always so pleasant at the window. I felt that her superiors needed to know she made a difference.

This weekend, I noticed some kids acting suspicious around the daycare behind our house. They had obviously jumped a fence to get back where they were and were attempting to open doors and such. I made a call to the local police station because it sounded like they were up to no good.

The kids must have seen me out on my porch and they climbed the fence and started to walk away. I saw the police cruiser slowly driving around the parking lot. The officer got out and was checking some things out. I started to walk out to the back fence to try to get his attention, but he didn’t hear me. Next thing I saw was the cruiser driving down our street. He pulled into my driveway.

Ella was so excited to see a police car in the driveway that she begged Sam to bring her outside. As I spoke with the officer and told him what I had seen, Ella came out. “Hello, Mr. Policeman!” she said. The officer was so kind to her. He asked her name and then asked if she wanted to see his car. He let her sit in the front seat and turn the lights on. He asked if she wanted to turn on the siren, but she’s not really into loud noises. He gave her a sticker, which she wore proudly for hours!  When she went in for her bath, she made sure to say, “Thank you, Mr. Policeman!”

The officer and I spoke for a few more minutes, introduced ourselves, we shook hands and he was off to keep the city safe. I was so very impressed with the entire 5 to 10 minute interaction, I had to make sure I let someone know.

I went to the city’s Facebook page and sent a message to give kudos to “Officer Dan.” I told them that we were so glad that he took the time to do this.  He made Ella feel so special and he gained her trust immediately. We feel that it is so important to us that our children know that they can count on the police officers if they are ever in trouble.

I then made a joke about how they probably get sick of people waving to them, but I always do. I then said that I wanted them to know that I appreciate all that they do for our community.  I went on to say, “In the 5 years I have lived here, I can honestly say that we feel safe.  We know that you are out there every day working hard and doing a job that does not receive enough gratitude.” I then thanked them for a job well done.

I was very surprised to receive the following message back from the police chief:

I cannot thank you enough for your kind words, or for the support you offer. I’m truly proud of Officer Dan. He is the first officer I hired, and he has proven himself, time and again, to be a man of honor, and a professional in every sense of the word. It is all the more heartening that your baby girl was made to feel at ease by his presence.

Our goal is to always make you and your family feel as safe as possible, and with that in mind, I’m happy to tell you we are in the process of hiring our final three officers. Each one is a pro in their own right, and I expect the community will be truly pleased. If all goes according to plan, we should be having their swearing-in ceremony in just a few weeks.

Further, we never get tired of having good people like you waving at us. You might be surprised just how much of a boost that can give us on a rough day. I thank you again, and invite you to stop by one day if you have a few minutes, so that I might shake your hand.

Respectfully, Chief W. M.

You can rest assured that I will make it a point to stop by to say hello, sir.

Thank you for all you do!