Surviving the first few days back at school is a huge feat for our kiddos, parents and teachers. This year it has been especially challenging for our entire community and we owe a debt of gratitude to our police force for watching over all of us in and around our schools. Traffic and crowd control is a heck of a lot more complicated and stressful than most people understand. If you don’t believe me, volunteer to be a crossing guard or work as a traffic flagger at the next half marathon.
Every day, of every year our police officers play a vital role in our community yet, they take more grief than we can ever know. So I got to thinking, how cool would it be if dozens or even hundreds of us let them know how much we care tomorrow? Why not take a few minutes in the morning after you drop off your kids or whenever you find the time to show your appreciation for our men and women in blue? Here are a few suggestions:
- Buy a cop some breakfast, coffee or lunch if you see them at an eatery.
- Personally deliver breakfast, coffee or lunch to an officer on duty somewhere.
- Drop some sweets off at the police department headquarters.
- Post a note of thanks on a public Facebook page.
- Send an email to the city manager, city council and/or the chief of police letting them know about an officer who has helped you. (ccouncil@oakridgetn.gov; jakagi@oakridgetn.gov; MWatson@oakridgetn.gov)
- Submit your email as a letter to the editor of our local papers.
- Offer them your place in line at the store.
- Simply say THANK YOU to the next officer you see!
Let’s flood them with love so they know how much we care about the sacrifices they make for each and every one of us!
Trina Baughn 
I think you have a great idea. As a retired ORFD employee I can tell you that a sincere Thank You is one of the best compliments a public servant can receive .