We stroll down our streets, relax in our houses, and feel safe driving our cars without really considering how these blessings exist. Most people just assume this is how everyone lives because they are protected from seeing the other sides of our community. The only time we think of a police officer is when we get the occasional speeding ticket, and usually we are disgruntled. But stop for a moment to consider the job of a police officer as a most wonderful service in your life that you don’t even think about. At our house, we have heard many stories of my husband’s day at work. Sometimes he tells us about all the people that called up screaming at him for such things as the neighbor’s cat climbed over into their yard and why weren’t the police there yet. Other days he has told us about having to go do a wellness check on a person and knowing he would find a body by the smell that was coming under the door. One time he came home to hold our baby and check the crib slats after going on a call that was devastating. He has talked through the visions that stay in his head from an accident where people who were helping someone push a car out of the road were struck from behind and cut in two. He has a pet peeve about spitting due to all the times he has been spat upon, not to mention vomit. This week he was sad when a boy told him that he hates cops because my husband loves to serve and protect this boy as well as all the members of his community. I know you may never meet my husband or other members of our police force, but they are at work in your life anyhow. They love to protect all of us, to serve us, to provide a community that is not only safe for their children, but for you and your children as well. But it is a hard, mostly thankless job of being there in the middle of endless conflicts and trying to resolve issues. Once my husband whispered to me that the only time people show their support of police officers is if one of them dies. We need to prove to all of our officers that it is not true. Take some time this week to show your gratitude which will help to counteract all the negative messages they are given on a daily basis. If you are too shy to speak to a police officer, there are many other ways to say thank you. You can put a blue ribbon on your door, mailbox, or even your jacket. You can put blue bulbs in your outside lights, or you can put a strip of blue painter’s tape in the back window of your car. Wouldn’t it be an amazing message of support and caring if the police officers saw blue in businesses, cars, and houses all over town as they drove around on patrol? Please help us confirm that we do notice and appreciate our police force that keeps our lives peaceful!
Lori Gutzmann
Husband is FDL Police Captain Jon Gutzmann Central District Commander
