I am the daughter of a police officer, my dad is a state trooper who worked the road for over 10 years then moved on to homicide and detective work and now works on a special task force. The Indiana State Police have been a part of my family my entire life and I wouldn’t change a thing. These are reasons to say thank you to those in law enforcement.

Say thank you because he left his family on special holidays and stayed home on vacations to make the state safer for you and to protect you. My dad has been with the Indiana State Police for almost 20 years. His job may have changed through time but one thing has remained constant, up until he was promoted to the Indiana Crimes Against Children task force. Family time and events were never a sure thing. When you have a family member in police, they are never fully yours. Their job is one that can be called upon in any moment, especially when they work in units like meth, marijuana, search and rescue recovery or motorcycles. In second grade I was having a birthday party with about fourteen kids and before my parents even had to the opportunity to walk over to the school to come pick us up, he was called out. A person had drowned in a lake and needed to be recovered. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence; many events and vacations over the years have been ruined because of his work. Most recently it was the case with Jared Fogle; instead of coming to PCB with my mom and sister, he had to stay home and work. There have been moments throughout my life when I have resented this. I wanted my dad home, I wanted to spend time with him and not share him with the state of Indiana. Yet, as I grew older I came to appreciate his work - although he may have missed family events, he was doing good when many people in our society are not. The cases he has completed, the tickets he wrote and the people he arrested were all in an effort to make our society safer and not many people can say one of their parents does a job where they do so much good and get zero to none in terms of thanks.

Say thank you because he puts his life on the line everyday in order to protect you. My dad wakes up in the morning, like every other person in law enforcement, and immediately puts on his bulletproof vest before leaving for work. The amount of officers killed every year in our country is a number that no one thinks about, yet you should. In the state of Indiana alone there are at least two a year and in recent years the number has been as high as seven. The people who are killed in the line of duty trying to protect and serve have families and loved ones too. Every year my dad rides in a bicycle around the state, which is about 1,000 miles in order to raise money for the survivors of police killed in the line of duty. These families no longer have a dad, mom, sister, brother, wife, or husband in their life; someone special was taken from them way too soon. These officers watch their brothers and sisters in arms being laid to rest at an age when death should not be on their door step knocking. Yet, our officers are receiving death threats instead of being thanked for putting their life on the line to keep us safe. When I was about nine years old, I started to understand that bad things can happen to Daddy. Other students in my class would say negative things their parents told them. In high school and now college the common phrase “F*** the police” became popular and then the negative publicity hit. My dad chose his job and loves it, yet the worry that accompanies the job for the family is one no one should have to experience. I shouldn’t have to question whether my dad will come home alive or not when serving a search warrant, but I do. A little thank you means a lot to them when they put their life on the line for you.

Say thank you because he sees a side of our society that no one should have to experience. Police see the side of society that can only be seen in a negative light - the drunk drivers, the child pornographers, the drug dealers, the murderers, the rapists. They make it safe for us and do things that no one should have to do. They are the ones who solve the murders. The ones who get out of their car in the middle of the night to write a ticket for going 25 mph over the speed limit, not because they are mean, but because they hope it will be a warning to slow down and not put your life at risk. They investigate the cases no one bears to here about, the cases about children and have to see a psychiatrist once a year to make sure they have not been emotionally effected. Bad things happen in our society and we trust the police to deal with the problem and not tell us, but we rarely say thank you for doing the job we didn’t want to do.

Law enforcement deserve a thank you - next time you see one, don’t just walk by. These aren't scary people. They laugh, cry and act just like us, so think of two words what they mean to you. The two small words will give them a sense of hope that maybe, just maybe, you understand a tiny fragment of what they do for society. The job isn’t one they choose for the paycheck or the recognition, but for the way they can help. Next time you consider hating the police, think about what they do for you. It isn’t about writing the most tickets, it’s about keeping as many people safe as possible through the laws the government has chosen to enforce. Say thank you - it's two words, not a speech.