WHAT IS POLICE WEEK????!!!!!

WHAT IS POLICE WEEK????

A civilian friend asked me this simple question and like I explained it is a lot of things to different people, but to me it is the following:

It is a time of rememberance, reflection, and the celebration of the lives of the many Law Enforcement Officers who gave all in the line of duty, doing what they loved best, protecting and serving the communities that they worked for and whose lives were taken suddenly, sometimes by the act of a coward, sometimes by a motor veichle accident, and sometimes by helping to save the life of a fellow human being, where the outcome was not the outcome that they had intended.

It is a time of the year when every LEO has the chance to get together with one another, to renew old friendships and to make new ones. It is a time of year that when remembering the fallen it is okay to shed a tear or two and to know that your fellow officers feel the same way, and can come up to you and put their arm around your shoulder and say, " I'm there for you Brother and I understand what you are going through, and it's fine to let your emotions out.". It is a time of comaraderie where we all share the bond of fellowship and Brotherhood as we remember our honored dead.
Various events happen during the course of the week, with the most important that I feel is the reading of the Roll Call of Rememberance. To let the fallen heroes families and friends, and their co-workers know that they are not forgotten, and forever missed and loved.
It is a week where police departments across the land open their doors to the public to put on demonstrations to help show how you can protect yourself, your loved ones, and your property.
It is the time of year where I am busy giving lectures and demonstrations on how to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe when around water, because as a police diver ( PSD) it is not just about the recovery of evidence from the water, or to bring closure to families by bringing their loved ones " home", it is my job to educate the public on how to avoid situations where tragedy may strike.
It is the one week of the year when the public comes up to us and just says a simple ' thank you', and that makes the job completely bearable and gives you the strength to carry on.
But above all else, it is where we of law enforcement remember our fellow officers who gave all, and that is the true meaning of Police Week.
To all of my Brothers and Sisters in Law Enforcement, no matter if you are federal, municipal, customs and immigration, parks service, Marine Patrol or Coast Guard, work safe always, as our family grows smaller too quickly, and I don't want to hear your name being read out at next year's Roll Call of Rememberance, as each and everyone of you is special to me, YOU ARE MY FAMILY!!!!!