To all the police officers, guardsmen, and security personnel, I want to say thank you for giving us, the citizens of these cities, hamlets, and other populated areas, your time to keep us safe from harm. Thank you for stopping the robbery with a chance stop for refreshment during your shift. Thank you for helping store security wrangle that shoplifter who tried to make off with groceries and big screen TV. Thank you for escorting the customer service supervisors as they go around the store at night pulling tills and making sure, the law-abiding citizens, are also following traffic laws.
You put your lives on the line for the people of your town and protect them to the best of your ability whether those same citizens want you to or not. You deserve our respect, not our scorn. You deserve more than what is given to you daily, not the pittance most receive.
It may seem that you have a target painted on your back after the tragedy that has happened in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Your families may not be as safe as you once thought we were with so many wanting to see the police departments disbanded and defunded. The world, as we know it, is falling apart and those simple things, respect, honor, and loyalty, are falling by the wayside to be replaced by ignorance, hate, and self-importance.
I am but one small cog in the giant retail machine. But, as a tiny cog, my simple greeting of "Be safe" is always with all the best intentions. I understand how dangerous your job is on a normal day without snipers laying in wait for the unwary. I want, and wish, you to return home to your families so that I, and my co-workers, may see you come back to our store the next day to catch another round of thieves and prevent assault on the rare occasion.
While there may be the few bad apples hiding in each precinct which have helped cause this problem we have today, that doesn't mean that all of you are racist or cruel. You are doing your jobs and you are doing your jobs to the best of your ability. That is all we can expect. Trust me, when I say that we notice when you do go above and beyond the call of duty and many of us mourn with you when your comrades have fallen.
This letter cannot begin to say what I want to say, but it is my hope that you, and everyone who reads this, understands that there is not enough thanks that can be said, written, or even drawn to show you how I, and others within my store, feel.
To the police, thank you. Thank you. Thank You! For being there and keeping us safe. To the security guards, and servicemen, retired and active, my deepest and most heart-felt thanks go to all of you.
