You can make a donation to a police officer fund or memorial, create a memorial event, be a part of an activity honoring officers or even something as simple as thanking an officer for a job well done.
It is important to remember all of the good that police officers can do for a community.
Here are five local examples of cops doing good:
Money saved so a boy could go to Boys Scout camp was stolen when his family’s home was burglarized in March.
That’s when the Preble County Sheriff’s department decided to lend a helping hand.
A deputy that asked to remain anonymous called the family to inform them that the camp, which cost about $200, was paid in full.
This West Alexandria family is calling the Preble County sheriff’s deputy an angel.
Officer Zachariah Hastings of the Dayton Police Department has a knack for working with young people in the community.
Some of his duties include spending Fridays at K12 Gallery participating with students from City Day Community School, helping out with the city’s Shoes for the Shoeless program and Coffee with a Cop, just to name a few.
Coffee with a Cop is a chance for him to interact with some of the residents at Ghostlight Coffee on Wayne Avenue. That's where he met the Belmont High School assistant principal Daniel Hinshaw and an idea was proposed.
The assistant principal’s idea was to have him come in so the students would have a chance to get to know and understand what a he does as an officer.
The students began liking him so much that they would invite him to have lunch with them.
A Dayton police officer, in full uniform, was able to create some buzz on social media after he was recorded dancing in the street to the popular song “Watch Me Whip” by Silento.
“I think it’s amazing to see police officers in a fun and positive light especially in today’s world,” said Jason Nigro, owner of Liftoff Entertainment.
Nigro asked the officer to dance during The Taste of the Oregon event in 2015. The officer agreed and Nigro went out to join him.
You can watch the officer busting a move here.
An Army Veteran, Mark Jones, was cited in a crash in September of 2015.
Jones had gotten out of the military about a decade earlier and was short on money from a week’s unpaid furlough from Navistar. He asked the officer if he could just pay citation without having to go to court.
The officer said no, but offered to give Jones the money he needed to take care of the traffic offense. Jones declined.
The next day a letter thanking Jones for his service in the military and $120 was placed in his mailbox by the officer.
In 2012, a Middletown officer Tim Meehan saw smoke and flames coming from a home.
Inside of the house were five residents, including a 6-year-old and his grandmother. The officer began banging on the front door.
The knocking woke up everyone there and all were able to escape unharmed, though the officer and the grandmother were treated for smoke inhalation.
The family is convinced that if Officer Meehan had not alerted them, they would not be here today.
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