CPD Chief: Light a Blue Candle
By GuestDear Fellow Community Member:
If you fall asleep at night without worrying that you may be a victim of a home invasion or a stolen motor vehicle when you wake up in the morning, then please display a blue candle. If you are grateful for the fact that upon hearing a noise in your basement, an officer who has never met you before will expeditiously travel to your house to search your home, then please light a blue candle. If you don’t worry about being assaulted when you walk to your car at the mall or you don’t fear being held up at the bank or having your wallet or purse stolen at the grocery store, then please light a blue candle. If you are confident that if your child is choking, your elderly mother has fallen, or you are involved in a serious accident, a police officer will respond and help render first aid until an ambulance arrives, then please display a blue light or candle at your house.
On behalf of the men and women of the Canton Police Department, I would like to ask you a small, simple favor. Please keep one holiday candle out and replace whatever color bulb is in it with a blue light. As most of you can imagine, the job of a police officer is a difficult one, and more so lately, there is a feeling that what we do goes unnoticed. For the past several months, I have been reinforcing to our officers that our community and our department is truly unique. Our residents appreciate us and we gratefully try to earn their respect every day. We do this by treating every member of our community with dignity and respect regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or anything else — a philosophy we have stated in our mission statement for the past 11 years.
To the general public, the “blue lights” may seem like a trivial gesture. However, for those of us in law enforcement, it is a huge show of needed support. My hope is that every resident will display a blue light in their window and realize that long after the candles are extinguished, the light will continue to illuminate the night for those of us who have the privilege of serving and protecting our community.
Thanks and have a safe and healthy 2015!
Kenneth N. Berkowitz
Chief of Police
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=28154
Posted by Guest
on Jan 8 2015. Filed under Featured Content, From One Citizen to Another, Opinion.
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