Law Enforcement Appreciation Month

By Chase Jack

This month is law enforcement appreciation month. Citizens that appreciate law enformcement and are discouraged about the negative attention being given to police forces in the media may want to reach out to a police officer and thank them this month.

The Lenape Tech resource officer, Officer Polka, was interviewed on her thoughts about her career. She stated, ” The hardest part of my job is wanting to help everybody and knowing that I can’t. In any situation one wants to help people, but not everybody wants to be helped. I try to make a difference in any way that I can even if it is a smile, lending a helping hand, or just giving someone encouragement.” Additionally, she was asked about the recent rioting and she said that the violence and desctruction made her sad. She feels judging all police officers for individual mistakes is unfair, and makes this time in our history difficult to be a police officer.

Some LEIT students were interviewed about why they entered this career choice, and Nick Lane said, “I have a family history in this profession. I love the idea of protecting and serving and getting to be a shining light to people.” Evan Oresick, another LEIT student, commented on the rioting, “We can not defund the police and expect to be protected in our community.”

A student outside of the LEIT shop, Brett Minarcin, said that he has had positive experiences with police officers. He reflected on a time when his sister and him were in a situation where a police officer was kind, caring, and willing to give help.

It is important to appreciate the members of any community who are trying to protect, serve, and contribute.