What form of "Thank You" do LEO's most appreciate?

avidin · Oct 13, 2014

I am wanting to thank an officer for assisting my wife & kids on the highway last night, and before posting the same question on Alexandria PD's "Ask a Cop" website, am wanting an LEO's opinion on the most appreciated form of "Thank You" for service above & beyond the call of duty?

I'd like to send the officer a case of beer, or bottle of whisky, but thinking that may not be well received, was hoping I could get a gift card directly to him.

A letter to his superior has already been drafted, but I really want to go beyond a simple "Hey thanks" gesture.

I'm not sure that in today's protective climate that I can even get the officer's full name & address, so am at a loss on how to start. My wife told me his last name & 1st initial, which I am hoping are correct given my wife's level of stress at the time. Hell, me being on the phone with her while I was stuck at work a few helpless hundred miles away was unnerving.

I can assure that this is a genuine request and not a troll to get responses about duty and other off-topic opinions of the lack of need to thank LEOs.

Thanks in advance.

MOTOR51 · Oct 13, 2014

avidin said:
I am wanting to thank an officer for assisting my wife & kids on the highway last night, and before posting the same question on Alexandria PD's "Ask a Cop" website, am wanting an LEO's opinion on the most appreciated form of "Thank You" for service above & beyond the call of duty?

I'd like to send the officer a case of beer, or bottle of whisky, but thinking that may not be well received, was hoping I could get a gift card directly to him.

A letter to his superior has already been drafted, but I really want to go beyond a simple "Hey thanks" gesture.

I'm not sure that in today's protective climate that I can even get the officer's full name & address, so am at a loss on how to start. My wife told me his last name & 1st initial, which I am hoping are correct given my wife's level of stress at the time. Hell, me being on the phone with her while I was stuck at work a few helpless hundred miles away was unnerving.

I can assure that this is a genuine request and not a troll to get responses about duty and other off-topic opinions of the lack of need to thank LEOs.

Thanks in advance.

A letter to his supervisor and maybe the mayor if its a really small town. I'm sure a phone call to him thanking him would be well received also. Most departments will not let him accept any type of gift but the letter will more than likely go in his personnel file and could help him for promotions etc later in his career, depending on the department. It's nice to hear fellow LEO doing good things for people. We see so much during a shift that we sometimes take for granted that it's the first time that person has ever been in that situation, be it a crash or victim of a crime.

Also if you list the department(not the Officers name) maybe someone on here works for that dept and can put you in touch with the right people.

charlie12 · Oct 13, 2014

I'm not a LEO but I will pass on something I did.
My cousin's home was burglarized and she was really freaked out when she got home and found her door kicked in.
I live less than a quarter mile down the road from her so she called me. I called EBRSO and went to her house.
The EBRSO Deputy that responded couldn't have been better to her. He was able to calm her down and explain everything to her and stay until her husband came home. He was compassionate and professional.

So the next day I called the Major that was the Uniform Patrol Commander and told him I needed to talk to him about one of his men.
When I started telling how much we appreciated how the Deputy handled everything he said it was nice to hear something positive. That he usually got calls from people complaining.
After we talked about 10 minutes he said he was going to call in the Deputy and write a letter to be put in his file.

A couple years later I saw the Deputy and he said "hey you called the Major about me" I said yep I did. He thanked me and said he had a letter in his file and not long after that was promoted.

So if you see someone doing something good let the boss know.

The Key Master · Oct 13, 2014

I agree with the above responses. A phone call to his rank or supervisor and a letter of appreciation will more than likely help this officer in the long run (or future). I believe that his administrators would like to hear that one of their officers had performed his duty in a very professional and caring manner. As previously stated most of the time when a citizen calls the department or requests to speak to a supervisor - it is usually is something negative but to have someone call with something positive about an officer will make an impression as this officer has represented the department in a positive way. With so many negative things being stated about police officers in the news recently some positive comments may make the supervisor's day as most supervisor's like to hear positive comments about their subordinates

alpinehyperlite · Oct 14, 2014

As motors stated, every department I know of will not allow their people to accept any form of gift with a monetary value. The absolute best thing someone can do for an officer with rank in their sights is to write a letter for their file.

Another thing be it so minor in your own eyes is a simple thank you with a handshake. With the modern publics view on LEO these days and all of the bull **** we have to hear (racist pigs, power hungry, too stupid for a "real job", bullies) hearing kind words is a great morale boost.

topgunz1 · Oct 14, 2014

Ethics laws prohibit receiving anything of monetary value, but nothing says you can't send cookies, cupcakes, or pizza to the station when his shift is working. Also the letters are a great idea.

kingfhb · Oct 14, 2014

Following Katrina, my ex stood in line to get a food stamp card... then used the card to purchase baking supplies and made cookies and cupcakes and delivered them to the station for distribution.

I also agree with the letter... you wouldn't believe how many "Negative" things appear in a service record. Some people call or write letters just out of spite for an office. A "Thank You" or "Great Job" letter ALWAYS help.

Have you ever hear the term... "It takes a million Atta-boys to get rid of one Oh ****!"? Definitely true.

thatguy · Oct 14, 2014

Make a donation to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial or the FOP.

ta2d_cop · Oct 14, 2014

Motor51 and Alpinehyperlite are dead on. A formal letter to the Chief of Police and the Mayor in recognition of the officer will go further for him in the long run than a case of beer.

A wise old street cop told me a few years back, "You can save a bus load of nuns every damn day you go to work and nobody will care, but the first time you screw the pooch you will forever be known as a fvck up." His point was it is a thankless job and you won't often be acknowledge for doing good, but you better damn sure bet it will be made a permanent part of your jacket if you screw up. I have known guys who have had positive letters from citizens not only help them out in promotions, but IA investigations and court also.

avidin · Oct 14, 2014

This is exactly the advice I needed. I will continue with my letter of appreciation to the department, and also consider having some non-monetary gift delivered to the department when the officer is on shift.

If there's someone on here who could put me in touch with a particular officer on Alexandria's City PD, please email me at got2ears@gmail.com. (As I don't think me cold-calling the department will yield an email or home address of an individual officer, for obvious, albeit unfortunate, reasons.)

Again, thanks so much for the insight here, folks.

madwabbit · Oct 14, 2014

Not that it needs to be reiterated, but letter goes a long way. Consider the weight of taking the time to send a letter these days- not an email, not a phone call... the gesture alone is quite powerful.

Just saw your post- you can call the PD and leave your info for him to call you instead.

LACamper · Oct 14, 2014

I gave some range passes I had to nick's to a JPSO that helped me out once. I figured he'd either use them or hand them off to another officer.

ddeacon1 · Oct 16, 2014

My son was pulled over a few months ago leaving a subdivision on the suspicion of burglarizing some homes. The girlfriend called my wife and told us what happened. Since we live in the same neighborhood, I was at the scene within 5 minutes. By the time I arrived, I let my self be known that I was the child's father. The deputies on the scene had already handcuffed him and placed him in the back of a squad car. I was told that if I needed to talk to him, that I could see him at the St Tammany Jail after booking. Shortly afterwards, a deputy Sgt showed up. She asked us a few questions, asked the son and girlfriend a few questions. Within 10 minutes of her arriving, my son was back in his vehicle and driving away. The following morning, I contacted the St Tammany Sheriff's office, explained what had happened, and praised the Sgt for keeping my son out of jail. I also sent a letter to her via Jack Strain showing my gratitude.

What form of "Thank You" do LEO's most appreciate?

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