This month, the law enforcement community celebrated Police Week 2015. For those who do not know, in 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation that designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.
Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, D.C., to participate in a number of planned events that honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Here in Oak Ridge, the Police Department celebrated on a smaller scale, honoring officers everywhere with a ceremony at the Police Station on the 15th. The week was also marked by a proclamation given by the City Council declaring an official Police Week in Oak Ridge.
I represent a group of wives of police officers in Oak Ridge. We worked to make this the best police week ever for our husbands and the rest of our blue family. We organized meals, snacks, and treats for the officers, and hung banners of love and support in the station to let them know we “see them.”
On behalf of the wives of Oak Ridge Police Department, I would like to give our deepest thanks to the businesses and community members who volunteered time, money, and treats for our officers. Without your help, this week would not have been possible. Thank you to the following: Secret City Pies, Maxed Out Gym, Papa Murphy’s Oak Ridge, Fighting Sheep Dog Firearms,  Food City Oak Ridge, Big Ed’s Pizza, Rainbow Florist, Heritage Pre School, all the Oak Ridgers who bought and continue to buy blue mailbox bows to show their support and last, but definitely not least, Ms. Tina Wiffin. Without her very generous donation, we couldn’t have gotten all the supplies we needed to make this week great.
I would personally like to thank all the wives who helped me put this week together, from gathering donations, to baking, cooking and delivering breakfast and dinners, to stuffing bags and writing thank you notes. I could NOT have done this without you. I know our PD family appreciated everything you did this week, and so did I. Even through Saturday, our police officers had dinners, cake, pie, and so much more flooding into the office. Thank you to our community members who took the time to remember the officers during this solemn week.
This year’s Police Week celebration was a great success, and I look forward to many more celebrations on an even grander scale.
Stephanie Criswell
Oak Ridge
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