Show support for law enforcement on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

This coming Sunday, January 9th, is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day—a well-deserved day to thank and show support to law-enforcement officers for their dedication to duty and service to their local communities, as well as protecting the people who live and work in the communities.

On behalf of L3Harris, a Florida-based company that provides critical communications services to law-enforcement agencies across the state, we say “Thank you” to all law-enforcement officers everywhere for making the choice to serve and protect. While people understand that law enforcement is a serious and dangerous line of work that could potentially mean an officer making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, people might not be aware of the many other sacrifices law-enforcement officers make every day.

As two retired Florida Highway Patrol troopers with 70 years of combined experience, we understand those other sacrifices all too well and we want to recognize some of the aspects of law enforcement that the average citizen might not be aware of.

Whether it’s working planned shifts or being called into duty for emergency responses and all-hands-on-deck situations, there are so many times when law-enforcement officers are called away from their families and are forced to miss holidays, birthdays, kids’ games, school events and more. While most of us sleep, there are officers who work the night shift, wondering if the long night ahead will be filled with extreme boredom or extreme challenges. There are many of us who have thankfully been able to retire, but many do so with varying degrees of injuries that will impact the rest of their lives.

We deeply appreciate the men and women out there who not only put their lives on the line to protect the safety of their communities and their residents, but also make a multitude of other significant sacrifices in their lives.

And while we express our appreciation to the law-enforcement community, it is also important that we thank those who support law enforcement. To the families of law-enforcement officers, thank you for being there for them, for understanding when they cannot be around, and for helping them get through the many emotional ups and downs they experience during their careers.

So this Sunday, please take some time to show your appreciation for law-enforcement professionals everywhere. You can wear blue to show your support of law enforcement. You can send a thank-you note or letter of support to your local police department or sheriff’s office. And you can share a story on social media about a positive law-enforcement experience you’ve had.

Most importantly, if you see an officer, tell him or her thank you. It means so much to officers to know that their sacrifices don’t go unnoticed and that they are valued.

Steve Williams and Keith Gaston each worked for more than 30 years at the Florida Highway Patrol, and both play key roles at L3Harris in the planned upgrade of Florida’s Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) to  P25 technology.