When is Thank a Police Officer Day? In 2023, it is on Saturday, September 16. In fact, Thank a Police Officer Day comes and goes every year on the 3rd Saturday of September.
So, what are you going to do to appreciate your local officers? It doesn’t matter if this is the first time you’ve heard of this day of appreciation for officers or if you’ve been repping the blue every year since in 2012 (when it started!), we’ve compiled some thank a police officer day ideas to make their day special.
7 awesome thank a police officer day ideas
1. Thank you letter to police officer
Hand written letters of appreciation to your favorite officers are a simple way to say thank you in a long-lasting way. If there is a certain officer who has literally “saved your day,” or who you’ve seen doing awesome acts of kindness around the community, or who is all around a great role model for the younger generations, now is your perfect chance to express your sincere gratitude!
Many sample letter of thanks to police officers will include the following
- A clear description of the incident or service you are thanking the officer for (or if it’s a general thank you, you can describe the commitment he has made)
- How the officer has made an impact in your/your family’s life or a difference in the community
- A lesson you have learned through the officer’s actions
- A closing acknowledgement of appreciation
2. Hold a community thank you card drive
A great way to honor police on Thank a Police Officer Day is to get the whole community involved. The first weeks of September, hold a police officer thank you card drive in your community, collecting as many thank you cards for police officers as you can. When the day comes, deliver the cards to your local police station. Make sure you know the total count of officers so that there is at least one card for everyone.
3. Use your creative skills
If you are skilled in drawing, painting, or poetry, you can use your talents to create a masterpiece for the local police station. Design a painting or write a thank a police officer poem to appreciate the officers and give it to the police chief to display in the station. You could even create a sidewalk mural on the paths near the station to depict their strength, commitment, and bravery.
4. Throw an appreciation party!
Take the opportunity to treat your local officers to some of the neighborhood’s very best homemade treats! Get your neighbors together to prepare homemade cookies, brownies, and iced tea and deliver them to the station for the officers to enjoy (or order some yummy packaged treats if homemade is not allowed).. Don’t forget to arrive decked out in blue – with blue balloons and ribbons and appreciation posters filled with encouraging words for police officers.
5. Make a charitable donation
Support the blue through a donation to a local police charity. If there is a police foundation directly supporting your local department, you can make the donation in appreciation of some of your favorite officers. Share the charitable cause on social media and encourage others to donate on Thank a Police Officer Day, too!
6. Take time to learn more
While this may not be a public or direct form of appreciation, learning more about the everyday life of a police officer on duty is a great way to increase your knowledge and understanding of their line of duty. Reading memoirs and biographies or watching documentaries is one way to grow in empathy and appreciation of the officers serving your community.
7. Make your thank you known
The ultimate thank a police officer day idea is to write a letter of thanks to your favorite officer’s highest superior, like the department supervisor or chief of police. Share as many details you can of what you are thankful for and how the officer has impacted you and the community.
How is this a thank you to the officer? It will guarantee public acknowledgement of the officer by his superior at the least, and at best it will be remembered when it comes time for promotions and awards. Letters like that can go into the officers file to be included in officer reviews. A lasting thank you 🙂
What other Thank a Police Officer Day ideas do you have?
We hope you are able to use any of these ideas to make Thank a Police Officer Day special this year. No matter which idea or ideas you choose, or if you come up with a creative idea of your own, make sure to get permission from the police chief of the department first before taking any actions. Since different departments have different rules, you want to make sure they are OK with any forms of appreciation you’d like to show.
Wear your blue and support your local officers this Thank a Police Officer Day!