Have you ever been commended by a civilian

[StudChris]

I've been told by many people at second meetings that they have sent letters of commendation to my Chief. For some reason, however, my Chief does not believe in telling us that we've received letters of commendation, and I don't even know if they're placed in our file.

[Smurfette_76]

Absolutely. Makes me feel good to find a letter in my mailbox from a citizen. The thing about this job is that you never know how many times you made a positive impact in someones life...but its nice when they take the time to tell you.

[janego10]

I've had a few. Had a large flood a few years ago and pulled an old lady out of her vehicle that had died in a flood area then got her car out of there. She sent a thank you letter and a $20 dollar bill. I kept the letter and sent back the 20. Also recently had a call of a domestic dispute that ended in the male subject breaking all the female's vehicle windows and running away like a baby. I took the time to explain to her all her legal courses of action for domestic violence, etc. and turns out her aunt (who was next to her the whole time) was a worker at a women's shelter. She wrote my chief that she had never seen an officer that knowledgeable about the law and commended me for taking the time to help her niece.

[JLee]

Couple of times. Sure beats a complaint.

Yep.

[ch29]

I had a man come up to me and another officer while we were eating and said that he wanted to thank us for what we do and handed us each a card (same size as a business card). It says: "Dear American Hero, I am not certain as to how to express my gratitude for all you have done to secure my freedom. Please accept this simple card as a token of my appreciation....A grateful American citizen.

That card means a lot considering I haven't been on the job very long. I keep it in the pocket of my uniform every day and plan on doing so for the rest of my career.

[Presence 1*]

Yes!

The most touching instance I've had so far was when two little girls approached me in a restaurant and said "thank you for protecting us and keeping us safe". It made me so happy, it totally made my day.

The other day I had a store owner tell me how much he appreciated all of our hard work, how quickly we respond, how quickly we solve the problem, etc... I caught a shoplifter who'd just taken stuff from his store. He was very thankful. It made me feel good.

I had a few others too - and usually at the end of my traffic stops I get a thank you... Not quite the same, but i think you know you are doing it right if they thank you at the end of the exchange.

As for the increase in thank yous lately, i think people are being more cognizant of public safety professionals this time of year due to the proximity of 9/11.

I'll take accolades at any time - it is nice to know you made a difference. Not necessary, but definitely a nice touch.

[Kimble]

A few times. The one that sticks out in my mind the most was when I worked for a sheriff's office, and we did security at a local NASCAR track. I was working "beer can alley," which is the walkway between the crowd and the track, separating the track by a large fence because drunk fans often throw beer cans at the drivers they don't like (lots get thrown at Jeff Gordon for some reason).

Anyways, this old lady with an even more elderly mom comes up to me and says her husband just passed away and his final wish was to have his ashes spread over the track. This was not too long after 9/11, so at first I wasn't going to oblige them, but I measured the two old ladies up and figured it was fairly reasonable to say these ladies were not terrorists. So, I told the lady she couldn't come down to the walkway, but I'd release the ashes for her, which she was grateful for me to do. As the cars zipped past and the draft died down, I opened the small vial and let out the ashes. When I turned around, I saw the lady, in tears and comforted by her elderly mother, looking up at the ashes of her husband being carried off in the wind, and she said a quite "Good bye" to him and thanked me.

I didn't get into this line of work for thank you's (if I wanted them all the time, I would have become a fireman ), but that really was a worthwhile moment.

[ateamer]

Quite a few times. The most common event leading to an attaboy from a citizen is a death investigation. Compassion, explanation of procedures and trying to help the family out goes a long way, and is just the right thing to do anyway.

Not sure exactly when we got away from it, but it used to be that any commendation letter that came in got a copy posted on the "attaboy board" in Patrol for everyone to see. However, the sergeant usually still reads letters to the shift on which the deputy works. The letter also is routed to the Sheriff, who initials it and often writes a "Nice work" type comment, and is then placed in the deputy's personnel file, and the deputy gets a personal copy.

[Sheepdog110]

On 9/11 of this year, our town's high school put on what they called a "Night of Champions." During the half time show, they had the town's fire fighters and cops escorted out and given a pin as a token of appreciation. I had recently taken over the responsibilities for the Junior Police Patrol (education for 4th graders) and had my first class for it this last year. A group of about five of my little graduates came running up after the festivities were over with and sang a song to me while they hopped up and down. Cute kids. They each got a sticker in return for the broad smile they each put on my face. That was worth every headache the JPP gave me.

[dren]

I like it when some random citizen pays for your meal. It speaks volumes if someone is willing to fork out their hard earned cash so you can eat.

[Kieth M.]

I've been told by many people at second meetings that they have sent letters of commendation to my Chief. For some reason, however, my Chief does not believe in telling us that we've received letters of commendation, and I don't even know if they're placed in our file.

Well, first let's check out your file to see if they're there.

Second, if they're not there, I would ask the chief for an explanation for his philosophy on the topic in an open forum. What a jerk, your boss sounds like, BTW.

What's the status of the in-house recognition program, where you work?

[wolfman01]

I don't think you guys get enough appreciation showed for what you do. Since this is the subject of this thread, I wish to pass my personal thanks to everyone for keeping the streets safe.

[In It To Win It]

I've had quite a few people on the way to the incarceration facility, who have said, "thanks for being kind and professional, and not being a jerk." They then tell the story of previous encounters with LE and describe how "terrible" it was. I don't know the story, but the compliment was certainly worth it. One time I changed an elderly lady's tire and she offered me a $20. Three or four times I told her "No, I can't take it." She proceeded to say, "Yes" then shoved it in my pants' pocket and walked as fast as she could back to her car, and drove off. Just remember, most of the people out there are hard working citizens, and just simply wish to be treated with respect and fairness.

[In It To Win It]

It was a double post

[Sheepdog110]

I've had quite a few people on the way to the incarceration facility, who have said, "thanks for being kind and professional, and not being a jerk." They then tell the story of previous encounters with LE and describe how "terrible" it was. I don't know the story, but the compliment was certainly worth it. One time I changed an elderly lady's tire and she offered me a $20. Three or four times I told her "No, I can't take it." She proceeded to say, "Yes" then shoved it in my pants' pocket and walked as fast as she could back to her car, and drove off. Just remember, most of the people out there are hard working citizens, and just simply wish to be treated with respect and fairness.

Hell, that's more than an hour's worth of work that you were already paid for! Congrats on your forced overtime pay.