Have you ever been commended by a civilian

[Cavpat]

I'm active duty military, and whenever I'm at a store/restaraunt (usually while on lunch break in uniform) and they offer a military discount, I ask if they offer a law enforcement discount or firefighter discount. The usual response is a confused look on their face as they say "Uhh no, I don't think so." To which I reply, "Why not?"

[PtlCop]

Last week after I wrote somebody a ticket, she said thanks for being such a cool cop. I could have wrote her 3, but I told her I really only write 1 when I stop people.

I've had people thank me profusely for writing them only a warning. I've also had parents call in and thank me for stopping their son/daughter from driving like idiots.

[PtlCop]

I've gotten many, and like everyone else...it always boosts your morale for the day. I've even gotten some "thanks for trying" type of letters. Once when doing CPR on an amish heart attack victim I got a letter thanking me for trying to save their family member, and that the whole village was praying for me type of thing. That was awfully nice. I pulled a 4 year old out of a fire 8 years ago and may have saved her life...that family has sent me a Christmas card with a photo of her as she grows up each Christmas. It's always nice to get that.

I got a letter in my mailbox just the other day which started out sounding like a compliment, but was actually written in jest. It said basically "thank you for arresting me for OWI, since you did your job so well, I've lost mine, my wife has moved out, i'm probably going to lose my kids, etc, etc, etc. He also made sure to point out that he'd drank so much that night because he and his wife had gotten into an argument. I found it funny, because he denied drinking the whole time and was a belligerent @ss. I made sure to scan the letter and forward it to the prosecutor to add to the case file.

[Monkeybomb]

Several times. One was a member here and put up a thread about the encounter. I got a letter from my boss and I sent them a PM thanking them. I think it embarassed them a bit.

[FtrLaw002]

Great thread!

[fleetguy]

Last week after I wrote somebody a ticket, she said thanks for being such a cool cop. I could have wrote her 3, but I told her I really only write 1 when I stop people.

[janego10]

I was directing traffic on a horribly rainy day on the expressway after a traffic accident. We are issued raincoats, but have no hood so the water just goes in through the neck and down your uniform. So needless to say I was completely soaked and not a happy camper standing there praying the 18 wheelers wouldnt ram me and my vehicle into oblivion. An old man in his vehicle gets in the lane adjacent to my unit and rolls down his window. 99% of the time this precedes "uh, what happened down the highway?" which just irritates me more but instead he stuck out a new umbrella and said that I needed it more than he did. I declined it (I think it would just look foolish to be directing traffic while holding up an umbrella) and thanked him and he went on his way. At least for that day, i knew not everyone was a jerk.

[k91king3]

Nothing "official" but, a few times after 9/11 and also during Hurricane Katrina Response down in MS. It fealt really good. I remember one guy shortly after 9/11 who came up to me and said excuse me officer.... Of course I was like WTF I don't need any S#&T right now (we had been working 13 hour shifts 6-7 days a week for like 8 weeks straight) I was tired and cranky but, after I said what he said "I just wanted to say Thank you for what you do. I know it's a thankless job and just wanted you to know it matters" I was like Damn! That was nice. It fealt good. Down in MS after Katrina I kept seeing the same girl at a Temporary medical aid station I was stationed out at. She was there for a broken leg she suffered from the storm and receiving various treatment. Most all of the hospitals in the area were over croweded or not in service cause of bad storm damage so peole would come to these like "MASH" units for care. I saw her at least 4-5 times there one day after leaving she came up to me and just hugged me and said thank you for coming to help us and that i was always really sweet to her each time she came in. It fealt really good to hear that from a citizen.

[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.

[In It To Win It]

It was a double post

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.