John Guilfoil: Today is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, a day that is rooted in the cultural and family communities of first responders.
I’ve been around this culture for my entire life. As the son of a firefighter, I grew up around first responders. The community is easy to dramatize (see basically any primetime TV show) and easy to criticize because it can be quite insular and a bit defensive — not just of the people but of the laundry (defending the badge as it were). It is a family though — a family that most outsiders really don’t understand.
My staff has heard this story before: I grew up in firehouses. I have a degree in criminal justice. I listened in awe when Edward F. Davis spoke at my College of Criminal Justice graduation reception at Northeastern in 2007. I would later work alongside him when I went to work for Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 2011.
Today, JGPR actively serves police agencies in nearly 20 states, and I have trained police chiefs and public information officers from all 50 states and most of Canada.
But in 2013, I had a wing, a prayer, and zero clients until Jan. 17, 2014 when the Arlington Police Department called me in the midst of a large-scale crime scene involving a bank robbery, a getaway vehicle, two suspects, a gun, and a suspect shot by police. That was my first deployment as a Public Information Officer.
Of course, I had worked in Boston during this time:
And it was not hard to appreciate law enforcement in Boston in 2013. However, for those of us who have voiced our appreciation for police before and since 2013, we’ve been met with every response in the book.
What I won’t do here is rehash the Marathon and then rehash Ferguson 2014 or COVID essential workers in 2020 or even George Floyd. And I don’t need to fully dive back into my well-documented concerns about the tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2025, concerns that I have not only published and shared with clients but that are echoed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. I have plenty of people in my life – family, employees, clients, and friends – who have strong feelings about the shooting and killing of a woman in Minnesota by an ICE agent. (My opinion: The shooting should not have happened.)
So why bring this up? Today, on Appreciation Day?
Because I do appreciate police officers. I like police officers. I believe that police are fundamentally necessary in a civilized society and that they contribute to a free and open Democratic society.
I also believe that police are a reflection of humanity, including its priorities, its flaws and its progress.
Policing isn’t carved in granite. It changes and evolves alongside people, societies and laws. That makes policing a function of society — a partner and player in society, not a robot. Policing is uniquely human and can only be done by humans (take that, clankers).
Think about what we ask our police to do: Report to work every day. Train. Work overnight. Work overtime (sometimes without a choice). Work holidays. Then, we teach society to dial 911. Dial 911, for anything. Is your baby choking? Is your house on fire? Is a cat stuck in a tree? Did your nephew overdose? Is the music too loud next door?
Call 911. They’ll come. They’ll turn on the blue lights and get there, and without a moment’s hesitation, they’ll do what their training says they should do. It’s almost always a cop who gets to a scene first. It’s a cop who is handed the turning-blue infant, and it’s a cop who turns over the dying child, pounds on their back, and brings them back to life.
Not a moment to lose. Just action.
Almost all of us — regular folks — can’t do this. We’d fold. We’d panic. We’d run away.
They run toward the crisis.
Most of the time, they do it right and they succeed. They bring the baby back to life. They run into the house and save grandma. They catch the bank robbery suspect. They reverse the overdose.
But sometimes they don’t.
Sometimes the baby dies, in their arms. Sometimes the bad guy gets away. Sometimes the fire is too hot, and they can’t get the car door open in time, and they watch a person burn to death as they beg for help. Sometimes they make a mistake. There is no magic wand. No reset button. It’s done.
These aren’t made-up anecdotes. These are things my own relatives, friends and clients have watched happen.
When it’s over – good or bad outcome – they almost always have to go right back to work, knowing they can be called to the same situation or worse at any moment.
It’s a job that takes a tremendous toll on the humans who do it. And sometimes, it breaks them. Cops die earlier than civilians. They drink more. They get divorced more often. They have more heart attacks and strokes. They get cancer more often. And yet, we still call 911. We always will.
It frustrates me that people forget to appreciate the sacrifices we force others to make on our behalf. (See also, American military veterans)
These are the roots of my deep-seated pragmatism. It’s what made me a good news reporter but a terrible activist. I see not just “both” sides but dozens of sides. When police misconduct occurs, it does need to be called out and addressed transparently, for the good of society and for the good of the profession – but the answer is never as simple as “evil bad guy did evil bad guy thing.” When a person robs a bank or sells drugs, my life has taught me that it’s not ever because they’re “evil bad guys doing evil bad guy things.”
Let me share a relevant story with you about my appreciation of police on this “Appreciation Day.”
I share this simple-but-scary anecdote with the police officers, chiefs and PIOs who take my training classes, and it starts out like this:
Civilians, myself included, don’t comprehend the lack of a PAUSE BUTTON in real life.
In 2021, we pitched a story to WCVB-TV’s Doug Meehan, and he told the story beautifully. We put Doug in a virtual training scenario involving a domestic disturbance outside a home between two brothers, with family members yelling and screaming at each other. Suddenly, one of the brothers draws a large knife and runs at the other brother from a distance of about 20 feet.
Doug the reporter transformed into Officer Meehan. He tried to de-escalate the situation, but we trapped him. We turned the dial up to 11. Suddenly, Officer Meehan was in a situation that he couldn’t control. There was no pause button. No do-over. Officer Meehan reached for his gun, and he had a choice to make. In about two seconds, something bad was going to happen, no matter what Officer Meehan did.
https://www.wcvb.com/article/burlington-pd-goes-high-tech-in-de-escalation-training/35824017
I appreciate that there are people out there who dedicate their lives to this. I appreciate that there are people who train to respond to impossible situations.
Some of the finest police leaders I’ve worked with in my career, like Ed Davis, routinely called out police misconduct during their careers. This isn’t done simply to punish or to attack, but to reinforce the good and defend the rest.
I believe that any industry is stronger when it acknowledges its flaws and transparently discusses its attempts to improve in the face of crisis. The first PR businesses put this theory to work in the rail industry over 100 years ago. It worked then, and it works now. That is true public relations. Not cheerleading. Not advertising. But legitimizing, through appropriate words and actions.
We can appreciate police while calling out bad actions. We can support cops while acknowledging the flaws in both the system and in individual people. We can work together toward a better and more just society if we see that society from as many angles as possible – not good and evil, but complicated.
Today, I think there is a much deeper way to move forward, and that is by looking at the good and decent human beings who wear badges square in the eye and saying: “Thank you. I believe in you. Please don’t ever stop believing in me.”
Here’s what other JGPR employees had to say today about their feelings on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day:
Marc Larocque: The East Providence Police Department gathers at a park overlooking a river and on the other side of the water is Hasbro Children’s Hospital. That’s where children wait for them each week to shine their lights. The children being treated there with some of the most challenging and complex cases then shine flashlights back through the windows in response. They’ve been doing this every Wednesday evening with other first responders for 10 years.
Click here to view the video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UCRWehy1nSTbG7C0s-catFmp_jmJ6iaM/view
Rory Schuler: One Pennsylvania story started with a call to police about a “nuisance” kid’s lemonade stand and ended with a priceless reminder that our local protectors are not just law enforcement officers, they’re our neighbors. The Upper Allen Township Police Department received a complaint from a resident regarding a child’s lemonade stand on July 27. A 911 caller reported kids were selling lemonade “too close to the road.” The anonymous caller told dispatch that the lemonade peddlers were “being annoying and a nuisance.” Officer Mark Sanguinito responded to the scene, and rather than enforce the letter of the law, he followed its spirit. He sampled the lemonade and took a selfie. The result became a viral regional, state and national story. And Officer Sanguinito went on to serve as a local school’s new District Resource Officer (DRO).
Kayla Rochon: Something that stands out to me every year is when I see police officers who put their community first through education and engagement. The ones who go above and beyond to protect their community while also being a part of the community themselves. The officers who try to help residents who are struggling and offer resources and support. The ones who don’t see a quota, but the ones who make a difference and strive to establish trust with those residents old and young. The officers who stand outside schools and high-five every student walking in the door, the ones who help shovel driveways of the elderly and the ones who provide resources to residents and community members struggling with mental health and substance abuse.
Cody Shepard: Living in a small town, you’re more connected to the local police who serve your community. They are parents of children in your child’s class. You see them off-duty at the supermarket or local coffee shop. In particular, I think of the School Resource Officer who is at my son’s school daily, who knows his name and has made a connection with him, despite there being over 550 students in the school. These local police officers are people who often give up time with their own families — even on holidays or their children’s birthdays — to be there when the community needs them the most, and they deserve to be thanked and recognized.
Robert Mills: Professional law enforcement officers work to protect the vulnerable and victims of crime. They connect those in need to resources and help, and they risk their lives to stop ongoing crimes. Professional law enforcement officers build up and serve their communities, and respond to any emergency, ready to sacrifice for the safety of others. On this National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, we should remember and recognize the dedication, compassion, and professionalism of those who wear the badge and answer the call.
Tom Zuppa: An officer’s day rarely involves chasing down the “bad guys.” They respond to routine calls for service, make connections in the schools. No one asked them to manage the mental health crisis that has exploded across the country, but they do. At JGPR, we try to focus on the good things that happen … how Chelmsford Police raise money for families of children with cancer … how Billerica Police played Santa and delivered packages they found in the street … because we know that police should be judged on the full body of their work rather than one moment in time.
Click here to view the story: https://news.jgpr.net/2025/12/03/holiday-helpers-billerica-police-officers-deliver-packages-found-abandoned-in-the-road/
Payton Hebert: I am constantly reminding myself how important it is to be human in today’s day and age. I think of the time we had a client in the midst of a crisis call me four times within an hour, going back and forth on includingone single word in a release, held up by the concern of being respectful to every population within the community. Once the dust had settled, I remember wanting to email the Chief to say, “that is what makes you an excellent Chief of Police. Your community appreciates that level of careful thought, even if they don’t see it.” I never did, and I regret it. So today, that’s my message to law enforcement professionals. Thank you, for your commitment to being human, even when nobody else sees it.
Ben Paulin: When I think of my appreciation for those in law enforcement, my mind immediately goes to the West Bridgewater Police Department, which, in late 2024, in the wake of Hurricane Helene, organized a supply drive and collected truckloads of supplies to be delivered to those affected. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 and swept through the southeastern part of the country. Over 250 people died, with North Carolina seeing the highest death toll and taking on some of the most severe damage. The members of the West Bridgewater Police Department had no connection to places like Asheville, Chimney Rock, Swannanoa, Old Fort, and Burnsville in North Carolina. That didn’t stop them from jumping into action to ask community members to donate and drop off to the station things like water, clothing, toiletries, baby wipes and supplies, pet supplies, linens, cleaning supplies, and first aid items. The result? Several pallets full of supplies were collected, filling multiple box trucks, which were then driven down and given to the North Carolina State Police to be distributed to those in desperate need. At their core, police officers just want to help people. Even if they are people they have never met before, with no connection to them whatsoever, who live 900 miles away. If they would put in this effort for complete strangers who live several states away, let’s take a moment today to try to appreciate what they do for us in our communities each and every day.
Kristen Potter
I have the utmost respect for those in law enforcement and their dedication to the communities in which they live and serve. They are made up of individuals who selflessly put their lives on the line to protect and serve others – the bravery behind that is incredible. One of our Chiefs from Utah shared a story with me about a group of officers who saved a young teenager’s life. He had an incredible video of a team of officers who fearlessly ran towards a car that was engulfed in flames in order to save the driver who had crashed head on with a tree and was literally burning alive inside the car. These officers put all their lives in danger to save this person they had never met, but knew they had to save his life. They not only had a huge impact on that boy’s life, but on his family and friends as well – who do not have to say goodbye to their son/brother/friend because of their heroism. I can’t even imagine running towards flames with no hesitation to save someone else. These men and women do this daily, in ways that we are not aware of. Whether it be having a conversation with a child, offering to help someone in need, running towards flames or simply saying hello – they have a positive impact within our communities every single day.
Jason Messina:
As I started developing Tynsborough PD’s new site, I got to learn about their “Coffee With a Cop” initiative. This is a perfect example of how law enforcement can create efforts to contribute to “serving” in the famous motto, “To protect and to serve”. It’s an effort that goes above and beyond to boost community support and trust, and build relationships that might not have been made otherwise.
https://tyngsboroughpd.com/2025/09/30/tyngsborough-police-invite-community-to-coffee-with-a-cop/
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