The idea for a National Thank a Cop day came from talking to a cop in McDonalds one morning in 2019 and he mentioned that he was feeling very negative about the role and the lack of appreciation shown by the public for what they do. I really felt for him and decided that many of us just never get the chance to say thank you to them and we should make a day to do so.
A day when the public celebrates the tremendous efforts of our police in keeping us all safe and protecting and enforcing the laws. We owe them so much, so this day is to remind them of that on a national large-scale basis and the emphasis is on celebration. I did some research and found that there were some special days being held in some states such as Blue Ribbon Day in Victoria and Tasmania for fallen officers but nothing general to thank them on a national basis for the risks they take daily. I decided to go ahead and challenge the public to support such a day and started an email and Facebook campaign to develop a solid push for it. My first contact was with Mark Burgess who is the CEO of the Police Federation of Australia. He was supportive of the initiative from day one. Several hundred schools in all states were sent a media release and a suggestion that local officers be invited to school assembly to be thanked publicly. and our first national Thank a Copa Day was a reality.
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