by KIM HILSENBECK
On Saturday, Sept. 15, if you see a police officer, say, “Thank you.”
That is the message from Madeline Evans of Kyle, who has family members in law enforcement. She is touting the upcoming National Tell a Police Officer ‘Thank You’ Day.
“I want people to thank officers for all their hard work,” Evans said. “It’s generally a thankless job.”
Evans said people sometimes only think of police in a negative light, especially when they get a speeding ticket or have some run-in with the law.
“They only focus on the bad points,” Evans said.
She wants citizens to have a more positive view. So far, she’s had a good response from local businesses and schools, who are donating breakfast and making cards for officers. The anniversary of 9/11 is likely a motivating factor, since many Americans associate that day with the tragic loss of firefighters and police officers risking their lives to save others.
Evans is promoting the day locally, but the idea originated from Andrew Hale, a Chicago lawyer who represents police officers in misconduct cases.
Hale, founder of The Whole Truth Project, said his firm wants to make it clear to the public that a wrongful conviction does not necessarily mean there’s been police misconduct. In fact, he said, the leading cause of a wrongful conviction appears to be eyewitness misidentification.
Sometimes, the wrongly accused or convicted decide to sue the police. Hale said those civil suits can be quite lucrative for the plaintiff. But those lawsuits also cost taxpayers millions of dollars a year.
Hale said it’s easy to see why people might be lured by a potential big pay-off; he coined the term “cop lotto” to describe these cases. He also said that the public perception of police officers has become increasingly negative over time, due to media bias and the use of dramatic headlines. He has a term for this, too. It’s called “Copaganda.”
The vast majority of police officers are dedicated, hard-working and conscientious, Hale said.
And that is what Evans wants folks around Kyle and the surrounding communities to remember this Saturday.
“Most police officers are good people,” she said. “We should say thanks.”
