Law Enforcement Rally Aims to 'Back the Blue'

Law enforcement officers, their families, friends and other supporters are invited to take a stand Thursday.

A first-of-its-kind event is being staged in Polk County to show support for men and women in blue (and green), and other nearby residents are invited to attend.

The Law Enforcement Appreciation Rally takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Lakeland Police Department headquarters, 219 N. Massachusetts Ave. Pretty much every law enforcement agency in the county, including the sheriff’s office and the Lakeland, Winter Haven, Haines City, Auburndale, Bartow, Davenport, Lake Wales and Lake Alfred police departments, plan to be on hand.

Staged by the Central Florida LEO Wives group, the event is meant to “bring citizens of the community together to promote the support of our local law enforcement,” an announcement states.

Dani Thomspon, one of the chapter’s administrators, explained there was a need to bring Polk County together to show residents just how special law enforcement officers are.

“Some people look at these men and women as robots,” she told Patch. “I think people forget that these men and women have children, husbands, wives. It can be a very hard lifestyle.”

With that in mind, the LEO wives group, which is made up of law enforcement spouses and significant others, decided to stage the event. It’s hoped to not only show officers and deputies they are valued, but also to remind residents that men and women in uniform are people just like them.

While the event is focused on Polk County law enforcement, residents and officers from nearby counties are also more than welcome to attend, Thompson said. The West Florida LEO Wives group, which covers Hillsborough and other Bay area counties, also plans to have representatives at the rally, Thompson said.

The rally comes as tensions between law enforcement officers and some residents across the country are running high.

According to the Officer Down Memorial page, there have been 83 line-of-duty officer deaths since 2015 began, many involving gunfire. The month of August alone witnessed six fatal shootings of police officers across the country, including the death of Deputy Sheriff Darren H. Goforth in Harris County, Texas. Goforth was shot multiple times while pumping gas into his patrol car.

As for Thursday’s rally, Thompson said she hopes it serves as a springboard for better relations not only in Polk County, but across the country.

“We’ve gotten such a positive response,” she said. “People are really starting to wake up. All lives are important and people need to come together as a nation.” The goal, she added, is to have a “positive and powerful impact on the rest of the country.”

A similar rally is anticipated to take place in Hillsborough County at some point soon, Thompson said. That event, however, had not yet been scheduled.

For more information about the Central Florida LEO Wives group, visit it on Facebook. To learn more about the West Florida LEO Wives group, check out its Facebook page.

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