Sunday, January 9, 2021, is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, a day dedicated to showing our support for law enforcement on the local, state, and federal levels. Created in 2015, this day allows us to voice our appreciation to law enforcement officers for their service to us all.
Every day our law enforcement colleagues run towards the danger as front-line workers and first responders to ensure public safety, address incidents involving domestic violence, substance misuse disorders, and mental health challenges. In this great state of Vermont, we all depend on law enforcement to protect people from crime and violence. The prosecutors in the United States Attorney’s Office also rely on our law enforcement colleagues to investigate crime carefully and thoroughly and to uncover and ferret out those that victimize the vulnerable.
Over the past two years we have been frequently reminded of the difficult challenges faced by law enforcement officers, many of which have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 across the country, 491 police officers died in the line of duty. Vermont did not lose an officer in the line of duty in 2021, but the dangers that took the lives of those 491 lives exist every day in our state.
On January 9, take a moment to recognize these challenges and to show support for those who serve and protect. Send them an email, tweet support for them, or just give them a call and say, “thank you.” These small gestures are significant as we show our support for those who dedicate their lives to public safety.
The United States Attorney’s Office thanks the men and women of law enforcement for the dedication, sacrifice, and commitment to the rule of law they display every day. We recognize that you make our cases possible, and we will continue working together to promote justice and public safety in 2022.
Our nation-wide commitment to reducing gun crime in America.
