BATON ROUGE — When was the last time you thanked a police officer?
Stephanie Brown, a Baton Rouge resident and member of the police support group Behind the Line BR, is inviting the community to show their appreciation for officers across the Baton Rouge area. This year, she’s once again raising funds and donations for the annual Thank a Police Officer Day, a national day of thanks observed on the third Saturday in September. This year, the event falls on September 21st.
Brown and other volunteers will be at the Sam’s Club in Denham Springs on September 7th, starting at 9 a.m., to collect donations for goodie baskets that will be distributed to officers. Brown has been organizing donations for police officers since 2013 when she first learned about the informal holiday.
As the wife of a retired Baton Rouge Police Department officer, Brown felt this would be a meaningful way to show her appreciation to him and his fellow officers. To express their gratitude, Brown and her team assemble baskets filled with snacks, hydration packets, and other essentials to distribute to the officers.
“As a spouse, when my husband used to come home and say, ‘Hey, we got to eat breakfast and somebody paid for our meal,’ it really made me feel good to know that there are people in the community who truly care about our officers,” Brown shared. “And it’s not people who know them personally; it’s just random people in the community who do things for them just to say thank you.”
The third Saturday in September is often a busy day for Baton Rouge and other area police officers.
“The day always seems to fall on LSU home game days,” Brown said. “I would go up to the command post and leave a bunch of stuff and say, ‘Okay, tell the guys to come and get it when they can,’” she explained.
This year is no exception, as LSU hosts UCLA on the 21st.
What began as a small gesture has grown significantly over the years. Last year alone, more than 600 baskets were distributed to officers in the area. The effort gained momentum following the tragic 2016 ambush of Baton Rouge law enforcement members, where six officers were shot, and four ultimately lost their lives. Brown said that’s when Behind the Line BR got involved.
If you’re interested in donating this year, Brown encourages people to come out to Sam’s Club on September 7th and purchase a few items.
“Stuff like peanuts or protein bars, hydration or juice packets to mix with water—anything they can keep in their cars.”
The group also gets young people in the community involved in delivering the baskets or making personalized cards to include for each officer. The Prairieville Middle School’s Beta Club helps organize and arrange baskets.
Livingston Parish’s super volunteer, Levi Russell, will also be at Sam’s Club helping with donations. Known as “Officer Levi,” 11-year-old Russell has funded the purchase of 30 angel armor vests for law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge and Livingston Parish since 2016, starting his volunteer efforts at just four years old. The vests are specially designed and can be lifesaving in dangerous situations.
“I wanted to get involved because I knew that some of the officers had kids, and wives, and families, and I wanted them to come home so their family doesn’t have to worry about them,” Russell said about raising money for the angel vests.
Russell has also been involved with Thank a Police Officer Day for several years and loves being out in the community, especially spending time with his fellow “officers.”
“I’m in their environment, and I feel included,” Russell said. “They deserve it, and I know it means a lot to them because I’ve seen their smiles, and reactions.”
Brown emphasized that the support and gratitude from young people mean a lot to the officers.
“I think some of their (law enforcement) biggest concerns are how they are being perceived by children,” she said. “When the kids get involved, it just reminds them that they are making a positive impact on the community and influencing kids’ lives in a good way.”
If you can’t make it to Sam’s Club but still want to contribute, you can visit Behind the Line BR’s Amazon wishlist and purchase items there.
