By Jason KUROSU

A number of organizations supporting police are promoting this Friday as National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, a day in which law enforcement organizations are gathering support from the community at a time when public perception of police is at an all-time low.

Concerns of Police Survivors Inc. (C.O.P.S.), which supports family members of fallen police officers, is promoting Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and asking members of the community to support police through a number of means, including sharing stories and pictures of interactions with police officers on social media.

In addition to garnering support for law enforcement, the day is intended to bring light to the myriad dangers of a profession that is on the receiving end of assaults and the threat of death. A press release from C.O.P.S. states that the police experience 50,000 assaults, 14,000 injuries, around 200 deaths and 300 officer suicides annually, while Glendale Police Chief Robert Castro said that in 2014, violent crime was down across the board, yet assaults on police officers were up.

“We’re lucky to enjoy a great supportive population, whereas other communities might not have that same support,” said Castro.

Castro said that concerns among officers have arisen from the recent shooting deaths of police in New York City, but that he’s told those he works with, “Don’t let these negative things get you down or make you think that the community doesn’t support us.”

While visiting and speaking with officers in other communities, Castro said that the take-away was that Glendale was “unique” in comparison with similarly sized cities.

“We’re a large city with a low violent crime rate and a supportive community. We don’t take that for granted.”

To learn more about Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, visit http://www.nationalcops.org/.

  Jason Kurosu