A Story for National Thank A Police Officer Day from
Sergeant Grasso
Thank You to my Brothers and Sisters in Blue
When I was growing up my father was a Police Officer in a large New England city. As a child I remember many nights my when father would be working evenings and my mother would have the police scanner on listening for his voice. On one occasion when I was about ten years old I remember listening to the scanner and hearing my father in a pursuit of a stolen car. The next thing I heard was my father yelling “Shots Fired, Shots Fired”. I remember being scared and for what took only seconds to hear he was ok felt like an eternity. At the time I did not understand why my dad ever became, or why he wanted to continue, to be a police officer.
As I grew up I followed in my father’s footsteps and graduated from the police academy and worked in a busy community. I was able to experience many of the different challenges and obstacles that came with the job. I have worked many holidays and birthdays, missed family events and was away from home during blizzards and hurricanes. Every young police officer states he wants to “make a difference in the community.” I have received several commendations for my actions on the job but some of the most rewarding times were when someone from the community would come up to me and say thank you…you made a difference.
One of the more rewarding things was when I served as a High School Resource Officer. I worked very hard at interacting with both the staff and students showing them that police officers are human and that we are there to help them. I remember several of the students who told me I changed their direction in life. Two of my students later became police officers and thanked me for their career choices. Thank a Police Officer day shows Officers that they are affecting lives and making a difference.
So now that I have retired from the police department I can look back and say, I did make a difference, and the sacrifices were more than worth it. I have such a deep respect for the many men and women who make daily sacrifices to serve their communities.
I just want to say thank you to all my brothers and sisters in blue!
Each of you makes a difference every day.
Author: Sergeant Grasso (retired)
A retired police Sergeant with over 27 years Law Enforcement experience graduating from the Connecticut Police Academy and the Institute of Police Technology and Management at the University of North Florida.
Sergeant Grasso began his career in 1986 with the Ellington Connecticut Police Department working as a Patrol Officer, then moved to the Town of Enfield, Connecticut retiring as a Police Sergeant, Accident Reconstructionist and Regional Traffic Reconstruction Team Commander in 2013. During his tenure in Enfield he served as the Town’s Director of Emergency Management, Law Enforcement Grant Writer, Public Information Officer and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Liaison for the town. Sergeant Grasso is a court deemed expert in several different specialized areas of motor vehicle collision reconstruction. Sergeant Grasso served on the ANSI D-16 panel and is currently a Certified Police Academy Instructor in the areas of Collision Investigation and Traffic Enforcement.
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