The Elizabethton Police Department will host “Coffee With A Cop” this morning from 8 to 11 o’clock at The Coffee Company as a means for the community to meet members of the local law enforcement community. It will also serve as a conduit for citizens to take their concerns to the police.

Elizabethton Police Chief Jason Shaw hopes “Coffee With A Cop” will become a regular event.
It can serve as an event for the community to say “thank you” to a cop for their service to the public.
This week’s tragic shooting and loss of life in Las Vegas, Nev., serves as a reminder that endings aren’t always good.
As the world around us seems to be coming apart at the seams, we can — and should — give heartfelt thanks for the men and women who take on jobs that put their lives in jeopardy for the sake of all Americans to stay one step ahead of those who would do us harm.
We read about them all the time — law enforcement officers and first responders putting their lives on the line to restore peace in our communities and the state. They are on the frontlines when natural disasters hit such as Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in Florida. Locally, they are usually the first on the scene when there is a traffic accident, a house fire, or some other upsetting event. Their presence typically means someone has been injured or worse. They deal with stress daily. Each shift brings with it the possibility of hurt and death. It may mean arresting a disorderly drunk who has wrecked a car, or comforting frightened victims of a crime. Most of the people law enforcement officers and first responders meet are strangers. Yet they act professionally to get the job done.
It’s a thankless job for the most part, but each of us can show our gratitude with a cheerful handshake, picking up a lunch ticket or other acts of kindness. They risk their lives every day to keep us safe.
It’s easy to take our police officers and first responders for granted. Unless faced with horrible circumstances, most don’t really consider the police on the frontlines every day. Moreover, it’s not like anyone likes paying traffic tickets or taxes to fund these departments.
However, incidents like the shooting in Las Vegas remind us how precious these services are and even more, how precious the people that serve us are.
Our police risk their lives every day, so we can feel safe.
We spend a good deal of time writing police reports. It’s no secret crime sells newspapers.
The officers and deputies we quote in reference to these stories are well known to our reporters. We know their names by heart, and have expectations of them. With that in mind, it seems almost impossible that these men and women are anything if not immortal.
But they are. They are made of the same flesh and blood we are. These are people with families and friends. They are mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. They are no different than anyone else, yet they choose to do a job that grants them a double-edged sword of potential notoriety and infamy. And we adore them for that while far too often forgetting they are human.
And they are human. They are also true heroes and deserve to be honored as such.
We want to thank our police officers and want them to know we appreciate all they do and stand behind them, even when it may be one of us who gets a traffic ticket.
Where would we be without our police officers and first responders? We’d be in a world of hurt.