This event was a fun to plan. Our goal was to inspire our fellow law enforcement officials, but also give the community a chance to see who we really are as blue community.
We took a different approach with this event by opening up about personal issues Peace Officers have on and off job. We held this event in San Mateo, CA on April 7, 2018.
This unique event was planned for both the officer and the civilian, as we felt there was a need to start bridging the gap between the two.
I had carefully selected the speakers for the day, as each one of them would bring a special attribute to our event. I opened up the event with a personal story on how the death of a fellow blue brother effected my hubby, myself and the community. Our speakers shared an array of topics. They touched on depression, perspectives from a daughter of an officer, a wife of a deputy, inspirational work-related events, perspective of the media, personal experiences and life obstacles were some of the included subjects in the speakers presentations.
Then event started off with a blessing from a Mother Champion, a chaplain. She honored, blessed, and lifted up our Peace Officers and their families. We proceeded to have the speakers go on stage and talk about their personal stories and share their experiences in law enforcement. They talked about how they coped with overcoming obstacles, their joys, and achievements in the personal and professional life. The personal stories that were shared showed the civilians how we are more the same in our personal and professional life, than different.
The event lasted about 2 hours, and it was a joy to see the community, the Peace Officers, and their families gather in peace. At the end of the conference we gathered and enjoyed a delicious appetizer spread put together by the women's ministry from Calvary San Mateo. With the help of Mountain View Public Safety Foundation, we were able to put together some swag bags for the adults and children who attended. We had a uplifting time hearing the inspirational testimonies.
I personally look forward to planning another one soon. The feedback from the community was phenomenally. One lady expressed to me that now she has a better understanding of the life of Peace Officer and now knows how to specifically prayer for their safety and their families. I also had a teen come up to me to let me know that she was moved by the personal story of our female officer, Rodshetta Smith. Opening up about our law enforcement lifestyle gave hope to our blue family and confirmation to the community that Officers are human to.
Special Thanks To Our Speakers!
Victoria M. Newman- President of How2LoveYourCop, Author, Speaker. Contact Victoria at: www.how2loveyourcop.com
Stanley Roberts- TV reporter and creator of the award winning People Behaving Badly Segment which airs daily on KRON 4 News.
Mariah Pizano- Founder of Something Blue Ministries, Author with Law Enforcement Today. Contact Mariah at: Somethingblueministries@gmail.com
Rodshetta Smith- Mountain View Police Officer.
Sheila- Daughter of Police Officer
Jason Frei- Lead Pastor at Calvary San Mateo.
Contact Jason at: pastorjfrei@gmail.com
Crystal Ienni- Founder of Faith.Wife.Hero, Peace Officer Wives of California, Author with Law Enforcement Today. Contact Crystal at: faith.wife.hero@gmail.com