In 2022, the Montgomery County Police Department celebrated its 100 year anniversary. They hosted a first-of-its-kind birthday bash, featuring food trucks, rides, and music. What started as a small celebration quickly became larger than life. “It was a packed house,” said Bobbi Thompson, Senior Executive Administrative Assistant for the Montgomery County Police Department. “There was about 35,000 people who came through throughout the day."
This year, that number grew when the Montgomery County Police Department partnered with other county law enforcement agencies to create a new event, known as Public Safety Appreciation Day. The free celebration included a “Food Truck Alley,” face painting, inflatables, and rides. It was a carnival of sorts, with a twist – law enforcement offered public safety K9 demos, a helicopter display, and a motorcycle skills course.
The creation of Public Safety Appreciation Day was born out of the connection that formed between community and cops at the 100 year celebration. “It was brought up to us by the county executive and the [chief administrative officer]. They came to the community day we had last year at the fairgrounds and saw the positive interaction the community was having with law enforcement,” said Thompson. “They thought it would be a good event to do again, but bring in all our law enforcement agency partners within Montgomery County to make it a full Public Safety Appreciation Day.”
Thompson says this year, the county pulled out all the stops to give community members a glimpse into the life of law enforcement. Maryland State Police had their medevac helicopter land and brought their water recovery boat for demonstrations. This year’s increase in activities came from the positive response from families last year. “So many kids said, ‘Wow, the police department did this for us?’ They see the police in a much different light.”
