Blessing of the Badges honors local first responders

MILTON, Del. – Law enforcement officers, dispatchers and firefighters got a big thank you from community members for all the work they do to keep us safe.

Eagles Nest Fellowship Church in Milton held their first ever Blessing of the Badges, an event that’s all about thanking those who risk their lives in our community.

Appreciation, thanks, and honor is what Blessing of the Badges is all about.

“They need to hear an atta boy, thank you cause they hear the other and so that’s what this is about. Let’s tune that out and just say thank you and recognize that these are awesome people,” explains Pastor Bob Weed of Eagles Nest Fellowship Church.

Dozens of law enforcement officers and first responders got a little break from their normal day to day work so that community members could give a simple yet powerful thank you.

Chief Robert Longo of Milton Police says, “I mean we have millions of contacts everyday, sadly the only ones we hear about are negatives so people to say thank you it meant the world to me and I’m sure it did to the other first responders here.”

It’s a way for the community to see law enforcement in a different light and to make it known that despite the negative opinions we see around the country, that in Sussex county..many don’t hold those same perceptions.

“I think what we’re doing today reflects more of a consensus of people, there’s a lot of people that are appreciative of our first responders, but they’re not the loudest voices and so sometimes the soft voice doesn’t get heard and we just wanted to raise the level of appreciation and say thank you,” explains Weed.

And those on the receiving end, couldn’t be more grateful.

Chief Longo says it’s events like this that help bring the community together and that it helps build that bond between officer and citizen, which he believes keeps the community and officers safer.