BY Katherine Miller

STAFF WRITER

“Let your blue light shine for law enforcement during the holidays!” is what the organization Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) are asking citizens to do this holiday season.

This organization is comprised of thousands of families who have lost a loved one who was an officer in the line of duty.

Crowley resident Betty Newman Perry who has been a faithful supporter of the organization for several years stated, “We would appreciate it if people would show their support of those officers who have lost their lives, while other officers are still out on the streets.” People can show their support of officers on duty and those who have lost their lives in the line of duty by placing a single blue light in a window of their homes, or by placing strings of blue lights outside the home and throughout the community.

Why choose blue? The color blue is symbolic of peace. By displaying these lights, according to a statement from COPS, “you will be sending a dual message-that you support America’s peacekeepers and that you hope the coming year will be a year of peace.”

The idea behind the blue lights came from Dolly Craig, mother-in-law of Daniel Gleason, a Pennsylvania police officer killed in the line of duty in 1986.

Craig stated, “This holiday I’m putting two blue lights in my living room window. One is for Dan and the other is for his wife Pam, who believed so much in the COPS Organization.”

For more information about COPS and/or Project Blue Light, contact Perry at 783-0562 or 250-2151.