By Ariele Vaccaro
Five O’Clock Steakhouse manager Stelio Kalkounos passed out lunch to District 3 Captain Jason Smith. Photo by Ariele Vaccaro.
The wives and girlfriends of Milwaukee police officers were busy this past Saturday, Sept. 19, visiting four police stations to send cops a message of gratitude through actions rather than words.
These women are part of a group called Hearts Behind the Badge. As part of Thank a Police Officer Day, they stopped to give out gift bags and say, “Thank you.”
Robyn Booth is the girlfriend of one Milwaukee police officer.
She spent the night packing up bags with goodies — a water bottle, some snacks, and a “thank you” note from a Milwaukee student — alongside her fellow Hearts Behind the Badge members.
At the end of the night, the group had put together 1,400 bags, the contents all donated by local schools and organizations.
Pictured above are the goodie bags arranged by Hearts Behind the Badge. Photo by Ariele Vaccaro.
“I don’t see any reason why, if you see a police officer, you can’t thank them for what they do,” said Booth.
This is the first time the group has showed gratitude to officers on such a scale, and Booth hopes to see enthusiasm for this kind of action continue to grow.
“They need the support and they need the motivation to keep doing what they’re doing.”
At the District 3 station on 49th St. and Lisbon Ave., it wasn’t just the ladies that came to show their appreciation for the officers’ hard work.
Five O’Clock Steakhouse, a restaurant located within District 3, reached out to Heart Behind the Badge to get involved in the Thank a Police Officer Day festivities.
On Saturday, Five O’Clock Steakhouse manager Stelio Kalkounos stood behind a table, cooking tongs in hand, passing out generous piles of shaved beef and salad to hungry District 3 police officers, and thanking each one of them as they came through the line.
District 3 police officers enjoy lunch courtesy of Five O’Clock Steakhouse, a restaurant within the district. Photo by Ariele Vaccaro.
“They’re human beings. They work hard. They’re doing a job that is critical, especially for these developing areas of Milwaukee, and it is in our business to be of service to the community,” said Stelio.
He recalled a quiet summer in the restaurant’s north side neighborhood, and offered that Milwaukee officers are not sufficiently recognized for their work.
Richard Litwin, District 3 officer and temporary liaison to the FBI’s violent crimes task force was one of the officers that sat down to enjoy a lunch with his co-workers.
To Litwin, it was a welcome show of gratitude during a time of high criticism for law enforcement.
“It’s very warming,” said Litwin, who has just had his 20th anniversary with the force.
He said that he is able to recognize good police work and sees it often, but is thrilled to see that the public is able to recognize it as well.
Common Council President Michael Murphy also stopped in and took a seat beside the officers as they enjoyed their lunch.
Though Hearts Behind the Badge is limited to visiting four Milwaukee police stations, Booth said another police advocacy group, Shielded Hearts, will be visiting not only the rest of the Milwaukee stations in addition to a number of stations all over the state.