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Community Shows Support for ACPD Officers After Dallas Shooting

By ARLnow.com

A man serves food and drinks for Arlington County police officers (photo courtesy ACPD)

In the wake of last week’s shooting spree in Dallas that left five police officers dead, support for Arlington County’s police force has been pouring in.

ACPD, which prides itself on maintaining positive community relations, has been tweeting about some of the support it has been getting from locals (see below.)

Among the shows of support, according to a police spokeswoman:

  • Six officers eating at the Outback Steakhouse on Route 50, prior to working the Clarendon weekend bar detail, had their bill paid for by a man named Gerald Clark. Clark said he “wanted to thank them for their service.”
  • Four officers eating at Metro 29 Diner on Lee Highway on Friday afternoon were informed by the waitress that their bills had been paid for.”No one ever approached the officers and the individual(s) who paid were gone by the time the officers found out.”
  • On Friday evening, a man named Lawrence Parker set up a snack and drink stand on the 14th Street side of Arlington police headquarters in Courthouse. He served the officers food and drink, saying that he “felt he needed to do something in the wake of Dallas and wanted to show his support for the officers.”
  • On Friday afternoon an anonymous person had nearly a dozen Papa John’s pizzas delivered to police headquarters.
  • An anonymous donor left money at the Courthouse Deli, across from police headquarters, “so that police and sheriff deputies could get some cold beverages.”
  • A group of people delivered handwritten thank you letters to police headquarters Sunday afternoon.
  • An ICU nurse from Virginia Hospital Center dropped off a basket of Starbucks gift cards at police headquarters “to show her appreciation for the work that officers do.”

“The Arlington County Police Department takes great pride in the relationship we have established with the community and is committed to building trust and confidence with those we serve,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “We encourage citizens to attend community outreach events and explore the many ways we can work together to continue making Arlington County a great place to live, work and visit. On August 2, we will participate in National Night Out and on August 27 we will host a Summer Block Party at Kenmore Middle School.”