Growing Up Cop

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HOW ABOUT A FREE HUG FROM A COP? I was raised to respect police and told by my parents if I ever became frightened or needed help just go find a friendly, neighborhood cop on the beat. As a youngster, seeing the local cops walking up and down the streets with their Billy Clubs swinging and saying Hello to everyone was comforting. Of course, when I was growing up things in our country were a lot different than today.
Sure, even back in the “old days” most of the cops were truly there to protect and serve yet there were a few bad apples that weren’t in it to serve the community but somehow ended up as less than stellar individuals. Thankfully they were not the norm.
Who knows why there are more and more police seen on the news after someone …show more content…

Let’s face reality. They ARE in danger with more and more violent people out there.
Bad things happen when a routine traffic stop escalates as neighbors gather around the officers and yell, throw objects and threaten the cops. We all know the recent cases that have gotten national attention.
So here we are, the men and women who everyone once respected have now been demonized by the press, some of our politicians and those who have chosen to use any means possible to make the police look bad.
Now for some really good news about a few Delaware cops who started a movement to change the hearts and minds of a country, one hug at a time.
In Newark, DE there’s a young police corporal by the name of James Spadola. Corporal Spadola graduated in 2001 from Newton High School and later joined the Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq from 2003-2004. He had planned to pursue a career in Law Enforcement yet after graduating from the University of Delaware with a BA in Political Science he decided to accept a job in the Financial Industry in …show more content…

Cpl. Spadola approached his commanders and at first they thought it was a lame idea. To everyone’s amazement it has gone viral after the first FREE HUGS even in May of this year with his fellow officer, Aaron Olicker.
When I say “gone viral” that’s exactly what happened. Their first video had over 13,000,000 views! Spadola’s idea has even gone 4,000 miles away to Brazil. Agencies both national and international are offering a loving hug to anyone who wants or needs one.
Departments that have joined in and given free hugs to their neighborhood residents and have posted photos to social media to prove it using the hashtag #HugACop include; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Toronto, Canada, Olive Branch, MS, Adams County, WI, Omaha, NE and Algood, TN.
Spadola says; “It’s been awesome to see other departments do it.” He also said; “Good deeds occur in law enforcement every day and 99.9 percent of them go unnoticed and unreported. I think what has changed recently though is the need for law enforcement to be creative in getting our message out and to the market

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