Breakfast Optimists honor police with blue line project

WAPAKONETA — Wapakoneta Breakfast Optimist members commemorated their Auglaize Street Blue Line project with pictures presented to local law enforcement leaders.

Club President Fred Miller on Friday gave credit to Todd Meier for honoring local law enforcement earlier in 2020 since all around the United States officers were “taking it on the chin.”

Members from the club painted a blue line in downtown Wapakoneta to show their support and honor law enforcement.

Club member Peter Noyes took pictures for social media and those images reached across the country. The pictures were framed and presented to Sheriff Mike Vorhees and retired sheriff Al Solomon, as well as Wapakoneta Police Chief Calvin Schneider and Ohio Highway Patrol Lt. John Westerfield.

“We are very proud of our community local law enforcement teams and we would like them to know that they have our support and gratitude,” Miller said, adding the pictures would remind them of their commitment to community.

Optimist member Jeff Goodes organized the pictures. Goodes, a retired military member, said in the service they typically have a meaningful picture of who ever is in the unit, with comrades signing around the matting as a show of respect.

“It’s there to remind them that the community appreciates the sacrifices they make for us,” Goodes explained.

Meier said after the blue line was installed, he was approached by several groups about painting a red line for the fire department.

“The whole idea of the blue line for law enforcement was simply that they protect the streets, they patrol the streets, so that symbolism of the blue line on the street belongs to them,” Meier said. “I don’t want to take anything away from the fire department, they help us too — they are good guys. The fire department was not under the same criticism that law enforcement was. I used the symbolism of the line on the street that they protect to show them our appreciation for what they do.”

Meier still wanted to show support to the fire department. So club members raised $1,200 for the Christmas cheer program through a bucket collection effort, with assistance from the Optimist youth group the Octagon Club, who helped ring a bell for their “bucket brigade.”

Solomon said he was thankful for the support from the Optimists, saying after the capitol attack law enforcement are getting banged again for doing their job. He said 98% of the law enforcement that go out and do their jobs do it right.

Vorhees said it was the support of the community that keeps them going every day, which he has observed in his other law enforcement roles. Schneider was also thankful for a supportive community.

“That line, you’d be surprised what that means to us,” Schneider said.

Westerfield said they don’t get that support everywhere. He said when he patrols the two counties the Wapakoneta Post covers, “the support you get is like no other,” adding that it goes back to public demand for accountability.

He said other officials had told him participating in the photos might not be a good idea, but he gave his officers the OK to participate, expecting a backlash which never came.

“I made the decision that we were going to do this, because it was important,” Westerfield said.