To the Editor:

Project Blue Light, a special holiday tradition endorsed by Concerns of Police Survivors is a way for members of our community to show appreciation for law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty and for officers who continue to protect us each day.

Please consider placing one blue light in a window of your home in honor and remembrance of our community’s law enforcement officers.

The idea originated in 1988 when Dolly Craig placed blue candles in her window to honor her son-in-law, Daniel Gleason, a Philadelphia policeman who was killed in the line of duty on June 5, 1986. Today, Project Blue Light reaches out to nearly 15,000 surviving families of America’s fallen law enforcement officers during the holiday season.

On Aug. 29, 2009, my son, Deputy Sheriff Christopher Ray, was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a call. He had only been with the Southampton County Sheriff’s Department for three months, joining shortly after he graduated from Radford University with a degree in criminal justice.

Our friends, neighbors and the entire law enforcement community have given our family so much support over the past 15 months as we continue to try to accept the loss of Christopher, a young man so filled with joy and promise.

As explained in the latest C.O.P.S. newsletter, “the color blue is symbolic of peace. By displaying your blue lights, 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.”

Anne Ray
Courtland