We don’t know their thoughts, but we do know their actions.

While we are home sleeping, these men and women are putting on their body armor and badges, their side arms and handcuffs, and getting ready to patrol our streets.

They say goodbye to their families — spouses, children, parents, siblings — and their pets, and step out into a world where they know they may not return home.

True, none of us know if we will make it home alive at the end of the day, but most of us do not have jobs that require us to put our lives on the line day-in and day-out.

Our law enforcement officers do just that, and they do it for us.

We are grateful for the men and women in law enforcement, and not just now during National Police Week. We appreciate their dedication to a career of serving and protecting.

We are thankful for Brookhaven Police Department and for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

When we see a patrol vehicle, we know they are patrolling to keep an eye on our businesses, our homes, our communities.

Not every crime will be prevented — but some will be because of the visibility of our officers.

Not every motor vehicle accident will be prevented — but some will be because of the visibility of our officers.

Not every crime will be solved — but many will be because of the training, dedication and perseverance of our officers.

We would be remiss not to thank our Mississippi Highway Patrol Troopers and Mississippi Department of Corrections officers.

We are thankful for the police and sheriff’s departments of all our neighboring counties and municipalities, and could not possibly list them all here.

We are grateful to the families of these women and these men who serve in this way — You are their biggest support systems and you are not forgotten nor unappreciated by us.

Law enforcement officers are a special breed of people, indeed.

These are the men and women who run toward the sound of gunfire. They are the people who place themselves between the innocent and those who would seek to cause harm.

They are the individuals who stand up for what is right in order to protect people from harm.

We are proud to support our local law enforcement, and we salute each of you.

The following two words are neither intricate nor unique, but they convey our sentiments: THANK YOU.