That’s what organizers told us when we returned to the Southwest Precinct tonight during the final half-hour of the first-ever Police Appreciation Day organized by the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council — by then, the board you see above was covered with dozens and dozens of handmade thank-you notes and cards (we photographed it in the early going, for our first report). Organizers’ running count tallied up more than 170 people participating in the daylong event — some of course were the appreciation recipients themselves:

Community appreciation is also well-deserved by the organizers – including leaders of the WSCPC, whose president Dot Beard (below left) took a moment to pose for us with Seattle Neighborhood Group staff liaison, Jennifer Duong:

WSCPC vice president Kay Newton worked hard to line up sponsors/donors to make this a festive event with everything from food and beverages to fun kid stuff, enjoyed by young visitors including these (thanks to Kacy for these next two photos):

Those with a few more years in the rear-view mirror made cards and shared sentiments – from serious to whimsical:

This event was in lieu of the Crime Prevention Council’s regular meeting for July – they’ll be back in session August 19th. Two other related events in the meantime: Night Out August 5 (register your block party here, so you can close off your street!) and Picnic at the Precinct August 16.