A large group of people wearing florescent gear stopped traffic in downtown Chatham to support local police officers.
Despite it being below 0 C Monday night, a crowd of people gathered outside of police headquarters for the first CK Law Enforcement Appreciation Day 5k run/walk.
One of the participants, Stephanie Smeenk, was joined by her son and two dogs to support her friend who works with the Chatham-Kent OPP.
"I don't think they get nearly enough appreciation," says Smneek. "They do everything 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and a lot of it is unseen."
Outside police headquarters for the first appreciation day 5k run/walk #ck pic.twitter.com/ulJUT6fEBf
— Natalia Vega (@Natalia94V) January 9, 2017
Someone who has seen what happens behind the scenes is recently retired police officer Mike Currie.
Currie worked as an officer for just over 35 years. He says he's happy so many people turned out for the event and hopes to see it carry on for many more years.
"We've been pretty lucky here in Canada, compared to what's happening in the States," says Currie. "But we still need to band together and keep our streets safe."
Although the event was free, co-organizer Krista Cranston says around $900 was raised by the runners, which will be donated to Chatham-Kent Victim Services.