Public event Monday in Modesto to honor Northern California law enforcement

One hour of the extra day we have this year.

Organizers of the Unity Matters celebration being held Monday figure that’s not too much to ask of the community to show its appreciation for the men and women of law enforcement who protect and serve Northern California.

The 7 p.m. event at The House church on Coffee Road is free, open to the public and will be a blend of speakers, prayer and other elements, said Toby Bowker, men’s director at the church. “Local dignitaries will attend to honor the men and women,” he said. “Area pastors will pray over different departments, like sheriffs, CHP and police. There will be some video tributes we’re going to do – people out in the community saying their thank-yous. And there’s an area dedicated to fallen officers.”

Law enforcement officers in Northern California – Bakersfield to Sacramento – have been invited to attend, Bowker said. “I’m watching TV, and I’m on the Internet, and I see this wave of negativity about law enforcement when it’s a small percentage of bad apples” reflecting poorly on the whole, he said. “We said, we have to do something about it, to let these people know the great majority of us out here appreciate you and want you to know that.”

And not just the officers, but their families too, Bowker said. “We have several people in our church with law enforcement. The officer’s wife might as well be in law enforcement, too, because she deals with the crazy hours” and the grim stories that officers often don’t even want to share. “These families need to be acknowledged, too.”

Unity Matters has received attendance confirmations from several elected officials, including newly sworn-in Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold, Stanislaus County District 4 Supervisor Dick Monteith and Sheriff Adam Christianson, said Bowker. Invitations have been extended to several state legislators, council members from cities all around, athletes and other people of influence, he said.

Bowker said organizers are expecting about 1,000 people to attend. But there’s space for plenty more, as the huge worship center accommodates 2,000.

A flier for the event reads in part, “It’s time we serve and protect them.”

“I feel our way to protect them is to care for them and to pray for them,” Bowker said. “We can’t be out there with them on the job, but we can be on our hands and knees in prayer.”

A freewill offering will be taken during Unity Matters for a fallen officers fund through the Stanislaus County Peace Officers Association, Bowker said.

“We will have representatives from the Peace Officers Association in attendance,” said Ceres Police Department Lt. Chris Perry, who’s also an association board member.

“I think it’s a great event. Here at the Ceres Police Department, we certainly promote community policing, with our officers striving to build great relationships with all members of our community.

“In police work, it’s unfortunate that we more often deal with the bad things that are occurring day in and day out. It’s nice to be reminded that there are people who appreciate us and what we stand for and the hard work we put in to ensure the safety of the public.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Public event Monday in Modesto to honor Northern California law enforcement."