July 27, 2016
Linda Reilly/For PhillyVoice
Kristin Meehan, of Haverford, and her sons Danny, 4, and Johnny ,1, hold some of the signs Meehan purchased showing support for police. Meehan purchased 200 of the signs, and they will be distributed for free from the Upper Darby police station beginning at noon on Thursday, July 28, 2016.
A Havertown woman who purchased a couple hundred “We Support Our Police” lawn signs will give them away free at noon Thursday at the Upper Darby police station at 7236 West Chester Pike.
Kristin Meehan, 36, the wife of an East Lansdowne police officer who also has two brothers who work for the Upper Darby and Haverford police departments, wanted to do something to show support for all police.
Meehan says she never worried about her husband when he left their home to patrol the East Lansdowne streets – until Philadelphia Police Officer Jesse Hartnett, a former East Lansdowne cop, was ambushed and shot multiple times while on patrol in January and her anxiety level increased.
Hartnett’s shooting was followed by other attacks on police after incidents involving police shootings throughout the nation.
Come to @UDPolice station Thurs, 7/28 at 11 am to get your "support police" lawn sign donated by police wives group pic.twitter.com/y39eoSOGNL
— Michael J. Chitwood (@ChiefMChitwood) July 27, 2016
According to the national Officer Down Memorial Page, so far this year in the United States, 69 officers have died in the line of duty, 32 of them from gunfire, including the five killed in Dallas, Texas, and three killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by gunmen earlier this month.
“After the Dallas shootings I just wanted to show support,” Meehan said. “I’ve never been so worried about my husband going to work until now.”
During the first seven months of 2015, 69 officers died in the line of duty, 18 of them killed by gunfire.
Meehan was the recipient of a “We Support Our Police” sign several months ago after seeing a post on Facebook.
“A woman was giving away signs supporting police and she gave me one,” Meehan said. “Everybody was asking me for a sign just like the one on my lawn, but the woman who messaged me and gave me the sign didn’t have any more.”
Meehan; her mom, Kathy Murphy; sisters Jacqueline Murphy and Kelly McLaughlin; and friend, Cynthia Kelly, brainstormed about getting signs made to give away and set out to find a printer. Kelly’s husband, Jim, is a Haverford police sergeant.
“We don’t want police to think they are not appreciated, and what could make them feel better than getting a call and then seeing a sign on the front lawn of the house they are responding to,” Meehan said. “The officer going to that house will know he is supported. I want all police to know we support them.”
Meehan reached out to Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood for contact information on where to buy the signs.
Chitwood gave her details on where he buys the signs he gives away and also gave her permission to give out the signs at the station house.
“She invested in 200 'We Support Our Police' signs,” Chitwood said.
According to the superintendent, Upper Darby’s police department has given out 300 support signs in the last two months.
“We can’t keep them in stock,” Chitwood said. “It’s overwhelming the support the police receive from our community. I see these signs throughout the county, not just in our town. It’s amazing the number of people who are positive and proactive when it comes to police. People continually ask for the signs. I’m on board for her giving out the signs.”
Meehan and her husband, Rob, 35, were high-school sweethearts and have been married for 10 years.
They have two young boys, Danny, 4, and Johnny, 1.
Her brothers, Michael Murphy, an Upper Darby officer, and Vincent Murphy, a Haverford officer, appreciated her decision to get the signs.
“They were really happy about the signs,” Meehan said. “They thought it was really great.”
A teacher with the Upper Darby School District working at Charles Kelly Elementary School, Meehan said she doesn’t understand why individuals seek retaliation after a police shooting.
“It has to be heartbreaking for police,” Meehan said. “In my job, if someone does something wrong, people don’t come up screaming in our face. Ninety-nine percent of the police are there to help us. We just want to show our support and let police know they are appreciated.”
There is a personal message Meehan has painted over the front door of her house just for her husband, "Come Home Safe."
“I want Rob to see that whenever he walks out the door for work,” Meehan said.
