First responders — the courageous and selfless public safety and emergency personnel that are first to arrive and act at the scenes of accidents, fires, crimes and medical crises — are always worthy of special recognition, but particularly during October.
That's because National First Responders Day is Oct. 28.
This year the Wayne County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) helped to kick off the October recognition of first responders through the inaugural WCSO Blessing of the Badges event, held Oct. 2 at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center in Detroit.
In the midst of a highly contested and contentious political season in Michigan, where law enforcement has become a litmus test that has been used by some to draw sharp distinctions between parties and candidates,
officers, along with fire fighters, emergency medical personnel and other first responders presented a united front.
And they did so during a Friday lunchtime ceremony that at times was solemn, but mostly inspirational. During this time, the gathered first responders representing agencies from across Wayne County, along with other men and women that provide vital service across the region, were able to take a brief respite from answering calls for help.
Instead, they were able to sit back, relax and listen, as Wayne County officials, faith-based leaders and other appreciative community members that stopped by, showered them with encouraging words and prayers.
“I want you to know that your daily sacrifices, your time, your energy and your efforts do not go unnoticed. We appreciate you and value you, and we thank you for what you do," Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington said. "Today is about something very simple: Coming together to support those who serve and protect our community.
"Regardless of our agency, our uniform, or our background, we share one responsibility: Serving others and making sure we get home safely to the people who love us."
Washington, who addressed an audience that gathered inside a large white tent that was set up outside of Wayne County’s modernized criminal justice complex, which spans more than 1 million square feet at 5301 Russell off the I-75 Service Drive between East Warren Avenue and East Ferry Street, went on to say: "The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office is proud to serve all 43 cities and townships throughout Wayne County made up of people of many different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. No matter where you live, or where you come from, our commitment is the same: To serve, protect, and support the people of Wayne County.”
The themes of unity, service and respect for the diverse cultural and ethnic composition of Wayne County stressed by Washington during his relatively brief opening address, also were reflected by the faith-based representatives that delivered messages and prayers asking God to bless and protect the first responders and the communities they serve.
The faith-based leaders included: George Shalhoubb, founder and pastor of the Antiochian Orthodox Basilica of St. Mary in Livonia; Iman Mohammad R. Mardini, of the American Muslim Center in Dearborn; Rabbi Shaya Katz, of Young Israel of Oak Park; Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, of Greater Grace Temple in Detroit; and Bishop Steven Staten, of Unity Temple Church in Detroit, who also serves as chief chaplain at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
In addition, the ceremony provided an opportunity to publicly salute the behind-the-scenes support provided by the team of Wayne County Sheriff chaplains that Staten leads. Along with supporting first responders, these chaplains also provide counsel and service to incarcerated men, women and juveniles, and to people in need from the surrounding community.
Among this group of unsung heroes, who proudly stood together as a team when their contributions to the community were acknowledged by Staten, was native Detroiter Gregory Tukes, a 1977 graduate of Mumford High School, who afterwards said that the Blessing of the Badges supported the “healing” work that he and his colleagues perform across Wayne County on a regular basis.
“This is a good thing, because unity, as was spoken, is always good,” said Tukes, a deputy chaplain for WCSO, who also is senior pastor at True Church Ministries in Eastpointe. “Anytime you have people coming together for one common cause and one common goal, that’s always a positive thing. And this needs to be widespread, not just in the Detroit-Wayne County area, but all over this state and all over this country, because as we see now there is a lot of stress in society.
"So, whatever we can do to minimize that stress is what we are purposed to do in the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.”
Tukes later described other initiatives, such as providing support to disadvantaged families during the holiday season and follow-up with adults and juveniles upon release from the criminal justice system, that demonstrates how his chaplain team and the WCSO serve the community outside the walls of its expansive new home. The new facility, completed in September 2024, houses a 2,280-bed adult detention facility and a 160-bed juvenile detention facility, to go along with a criminal courthouse and offices housing the sheriff's and prosecutor's staffs, with a total cost of more than a half-billion dollars.
Like Tukes, Kevin Tolbert, chief of staff for the WCSO, pointed out ways the “badge” extends into the community on a grassroots level, in ways that are not necessarily connected to arrests and court dates.
The examples Tolbert provided during his closing remarks included the Wayne County Sheriff’s Reserve Unit, consisting of “unpaid, certified and uncertified, volunteers” who support full-time deputies with community-oriented operations, event security and specialized law enforcement tasks; and the WCSO Community Engagement Team, which has an active presence in communities throughout the county while connecting residents with vital resources.
Another program that Tolbert highlighted is the WCSO Citizens Academy, a free multi-week training program that has given community members an up-close look at law enforcement within the county. Along with educating residents about the daily operations of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, the Citizens Academy seeks to dispel misconceptions about law enforcement while fostering collaboration between the community and deputies.
And it has been assisted by past Citizen Academy graduates like Mindora Maddox, a community activist who shares vital community resource information with a few thousand followers on a regular basis through Facebook (as Tasha M. Maddox) and other platforms.
Maddox says she was proud to represent the Citizens Academy during the Blessing of the Badges ceremony, and she was equally proud to be able to honor first responders that have given their lives to save the lives of others, which was formally done through a moment of silence towards the beginning of the program.
"This first Blessing of the Badges was heartwarming, and it was wonderful to honor all fallen first responders, at the same time the faith-based leaders blessed all the current first responders," said Maddox, who was part of the third graduating class from the WCSO Citizens Academy, which was launched in 2022. "And it was beautiful to see officers from other cities showing their support for each other."
Among the last people to leave the tent after the conclusion of the program was not one of the people heard from the podium during the ceremony. Nonetheless, native Detroiter Keith Williams had plenty to share with many of the attendees afterwards. And those conversations were often accompanied by handshakes, fist pounds and hugs.
“A day like this is due. Because the men and women here put their lives on the line for us and they don't get recognized, so it’s wonderful that the Sheriff is acknowledging the badge along with the work of community members that support people wearing the badge — this is sacred,” said Williams, a former Wayne County Commissioner and current chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus, who insisted that what took place during the tightly-constructed ceremony that lasted about 45 minutes, was bigger than politics.
Williams, who works with the Community Engagement Team and other areas of the WCSO continued: “I go out with a crew (of WCSO officers and reserves) every Thursday night and we do K-9 units and the whole works and we serve together. When we do this, it's not about someone's ethnicity or beliefs, it's all for one, and one for all.
“I’m just saying that we shouldn’t politicize this work because this work of saving and protecting lives, and serving the community, is a true labor of love for everyone that was here today."
Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@freepress.com. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why coming together in Wayne County was good news for first responders
