The shirts, patches and challenge coins have come in, and they look great! I'm going to have to pick up a few more challenge coins as gifts, I think.
Finally, this article made the news this week:
Seattle Police form pipe band to honor their own - and the community
Credit: Lauren Hill
The band is the great equalizer, with officers who are brand new to the department on up to lieutenants and captains turning out.
Posted on March 27, 2011 at 12:31 PM
Updated yesterday at 7:12 PM
SEATTLE – Pipe bands have a long tradition in fire departments around the Puget Sound region, but there are no police department bands. That's about to change.
Dozens of Seattle Police officers have joined forces to form the Seattle Police Pipes & Drums. They had their first official practice on Feb. 24.
Officer Ryan Gallagher, the band's founding member, said he was inspired to form a band when he saw the Seattle Fire Department Pipes & Drums play at Officer Tim Brenton's memorial service in 2009.
"They did an amazing job. I was just blown away with how they presented themselves," said Gallagher, who works out of the East Precinct. "When I saw them leading the family I instantly thought 'What a great way to honor somebody, but why aren't we doing this?'"
In East Coast cities such as New York and Boston, police bands are common, but not so much in the West, Gallagher said.
"If you 'YouTube' New York City Police pipes and drums you can watch video of a hundred pipers and drummers come down the road. It's amazing," he said.
After months of research and consulting with the Seattle Firefighters Pipes & Drums, as well as the Boston Police Department's bagpipe band,Gallagher came up with a plan and put out the call for recruits.
"We started with 30 people and within a couple of days it grew to 72," said Gallagher.
"It's exciting, just thinking about what it could be – what it could represent, the department could take pride in it."
Band members meet once a week for instruction with a professional piper and drummer. Gallagher says about half the members have played an instrument before but many haven't played in years, and only a few have experience with pipes or drums.
The learning process will likely take up to a year. Pipers learn on a practice chanter, similar to a recorder, and drummers start out on a practice pad. It will be months before they transition to the actual pipes and drums.
"We accept the fact that there are going to be people who are frustrated with this," said Gallagher. "There could be a mass exodus but everyone that's there now is fully committed."
The band is the great equalizer, with officers who are brand new to the department on up to lieutenants and captains turning out.
"And we have people from about age 25 up to 60," said Gallagher.
The band gets no funding from the Police Department.
"This is all police officers doing this on their own," said Gallagher.
He says he hopes the band will allow people to see police officers in a different light.
"I'd like to think that when the community sees the Seattle Police Pipes & Drums marching in, let's say, the Seafair Parade, that they're able to see beyond the badge and see a large group of men and women who care very deeply about this community and being involved in it," he said.
"We eventually hope to represent the City of Seattle and everyone who lives here."
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