On Friday, just after 1 a.m., a Carmel police officer noticed something attached to the statue honoring Officer Frank Carey at Main Street and the Monon Greenway.
According to the Carmel Police Department, due to recent vandalism of the statue earlier in the week, the officer was concerned it happened again. Instead of finding the statue damaged, the officer discovered the item was an American flag fashioned like a cape. It was properly aligned for vertical display and fastened so it wouldn’t fall to the ground.
Photo provided
CPD officers decided they wanted to honor the display of support from the community by adopting the flag for a new department tradition.
The flag was secured by members of the police department, properly folded, and given to an officer to keep for the remainder of their shift. The flag was then passed on to an officer from the oncoming shift and will continue to be passed on so it will always be on patrol with CPD.
A statement issued by the Carmel Police Department said the following:
“In addition to being a tangible representation of our community’s support, the flag will also be a reminder that our actions and our care in performing our duties should live up to the principles and ideals the flag represents, and that we should strive to never let our actions dishonor those ideals or violate the public trust that was powerfully represented by one quiet anonymous act. In addition, the Carmel Police Department would like to express its sincere appreciation of this display of patriotism and kindness.”
Positive and Creative from the men and women of our Carmel Police Department. Thank you for your service.