Orange County Eagle Forum held a community event inviting Tom Langan, the president of the non-profit organization “Morale Boosters,” to speak on the topic of “Boosting Law Enforcement Morale with the Power of Christ.” Retired Los Angeles city police officer and accompanying pastor Eric Rogers also introduced his new book “Nine Lives: From Close Calls to the End of Watch” and shared his law enforcement experiences.
“Morale Boosters” organization has not withheld any funds and has spent less than $4 per law enforcement officer over the past 11 years. On June 7th, Langan introduced the various support items provided to law enforcement officers, including energy drinks, thank you cards, signed banners, Bibles with the inscription “Peacemaker,” delicious snacks, snow removal tools, glow pens (which display messages of respect for police officers when the button is pressed), cooling towels, popcorn machines, and brief messages sent to law enforcement officers – all aimed at offsetting the prevalent hostility and hatred towards law enforcement personnel in society.
As a member of the “Federal Law Enforcement Association” in Washington D.C., Langan stated that since 2015, “Morale Boosters” has served over 15,000 police officers, sheriffs, border patrol agents, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, covering “progressive” areas such as Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York, as well as southern border patrol agents from California to Texas. Langan quoted an officer from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, saying, “In my 24 years of law enforcement career, you were the first to encourage me.”
Langan shared the genesis of his work, serving at Camp Pendleton in Southern California from 2007 to 2015, organizing various speeches, food, and entertainment events for Marines. Many retired Marines who became law enforcement officers also participate. “People from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department also came to one of the events. I asked if they had similar activities, expecting a positive answer,” Langan said. However, when he found out there were none, he felt a calling to serve them immediately.
Discussing the work of law enforcement officers, Langan emphasized, “In times of crisis, law enforcement officers are the first people people turn to for help.” He recounted a heartwarming incident where a child called 911, reporting a black “monster” with big teeth under their bed. The police officer recorded a video with a body camera reassuring the child that the special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team are professional and capable, providing comfort for a good night’s sleep.
However, Langan also mentioned an incident experienced by Rogers. When a knife-wielding intruder broke into a young couple’s kitchen, Rogers and other officers subdued the intruder. In the living room, they found numerous anti-police slogans and items. While the husband expressed gratitude, someone else verbally attacked the police officers.
“We offer support to law enforcement officers in the ‘dark.’ Law enforcement officers face physical and verbal attacks on the streets, and tactics like ‘doxing’ pose threats to officers and their families,” Langan said.
After serving 32 years in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on the mounted patrol unit, Rogers retired. Few law enforcement agencies have sworn-in evangelical missionaries like Rogers, who, while serving as a frontline officer, also became an accompanying pastor to boost officer morale, ensuring they remain combat-ready in mind, body, and spirit.
Rogers mentioned that a senior accompanying officer pastor once said that officers’ souls can face a hint of “erosion” when they go out on missions daily. Rogers stated, “As a man of faith, I felt that ‘erosion’ is not acceptable. Pastors must do something to help eradicate it.”
His new book, “Nine Lives,” chronicles his nine life-threatening situations. Readers can scan QR codes in the book to listen to 911 call recordings from those incidents or view footage captured by police body cameras.
Managing about 400 officers in the mounted patrol unit, responsible for all tasks related to “crowd control,” such as managing riots, Rogers remarked, “Over 30 years, I have witnessed the fluctuating public opinion towards police, either loving or despising them, and this change often just needs a spark.” In Los Angeles, almost every other week sees a riot incident.
In 2020, they transitioned from heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic to villains after the George Floyd case. Rogers remarked, “It felt like the world was against police during that time. The city council called for defunding the police and ‘reimagining police work.'”
Another incident involved ICE officers in law enforcement in Los Angeles. Rogers received an emergency call to assist, hearing violent protests and attacks outside the Los Angeles Federal Detention Center from the radio. “I rode with 22 officers on horseback, not wanting either officers or civilians to get hurt. Young officers in riot gear endured intense attacks with concrete blocks hurled at them, rioters smashed the sidewalks and threw concrete blocks, frozen ice balls, and ‘fireworks’ at the police. Those were not fireworks, but makeshift ‘mortar shells’ with enough force to knock horses down. Someone threw a Molotov cocktail, splattering the flammable liquid attempting to ignite us and the horses.” Rogers remarked, witnessing various “peaceful protests” in the mouths of politicians but never seeing such scenes.
A few days later, when dispersing the unlawfully declared “No King” march, Rogers commented, “That time we wore helmets and masks, using tear gas for the first time since the 1970s as individuals threw tear gas at us.”
Despite the dangers, turning away is not an option, Rogers stated. In liberal-run big cities, lacking the support of the local government makes law enforcement work exceptionally challenging and demoralizing. “We must constantly remind ourselves and tell our subordinates that it is the people with good values that we are here to serve,” he said, emphasizing the vital work done by Langan and his organization.