Copperas Cove police recognize family for “backing the blue”

By BRITTANY FHOLER 

Cove Leader-Press 

The Copperas Cove Police Department held a coin presentation ceremony Saturday evening, to recognize the Adam “AJ” and Melanie Miller and family for their efforts in spreading awareness and encouraging their neighbors to put on a blue light to show support for law enforcement. 

The Millers moved to House Creek North in April 2020 from Harker Heights. AJ’s own father served in law enforcement for 26 years in the Washington State Patrol, so showing support was important to the Millers. 

“Law enforcement means a lot to me personally,” AJ said. 

AJ said he saw on social media that another community was trying to come together and show support through blue lights. He and his wife issued the call to do the same on their neighborhood’s Facebook page. 

When some neighbors shared that they wouldn’t be able to participate due to cost, Miller and his wife bought the blue light bulbs for people when possible. 

“We just tried to reach out to the community to come together to support our law enforcement in Copperas Cove,” AJ said. 

AJ said he took blue light down at Christmas to decorate for Christmas but recently posted on Facebook again, calling on his fellow neighbors to join in showing their support through the blue porch light again and let the law enforcement in Coryell County know that the community supports them no matter what. 

Officer Roger Snow submitted a request to recognize the Millers for their efforts in getting their neighbors to put up blue lights in a memorandum dated Feb. 23. 

In the memorandum, Snow writes that the last count was 21 homes with blue lights lit up at night and adds, “Though it may seem a small number by the almost 800 residents in House Creek, it shows impact.”

Snow asked for the Police Department to recognize Adam and Melanie’s actions in bringing their community together to “#BackTheBlue” with the blue lights. 

“We all see and hear the media’s and certain anti-LEO organization’s disrespect for, and call-to-action against, local, state and federal law enforcement,” Snow wrote. “This creates an increasingly undue hazard against the men and women in law enforcement whom already work a dangerous job. AJ and Melanie are combating the narrative in a quiet show of solidarity with those who protect their community.”

Snow said that the Millers should be commended “for their actions in unity and peace through their small, but impactful, actions.” He added that by formally recognizing and commending the Millers, “it is possible we could see further action in unity and peace throughout our little big-city. As a small ember can create a raging inferno, so too can small actions create strong support.”

For AJ and Melanie, it is not about the recognition. AJ said he was shocked when he found Snow’s card on his truck and learned about the recognition. 

“It was very special, and we did not anticipate that,” AJ said. “That’s not why we did this. We didn’t want recognition.” 

He added that it’s the community of House Creek North deserves all the recognition in showing its support. 

AJ said that he feels its important for the community of Copperas Cove to support its police officers. 

“Their job is selfless, and they do it because they want to do it. This is a career they decided to do,” AJ said. “Not every community is as nice as Copperas Cove to law enforcement as we’ve seen that we are, and with as much stuff that’s going on in the world and how much hatred, I want to say, there is toward law enforcement, it’s nice to see a community coming together.”