Dispatchers and officers with the Tomahawk Police Department are working to raise cancer awareness by wearing a pink badge as part of their uniform.
The pink badges will be worn for all of October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women behind lung cancer and that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since the 90s largely due to improved treatment, earlier detection and awareness efforts, but it’s estimated that more than 40,000 women and about 400 men in the United States will die of breast cancer each year.
Police Chief Al Elvins says the pink badges are to remember those who have passed away and to honor those who are fighting.
"We try to stay in touch with our community and what the needs of our community are and show support back to our community and we want to show our support, make sure they get mammograms, do self testing and stay healthy with it and catch it early."
Elvins says this is the first year the department has done this
“…It is. We have looked at other agencies that have done promotional things to promote breast cancer awareness and we opted to be a part of that. We figure if the NFL is man enough to wear pink, so are we.”
Elvins says the idea was sparked by a conference he attended and says it was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up. The badges were bought with the extra money from their budget.
For more information visit the Tomahawk Police Department’s Facebook page.
