Our curriculum includes law enforcement in almost every aspect, so when the local tragedy of the slayings of Sergeant Thomas Baitinger and K-9 Officer Jeffery Yaslowitz occurred, we knew we had to take action. As it seemed, just another ordinary day at school, it turned into the birth of what would be Operation 10-24. As we walked into our Civics/Social Sciences class lead by Mr. Richard Cross, he
introduced an idea he had brainstormed. At first, there was speculation amidst the idea, and it was iffy whether or not this was a plausible thought. As our rough drafts were due, we found that many, many students had thought long and hard about the ways that a license plate could possibly honor those law enforcement officers that have passed away and those that are still serving. After 150 license plates were submitted, they were weened out class by class. When it came down to it, Kaitlyn Veisz's design won. The design was a simple, but effective layout. A black/blue/black ribbon along the top and sides, with a rose under the arched saying "A man remembered never dies". As the paper gained more and more media attention, the class knew we were getting into something big. After several weeks of computerizing the drawn out sketch, the rose was removed, and the license plate is now up to license plate standards for the state of Florida. We are advancing further and further into the process of making this mere thought a reality. Our entire cause is centered around respect for law enforcement. The entire cause is devoted to memorializing, honoring, and reminding everyone of these fallen law enforcement heroes. On our license plate design, the phrase "A man remembered never dies" . This phrase was said at another fallen hero's funeral, K-9 Deputy Matt Williams and his partner Diogi of the Polk County Sherriff's Office., by Matt's best friend and fellow deputy, Mike Evans. This quote has led us through everything. It has been our motivation, our drive, and our reasoning. This initiative reminds everyone that you are not safe because you have locks on your doors, you are safe because these men and women risk their lives, day in and day out, to make sure this is our reality. Secondly, we have devised a plan that includes changing Florida law to see this license plate on the back of vehicles in Florida. We have a few hurdles to get past first. First, we need to raise $60,000 for production costs. Second, we need 1,000 pre-sale vouchers. Lastly, we need to have a marketing plan and a short/long term financial analysis. Luckily, thanks to Michael Koopman, that last hurdle is essentially taken care of. There was a Florida State Statute passed in 2008 prohibiting any more specialty license plate designs from being accepted until July 1, 2014. We need to, and will, change this. With support from the community, law enforcement, and political officials, we will make this happen. So you should look forward to driving past this license plate on the road in the forthcoming years.
