KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, are planning a surprise for a fallen officer's son who was bullied at school after his father died.
Officer Mitch Kelchen from Anamosa, Iowa, was killed in a car crash during Labor Day weekend when another driver crossed the center line. At Kelchen's funeral, his oldest son collected business cards from the officers who came to honor his father.
But at school another student ripped up the cards, KMBC-TV reported.
When two Kansas City, Kansas, officers found out about the bullying, they decided to respond.
"When I saw this, I thought we need to do something for this young man," said Master Patrol Officer Travis Toms.
Officer Toms and officer Tony Lee started collecting business cards to replace the ones destroyed. They got responses from departments all over the country.
"I hope he understands that he's not alone," Toms said. "We're all family. So you can reach out to any of us."
A fine art store offered to frame the cards for free. In the middle of all the cards is a a patch from the Anamosa Police Department and collector police coins. There were so many business cards it will take two frames to display them all.
"This is something he'll be able to cherish forever and preserve because he'll be able to put it on his wall as a teenager, and go to college as an adult," Lee said. "He'll always be able to cherish this, and he'll pass it on."
Toms said the boy is about the same age as his son.
"So it also kind of hits home," he said. "I'd want someone to look out for mine as well if it were to happen to me."
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Information from: KMBC-TV, http://www.kmbc.com
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