Shelby Police

It's been a slow day so far for Shelby Police, according to Lt. Lisa Green.

A wreck, a few alarm calls, damage to property. Relatively quiet.

But that doesn't mean officers can skip out early on their 12-hour shifts and go home to be with their families.

Mrs. Green said both officers and their families make sacrifices for the job, like having to work holidays, but everyone just learns to work around it. This winter her rotation has her working Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years.

Mrs. Green said her family would be celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow at her sister's house. Her sister, a nurse, is also working today.

Does working holidays bother the younger officers?

She said it usually doesn't, simply because most Shelby officers have family in the area. But for those who don't, the department will try to work with them to allow time off.

Officer Mike Bailey said he and his family knew before he started with Shelby PD that he would be working holidays, so it doesn't bother him.

Bailey said he would be celebrating Thanksgiving with his family on Saturday.

With the Detroit / Miami game playing in the background, Terry Grayson and Richard Thomas quickly field 911 calls from across the city and dispatch officers where they need to go.

Left to right: Grayson, Thomas

Grayson, SPD's service division manager, has had one Thanksgiving off since he joined the department in 1997. It was last year, when his son was only a month old.

"It's just something you get used to over the years," he said.

He said while he can't spend the day with his real family at home, he's instead spending it with his second family at work.

Thomas joined Shelby PD full-time in March. Last Thanksgiving he worked dispatch for Gaston County.

He said while the calls have been uneventful so far today, that could change at any moment.

"I don't know if it's tough (working holidays), it's just part of the job," he said.

Thomas said he's thankful this year for his family and for the fact he has a job while Grayson said he's thankful for his family and that he can provide the community with such a valuable service through his work.