How To Nominate a Police Officer or Family for Shield Strong

Short answer: To nominate an officer or law enforcement family for Shield Strong, fill out the form here. Tell us who you are honoring, their role, your relationship to them, their story, and what makes them unforgettable. You can also email a photo to info@arrestmyvest.com. Every submission is read with care, and selected stories are featured and shared.

You know someone whose story deserves more than a quiet thank you. Maybe it is the officer who kept showing up after the hardest year of their career. Maybe it is the spouse who held the household together through years of night shifts. Maybe it is someone who never came home.

The hard part is that these stories rarely get told. Officers don't talk about themselves, and families don't ask for credit. When no one speaks up, the sacrifice stays invisible and the legacy slowly fades.

Shield Strong gives you a simple way to change that. Here is exactly how it works.

Who can you nominate?

You can nominate anyone whose story fits one of the three Shield Strong categories.

• The family that serves: spouses, children, and parents who carry the emotional weight of the job alongside their officer.
• The officer behind the badge: officers who have overcome trauma, injury, or burnout, served with integrity under pressure, or stayed when leaving would have been easier.
• The ultimate sacrifice: fallen officers and their families, including officers lost in the line of duty and those lost after service.

You don't have to be family to submit. Partners, friends, neighbors, and community members are all welcome to share a story.

What should your nomination include?

The Shield Strong form asks for five things. A few honest sentences for each is enough.

1. Who are you honoring? Share their name and, if you'd like, where they serve or served.
2. What is their role? Patrol officer, deputy, trooper, K9 handler, corrections officer, or the family member behind them.
3. What is your relationship to them? Spouse, child, partner, friend, or someone whose life they touched.
4. What is their story? The call that changed them, the moment they were tested, or the reason they keep going.
5. What makes them unforgettable? The detail only you would know.

If you have a photo, send it to info@arrestmyvest.com. Photos are optional, but they help us honor the person well.

How do you write a story that does them justice?

You don't need to be a writer. The stories that move people most are usually the simplest ones.

Start with one moment instead of a whole career. Describe what happened, how it felt, and why it still matters. Use their words if you remember them. Say what they would never say about themselves. Most importantly, tell the truth as you lived it, because that is what makes a story worth preserving.

What happens after you submit?

Every Shield Strong submission follows the same four steps.

1. You submit a story. Share the officer or family who deserves to be honored.
2. We review every submission. Each story is read with care and respect.
3. Stories are preserved and shared. Selected stories are featured and amplified.
4. Annual honorees are chosen. One honoree from each category is recognized during Shield Strong Week.

What do annual honorees receive?

Each annual honoree receives financial support or a memorial grant, custom Shield Strong recognition, lifetime Arrest My Vest product support, a permanent feature on our website, and story amplification across our national audience.

Who is behind Shield Strong?

Shield Strong comes from Arrest My Vest, the tactical gear odor eliminator built for officers whose vests, duty belts, and gear can't go in the wash. Our OAM Technology bonds to odor molecules and breaks them down on contact, so gear is fresh without masking scents. For more than 10 years and over a million bottles, officers and their families have trusted us with the gear they wear every shift. Shield Strong is how we honor the people inside it.

Ready to share their story?

Someone you love has carried more than most people will ever understand. Honor them, share their story, and help preserve their legacy.

Submit a Shield Strong nomination