Love is in the air, even in the Yale Police Department.

This year, the YPD joined in the Valentine’s Day spirit with a special gift from the children of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Yesterday, students from the Sandy Hook Elementary School delivered cookies and handmade Valentine’s cards to Yale police officers in appreciation for their assistance to Newtown, after a tragic Dec. 15 shooting left 20 children and six staff members dead.

Some of the cards sent by the Sandy Hook Elementary School children featured drawings and handwritten messages such as “Thank you for saving us” and “4ever grateful for you.”

“It is gratifying that the children of Sandy Hook Elementary School remembered us and took the time to communicate that in this special way,” Assistant YPD Chief Michael Patten wrote in an email to the News.

In the wake of the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the YPD dispatched about 15 officers to Newtown in the week of Dec. 17–24, according to Patten. He added that the Yale police officers in Newtown played a variety of roles — from acting as motorcycle escorts for the funerals of the deceased, to helping patrol the town, to providing security at the schools and community center.

“This tragedy touched everyone in such a visceral way, and it was good that we were able to play some small role in helping the Newtown community and our colleagues at Newtown Police Department,” Patten said.