CLEVELAND — Leo Tully is a man on a mission to boost the morale of police officers.

“I was inspired by everything that happened in 2020. The riots, the protests, and you know what really upset me was when they burned our police cars in Cleveland,” Tully explained.

That’s when Tully decided to join an Adopt a Cop Facebook group asking for cards to be sent to police officers.
“I went to Walmart and was looking for cards and couldn’t find anything to thank the police or other heroes for that matter, so I decided to make my own,” Tully explained.

That’s when Tully said the Police Card was born. It now designs, prints and cuts about 2,000 cards a month for those who protect and serve.

For Tully, it’s a labor of love. “It makes my day, it’s the wind beneath my wings, it’s my purpose, my purpose in life, it’s what I do,” Tully explained.

Tully mails or personally distributes cards monthly to about 50 departments in northeast Ohio and across the country.

University Circle Police Officers are among those receiving the monthly pass.

“Someone cares, I care, and that sends a message,” said University Circle Police Department Chief Tom Wetzel.

Wetzel said this act of kindness greatly benefited the officers. He said there are three times as many police deaths by suicide compared to on-duty deaths.

“For us, these are little acts of love and they really go a long way,” Wetzel said.

Tully gets more out of giving than in receiving, but he cherishes the thank-you cards, pictures and police patches he receives from grateful officers across the country.

Tully pays for each card himself. However, the 66-year-old player, who is now retired, said he may have to reduce the number of cards he sends because they are expensive.

But the cards he sends will be filled with love and support not only for police officers, dispatchers and law enforcement personnel, but also for firefighters and veterans.

“They are my heroes,” Tully said.