I thought this was worthy of a late night post.
I was going to an assignment this evening and got into trouble with that radar gun the officer is holding.
I was well out of Crisfield, but still in the county, and was near my destination when this officer stepped out into the road and waved me off to one side. I had really hoped it was a routine check. It wasn't.
It seems that I had been speeding. Oh, and I forgot to put my seat belt back on after I got gas a few miles back. I mean, I was almost at my destination.
The reason that I am posting this is that I think the world of these people. They do not get the respect they deserve. All of our city and county law officials, our firemen, and our EMS workers, rank right up there with our soldiers in the "my heroes" category. They are the constant defenders of our safety, and to stop me for speeding...well, it's their job.
We just don't think about these people until we need them. Your yard man may not show up, your kids may disappoint you, your electrician may be a day late, your contractor may get sick, and your date may stand you up. But you know what? These people will be there for you when you need them, and they would put their lives on the line if necessary to save you from harm.
It is not the people in the White House or in Congress or the Senate who keep this country running. It is people like this guy. They are our government.
Now about the picture. I could have taken his picture without asking, or he could have waved me off when he saw the camera, but he didn't. In fact, when I framed the photo, I asked him to bring his radar gun up a little so I could get it in the photo.
I thought that was pretty cool of him.
Next time you get stopped for speeding, think about the man or woman who stops you. Think about life without them.
Have a nice day.
13 comments:
I have a soft spot for the men in uniform. Whenever I see them, there's this feeling in me that I was assured of protection.. Most of them are really so helpful and thoughful to their communities and most of all, the bravery they shared for protecting us is overwhelming.. That's in the most part; however, somehow, somewhere, there are these men in uniform who abuses their positions. I'm just glad that yours and mine here are all men respectable enough to be called our heroes..
My friend, please take care when driving. I hope you would not forget to buckle your seat belt again. I don't want you in any harm nor fined for forgetting.
And as I had wrote to Reggie Girl awhile ago:
Right now I'm still thinking how I could join the Wildlife Photo Shoots on Friday. I tried to wake up early this morning to find some subject. I only got stray dog so far. Can I shoot the bees, the cockcroach and wild worms? Those are the only thing considered as wild in our Flat's backyard. And the wild birds too but all of them are so wild that I cannot take a shot, they always fly right before my lense focused on them.. Geez, maybe I'll try going to the zoo instead..
Have a safe day ahead and goodluck on your next assignment..
Have a lovely day with your Prince..
Good reminder. They do keep us safer. I spent a lot of time looking at every one of your photos of Bangladesh last night. They brought tears to my eyes. I wonder how those folks are doing now?
Loida: Thanks for the comments. Glad you have good people, too. I know that little soldier you shot a few weeks ago was just a sweetie pie.
Oh, yes, Please shoot whatever you want for Friday. I think this should be a joke on Butler and Bagman because I am sure he has some surprise cooked up for us, don't you Bagman? I think worms would be nice. If they are not "trained" worms they would qualify as being wild, which makes them fair game for B&B's shoot out.
Reggie Girl, you can shoot one wild bird in your town, I know. Mine is going to be a skimpy shoot for Friday.
For anyone new, we are taking about shooting with cameras. LOL.
Leslie Avon: Glad you agree.
Sadly, I never knew what became of the subjects I shot in those Third World countries. I think about them often. You certainly appreciate the good things you have in this country when you see people suffer like I have.
Actually some of the photos were shot in Thailand. I have thousands of negatives stored at our son's house. One day, I am going to get one of those contraptions that turns the negs into photos and save them all before the elements wear them down.
Thanks for visiting.
What an accomodating guy!
Photojournalists should now bow down before the queen! What dedication! What guts! What passion!
"Thanks for the ticket officer. Say cheese."
wow, what a great post. I am so surprised that the policeman lét you snap his picture, knowing it was going on to a blog. I wonder if the german policemen would be as generous! I am not going to go speeding to find out tho. :-) But you are right, too many times we think negatively about law enforcement, but without them, where would we be. I always dislike it when parents use policemen to scare their kids into good behavior, by saying they will call the police and have them pick them up if they are bad. I have heard it time and again from parents (luckily mine did not do it). It gives kids an inate fear of law enforcement. Wrong!! Over here they are doing it right, they have the local policemen come into the school several times a year to give talks about this or that, practice with the kids on how to properly walk across busy streets, how to deal with traffic when on a bike, and things like that. The kids have a real nice one on one with policemen, and I have seen them wave good-morning with big smiles on their faces. I really like that here in our little town!! and thinking of police, did you know that our highway patrol drive Porsche!! Now that would be a good reason for a young man to join the force! :-) they need those high speed sports cars to catch up to anyone doing wrong on the highways here, where speed is every day. Anyway, good post dear friend, I enjoyéd it very much, as you can see by my lengthy comment. Debby
We can take for granted our law officers' presence; raising my coffee cup in a toast to all!
Great post! Great outlook, too! Good for you!
:) He let you take a photo of him? That's great. I have a feeling most of our city officers wouldn't appreciate it too much, hah.
He was a nice guy!
I am posting this here for June becasue she posted it in the above post. it is still there. But I thought it was worth posting under the right post:
Hi Patty, I came over to your blog because Debby (PBH) told me I should read your post on police officers. It was great! I too have a lot of respect for the authority they have. I'm so glad they are there for us when we need them. I'm not at all surprised that he allowed you to take his picture for your blog. I'm sure it made him feel appreciated. But the fact you showed him respect and realized that he was just doing his job thrilled him even more. My husband has been a police officer in Idaho for 23 yrs. He loves the opportunity to help the public and truely loves his work.He has had times when he has been sworn at and threatened but more often it is people thankful that he was there when they needed him. I have seen him mourn for lives that have been lost in many a fatal accident where he was the first to respond. And what he's gone through when he delivers a family the news that one of their loved ones have died. These professionals see things that we will never have to see and they are affected by it deeply. I know there are many who seek the job for the wrong reasons, but most departments hiring processes are able to weed out those who will not be able to do the job. I just realized that I'm rambling. (forgive me) Thankyou for the great reminder that they do a lot of good in the world.
This one of Princess Anne Police departments finest. I live here and Patti u r so right, i can count on this guy and the entire department.
This guy is a great family man!
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