To the Editor:

I believe that the majority of the police force are there to aid and protect us. I would like to share my personal experiences to that end.

When I was 8 years old, I tried to cross a main road, to get to school, by jaywalking. The policeman at the corner told me to stop. He told me that jaywalking was dangerous and that I should cross at the corner.  He had me come to the corner and, there, he crossed me over to school. His logic and help were important to me.

When our daughters were little girls, fighting in the back seat of our car, I drove into Altamont without realizing that I was in the 30-mile-per-hour zone. The policeman who pulled me over gave me a speeding ticket. I told him why I hadn’t yet reduced my speed. He advised me that watching where I was going was much more important to the survival of my daughters and myself than worrying about them having a spat.  

Two days ago, I fell down the side of the road while reaching for some litter that I wanted to pick up. A policeman driving by saw me fall, turned around, and came back to make sure I was OK. Yesterday, as I was picking up litter along Route 443, he stopped his car to say thank-you for doing that work.  

Jeannette Miller

Berne