Driving east on James Street there was a new breed of Kent citizens in a group of six bicycles, all on the same corner.
They seemed to be saying their goodbyes as they waited for the light to change before riding off in different directions. There was something different about them then I remembered from back into my youth, when seeing others like them from years gone by.
There was not one of them who suffered from the straining of the buttons on the front of their uniforms. There was not a donut among them and it didn’t look like there had been in a long time, if ever. They were all slim, in great athletic shape, in sharp-looking uniforms and ready to launch out into different sections of our city to see that we were protected from whatever or whoever might want to harm any of us.
I slowed and honked at them and waved, not because I knew them, but mostly because they made me feel proud and safe. “Where’s a ‘COP’ when you need one” is a statement that has been thrown out in our town. They are not only everywhere, but our Kent Police Department is staffed with some very capable officers.
Later that evening at the ShoWare Center, I ran into some of the bicycle officers that I had seen in the group on the corner. I asked why they had looked up so questioningly. They responded that “we weren’t sure who I was and why I was waving.”
Look for danger first and wave and be friendly second. That sounds like a great recipe for keeping us citizens safe and protected.
Many citizens’ only contact with the law is through the sheepish expression directed out the driver’s door window at a patrol officer standing just slightly to the rear with that infamous question, “May I see your driver’s license.” That is a position that we all dread, but never are adequately prepared for ahead of time.
Recently, I have spent a lot of time outside of the ShoWare Center during our Thunderbird hockey games. If you were in the area, you saw the largest accumulation of Kent Police officers, possibly in the history of our city. They directed traffic, they directed pedestrians, they helped handicapped individuals and they patrolled the parking lots during the games to make sure that fans’ cars were not harmed while enjoying the events. When pedestrians approached crosswalks I watched as they pushed the signal button, so people wouldn’t have to wait to cross and crowds could be kept moving.
I’ve had the opportunity of greeting Kent’s Police Chief Steve Strachan on two occasions. What I have been impressed with makes me think that possibly it comes from the top. Then on the other hand I have known some of the police leadership since before our current chief and I’m inclined to be the painter of a picture of a great team at the top that filters down through the whole department. Whatever the reason, we can be thankful that they are working to keep us safe.
They can’t always wave and smile at us, because they are watching to prevent the worst from happening to us. We can certainly help them by being alert to their siren and moving out of their way, smiling at them even if they can’t return the smile and simply appreciating that Kent does not resemble Baghdad, for the most part, because of them.
Don Dinsmore is a Kent resident and a columnist for the Kent Reporter. Contact him through Editor Laura Pierce, at lpierce@kentreporter.com.
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