Customer Courtesy

Sirens frightened my son when he was very young. At times, he would cry louder than the sirens. I would ask him what was wrong and he’d tell me that he was scared of the police. I was confused as to why this was- being that my adopted father was a police officer. I asked him why and he told me the “horror” stories that were passed to him from a relative. I told my son that the police are not bad; they are our friends. Of course the relative and I had a talk but the relative still stands on his opinion of the police. I asked him not to share them with my son. Over a year ago, we moved to a place outside of the city limits. The county sheriff patrols the area frequently. There is not a lot of crime. I think that this patrol is excellent as we cannot be at home every hour of the day.

It was the beginning of the school year and my son and I were walking to his school. He ran ahead of me and then he froze in mid step. He turned around and walked toward me. I asked him what was wrong. He told me that the police were parked at the corner and he was scared. I asked him if he had done anything wrong. His answer was “no” and I asked if was a good boy and he answered yes. I then asked him what the problem was. People who are bad and who have done something wrong are the ones that need to be afraid of the police.

As we approached the police car he held my hand. The closer that we came to the car the tighter his grip became. I finally decide to approach the deputy and I explained to the deputy the anxiety my son was experiencing. He smiled and then went over to my son. He told him a joke at first and then he asked for a “high five.” After that he asked my son if he has ever been inside of a police car. When my son answered “no” the deputy took him by the hand and showed him the “TV” that was in the car. He demonstrated how the CB worked with the dispatcher. He did explain that by breaking the rules, which are known as laws, you will get a tour of the back seat. He explained that the reason he is out so early is to enforce the speed limit law in a residential area so that children do not get hit. He continued to talk with my son and then finished walking us to school. In the end my son was ecstatic that the police car had a TV and a radio in it and that he walked him to school, as no other child got that privilege.

In the end, I thanked the police officer, wrote his name down, and reported this act of kindness to his superior. Now my son does not have the fear of police and realizes that they are here to help us. The police officer’s actions took a few short moments. His positive actions will have a lifetime positive effect on my son. We should be prepared to extend this level of courtesy and service and leave such a positive impression on our self-storage callers, secret shopping, and property management!