Give ’em a smile

EDITOR,
I’m starting a new campaign — quite a challenging one in this area, but I’ve always loved a good challenge. It’s called “Smile at a cop today; make someone else’s day.”
Why somebody else’s day? Because the people likely to join this campaign probably don’t do anything wrong while they’re driving, anyway.
Now, as odd as it might seem at first glance, I was brought up to stick up for the underdogs, and, clearly, cops have become underdogs, due to trespasses of law and exaggerated tactics by other cops, especially with Taser guns.
Imagine being a cop on break or lunch, and all you want to do is relax. Think about how it would feel to have everyone around you freeze up as soon as you entered a Subway or a doughnut shop, as if you’re on duty.
Though I used to think cops were wasting our money by talking to each other through their car windows, I now consider it an essential part of one of the most difficult jobs around, about which people feel antipathetic. A cop’s job is much more dangerous than being a judge or a lawyer — and even harder than being a firefighter.
So, how about it, folks? Smile at a cop today.
Lyse Clivaz McGilvery, Boulder Creek