While you were sleeping...Vol 2.

by Tim Enloe; Accessmilton.com

A few weeks back, I had the honor to ride along with one of Milton's finest again.

While my initial adventure into the realm of a Milton Police Officer's night took me on thorn infested foot chases and removing drug dealers from the streets, this journey took a different route.

As we set out, our first call involved a house alarm in a subdivision off of Deerfield. When we arrived, the officer on duty walked around the property in question. After speaking with a neighbor and confirming everything was secure, we went on our way.

From there, it was time to enforce the law that these heroes pledged their lives to enforce.

We ran radar at various locations throughout the city. At one traffic stop, a commuter was pulled over for going 65 mph on Freemanville Road; one of the many open road neighborhoods of Milton. The excuse? Ice cream.

Next stop not only involved another commuter who was speeding, he also decided to warn oncoming traffic about the officer's location. This is a big mistake. When asked why he flashed his lights, the driver responded that he thought that is what you do in the South. Interesting...

The biggest stop of the night didn't even look to be big until after the initial stop. A van was heading east on Deerfield with a front headlight out. After the stop occurred, it would turn out that the driver not only had an expired driver's license; they actually had a Georgia address but on a Mexican ID card. Interesting to say the least. Before long, numerous violations came up and this individual would end up spending a night in jail.

In every single incident, this officer was professional and by the book. Never once did he raise his voice; never once did he appear aggressive; never once did he dishonor the pledge or uniform that he worked so hard to earn. He truly was a public servant.

The highlight of the evening had nothing to do with the rigors of law enforcement or security checks, however.

When we arrived in Crabapple for a security check, the officer had to run into the Scoops Ice Cream shop. While I waited in the front passenger seat, something caught my eye to the right. Two little girls no older than the age of five along with their mother and grand parents were walking to their car after getting a sweet treat. Immediately, these young ladies motioned to Momma as they pointed to the police car with great excitement. The mother responded and made a big deal as well and starting waving.

While all this was going on, I was the only one in the vehicle. Thus, these folks assumed that I was an officer. What could I do but smile and wave back; not really realizing the impact until after the fact. Right before they left, one of the little girls took their hand and blew a kiss over. I did my best to catch it.

In conclusion, so many in Milton love to question the Milton Police Department's every move; from our governing body to the every day citizen. These heroes have been attacked so often, it is a wonder we have any officers still working here at all. However, when I witnessed the faith and hope that these little angels have in our officers , maybe there is some hope left yet.