Citizen’s Patrol: Life on the Street
Friday night was my first night on the Citizen’s Patrol. It’s really not that big of a deal — we started at 10pm and quite at about 12:45am or so. I didn’t know the other guy well, but he drove and I kept the paperwork. We drove around and around our neighborhood. I saw more nooks and crannies of the neighborhood than I ever knew was there.
We didn’t do much — chased some kids out of the elementary school parking lot and called some people because their garage doors were open. I knew one family — they have a daughter that plays with Leah once in a while. The lady of the house, Stacy, is a pretty good egg and has a great sense of humor. So I played it up a little:
Stacy: (a little nervous) “Hello?”
Me: “Good Evening. This is Mike Hostetler of the Citizen’s Patrol.”
S: “Yes?”
M: “We thought you should know that you left your garage door open.”
S: (shocked pause) “Really? Oh thank you!”
M: “Just doing our job, M’am.”
So let’s back up a few months. We had a chocolate chip cookie bake-off at our neighborhood picnic and Stacy won. Her prize? A dollar coupon for a nearby cookie store.
Gina was surprised this morning with the sound of the door bell. The visitor? Why Stacy — with a plate full of her prize-winning cookies. And, yes, they are good.
But I was really just doing the job of the Citizen’s Patrol.