We are here to help residents when needed

It was late in the night, cold and windy; her car would not start, and there was no one around to help. Her phone was not getting a signal, and she was not sure she could walk the distance to the nearest phone in this weather to call for help. Sitting inside the car and waiting for help out here would not do much good, and even if someone did come along, in this part of the county a passerby may bring more danger than help.

Pulling her coat around her to block out the wind, the young woman started to walk down the small, two-lane road and, within a few minutes, headlights appeared over the hill. This was when panic of the unknown started to set in. Seeing that someone was coming brought hope, but the thought of who was coming brought fear.

As the headlights got closer, her heart started beating faster, and as the car started slowing down she knew whoever was in the car was going to stop. The lights were so bright she could not see who was in the car, but could hear the vehicle come to a stop just in front of her. The door opened, and someone started to walk towards her. She was now near full panic and was preparing to take off running as fast as she could when she heard a voice say, "Ma'am are you okay?"

The frightened girl looked up to try and see who was talking to her, and that was when she caught the glimpse of a badge. As she strained harder to see through the headlights of the car, she could also see in large print on the side of the vehicle "Sheriff." The girl felt relief fall over her and went from terrified to feeling safe in an instant. The deputy asked the girl again if she was okay and she stated that her car had broken down and she was about 15 miles from her house. The deputy offered to give her a ride and opened the door for her to get into the warm patrol car.

This lady came to visit me a few months later to tell me what had happened and how scared she had been until she saw the word "Sheriff" written on the side of the car. She said knowing it was a deputy who had found her out on that rural road was like seeing a lifeguard in the ocean to her.

Law enforcement deals with a variety of people, and all too often, they deal with the few people that commit crimes, want to fight, steal, rape, and deal drugs. But hearing this lady's story reminded me that this is the image that people who are not committing crimes should see in our law enforcement. The best way to sum it up is that people who commit crimes have a reason to fear because they will be caught and they will go to jail. But they should also know that we are here to help and protect the innocent. The deputies in Vernon County are here to serve our community and will make every effort to serve as well as protect. The Sheriff's Office is currently working on several programs that will help deputies work with the children and young people in our community to show them they have no reason to fear the police. We are here to help!