A Note of Appreciation

Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to you as well.

Voltaire

This morning, I spent an hour attending a neighborhood meeting with the police from our district. It was a casual gathering at a community bagel shop. An opportunity to meet local officers and express both gratitude and concerns.

I am blessed to live in a beautiful, usually peaceful, neighborhood. Surrounded by historic buildings and lush, green parks. We are fortunate to have a small town center with shops, a bank and medical offices. As well as, a theater with live performances. All within walking distance.

As often happens, I did not appreciate what I had. One night, the quiet was suddenly disrupted with engines roaring as cars sped along the street outside our door. Unexpectedly, our peaceful neighborhood had become the Indy 500. We were now a street racing destination. It has happened more than once over the past weeks.

This is how I arrived at a table along with several of our city’s finest. The meeting wasn’t set up specifically to deal with our sudden problem with street racing. It was one of several topics. I learned how thin our police department is spread. Ten years ago, applicants to the police academy numbered from 1,500 to 2,000. Today, they have dropped to a couple of hundred candidates. Police officers, like teachers, have become less desirable occupations. We only have to listen to the local news to understand why.

I leave with a note of appreciation for the men and women putting their lives at risk to keep us safe. We truly can’t afford to take their sacrifices for granted.

Peace be with you.