To the Editor:

Recently, my family and I have had a few encounters with the local police officials, but the officers who we have dealt with have not been as polite as I would expect them to be.

In a community like Bedford, I think it is important for everyone to be as friendly and hospitable as they can be, especially if you have a public service job such as being a police officer. Please do not misinterpret this letter as a complaint about the service that our policemen give to our community; I respect and appreciate their work so that I can feel safe in any part of our town at any time. Having said that, one can choose to either live their life with a smile on their face or they can just go through the motions without really caring too much about the details of people to people communication.

An example of the impolite behavior of police officers was when my dog recently left our yard and followed a jogger home. The jogger ended up living just one street over from us, but she did call the police. The policeman showed up, took our dog and had him in the back of his cruiser when my mom, dad and I showed up. We got our dog back, but the policeman was very impatient and frustrated for seemingly no reason. He went through the motions and did not seem to have any consideration for the way that my family and I felt.

Although the police station is not the same type of establishment as a business or restaurant, customer service should still be a priority for policemen.

AUSTIN HAMMER

Bedford