Dear Editor:As I make my slow crawl up Brookshire Avenue on an early Monday morning, I notice a police car in front of the blue Astro Van ahead of me. Without warning, he swerves into the right lane. A few moments later, as the car in front of him is not going as fast as he would like, he swerves back to my lane. Without turning any blinkers on, he has moved into the left turn lane and turns onto Firestone. Something must be wrong with his blinkers because I know, with the motto clearly written on the side of his car, he is here "to protect and serve" us. This happens much too often in Downey so I think we may have a shortage in blinker light bulbs. This has to be the case because obviously a police man would always put his blinkers on, no matter how inconvenient. It would be like a doctor prescribing his own drugs or a fireman starting fires. The law, although sometimes annoying, is here to protect us. Those who are put in power to enforce the law are not above it at all but should be called to an even higher standard than us. I believe in buckling my seat belt because I want to survive any possible crash and not because I don't want a ticket. I believe the rules have a purpose and no one is above safety of themselves or others. It maddens me to see someone who has the power to stop the world from danger put others in that same danger because of their own laziness or inconvenience. Just because they have no immediate consequences from it like we would if we were to get ticketed, doesn't mean they can do whatever they want. We have to do what's right even when we think no one is looking. All this goes through my head in the few seconds it takes for him to turn left. And surprise, surprise, he's on his cell phone. Allison Mansell Downey

********** Published: June 28, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 11