LETTER OF THE WEEK

It is no coincidence that Huntington Beach consistently tops the list

of America’s safest cities. The reason our streets are safer is because

of the courage, dedication and commitment of the officers of the

Huntington Beach Police Department, as was shown on Sept. 18 at the City

Council meeting.

Fourteen officers were honored with awards from Mothers Against Drunk

Drivers and the California Office of Traffic Safety for outstanding

achievement in DUI arrests.

Bob Marlowe of the Orange County chapter of MADD said that these

officers exceeded the performance of other community police departments

in DUI arrests. He called them “the best.” He also warned that it is

dangerous out there, a fact these officers are quite aware of.

During the last year, they made over 500 DUI arrests. While doing

this, one officer was nearly killed when he was hit by a DUI driver on

his motorcycle, another had a DUI driver break his thumb in a battle over

the car keys, and several other officers were involved in “fights for

their lives” while attempting to arrest DUI offenders.

Drunk drivers kill and leave lifelong injuries to children and

families in our community. They destroy futures and hopes. Without these

police officers, the DUI offenders go unchallenged and run rampant on our

streets. We seem to forget how dangerous the job they do really is.

As the traffic bureau commander, I just wanted to publicly thank these

officers who made the list, as well as all the other officers of the

Huntington Beach Police Department who put their lives on the line to

keep our city safe, every day and every night.

LT. LLOYD EDWARDS

Traffic bureau commander

Huntington Beach Police Department