As carefree college students, it can be easy to assign a stigma to local law enforcement and public safety officials.
After all, seeing those flashing red and blue lights in your rearview mirror rarely means you're about to have a positive or uplifting experience.
But the truth is, these public servants work tirelessly to fulfill their duty: ensuring the safety of Auburn residents and students.
Maybe we think since police officers and firefighters get a paycheck, that is enough appreciation. But public safety officials often go beyond the call of duty, and can you put a price on that feeling of security?
Public safety is an issue throughout the city of Auburn as well as on campus.
The new police substation on campus, located next to the Tiger Transit office, is staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to handle student complaints and campus safety issues. This makes it even easier for students to benefit from the available services.
And the City of Auburn will soon have more of the equipment it needs to get the job done, thanks to a grant secured by Alabama Rep. Mike Hubbard. Night-vision goggles and the Jaws of Life don't come cheap, you know.
This equipment and the new substation are wonderful, much-needed resources. But the services we need come from the men and women behind the equipment.
These are the men and women who respond when someone pulls a dorm fire alarm at three in the morning.
These are the officers who are there every time you get in a fender-bender, when you come back to your car to find the window broken and your possessions missing, or when your car stalls up North College Street.
These are the people that respond to bomb threats and kidnappings and lost children. These people are here for us, and we should respond in kind.
Public safety and law enforcement are often tasked with doing jobs that are going to make people angry--and it's understandable, because who can afford to drop $50 or more on a parking ticket?
But they press on, providing the services that keep our society running safely and finding new and innovative ways to protect and serve.
They deserve our appreciation.
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